Bonded Bitesize – Your Midweek Roundup

Google Analytics 4 Introduces Benchmarking Data

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has introduced a new feature allowing users to compare their performance metrics with industry peers. This update provides valuable context for advertisers to understand their performance relative to others, helping inform strategic decisions. The benchmarking data, which refreshes daily, shows trendlines, median values, and percentile ranges within peer groups. Users can customise peer groups for more relevant comparisons, with Google ensuring data privacy. This feature addresses a need in the analytics community for comparative data and encourages users to explore its benefits in their GA4 accounts.

Threads Continues To Gain Momentum Based on Download Charts

Threads, a social media app by Meta, is showing steady growth in app downloads, ranking 7th in July 2024, according to AppFigures. Since its launch in July 2023, Threads has consistently appeared in the top 10 most downloaded apps, indicating rising interest. Despite this, Elon Musk’s platform, X (formerly Twitter), is not featured in the top downloads, suggesting declining traction. Although Threads is gaining ground, it still lags behind X in terms of active users. However, if current trends continue, Threads could eventually surpass X, though this may take years.

TikTok’s New ‘Manage Topics’ Tool Gives You More Control Over Your For You Feed

TikTok is launching a new ‘Manage Topics’ feature that allows U.S. users to customise their For You feed by adjusting the amount of content they see on specific topics, such as sports, travel, and humour. Accessible through the app’s settings under ‘Content Preferences’, this feature lets users fine-tune their feed preferences by moving sliders for each topic. It offers a more precise way to control content visibility compared to previous methods like refreshing the feed or selecting ‘not interested’ on individual videos. TikTok notes that it may take time for changes to fully reflect in the feed.

Google Confirms AI Overviews Affected By Core Updates

Google’s Senior Search Analyst, John Mueller, confirmed that core algorithm updates affect the AI-generated overviews in search results. These AI overviews, introduced a few months ago, summarise information from various websites using Google’s Gemini AI. SEO experts have observed changes in the sources used for these overviews after major updates, which Mueller’s statement supports. While this confirmation provides some clarity, questions remain about how content is selected for AI overviews and how this differs from traditional search rankings.

Snapchat Releases New Teen Safety Resources for Educators

Snapchat announced new resources to help educators create safer school environments by better understanding how students use the app. This initiative includes a dedicated website, the “Educator’s Guide to Snapchat,” which provides information on how the app works, details on its safety tools, and downloadable resources to address online issues like bullying and sextortion. The move comes amid growing concerns about social media’s impact on teen mental health and criticism from lawmakers. Snapchat also introduced a feedback form for educators to share their experiences and suggestions directly with the platform.

Yelp Sues Google Over Self-Preferencing Reviews

Yelp has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google in a California federal court, accusing the tech giant of abusing its monopoly in general search to dominate the local search and advertising markets. Yelp alleges that Google has been self-preferencing its own inferior local search products over competitors like Yelp, thereby limiting consumer choice and stifling competition. This lawsuit continues Yelp’s long-standing efforts to challenge Google’s practices, which Yelp claims have degraded local search quality and unfairly pushed rivals out of the market. Yelp’s CEO, Jeremy Stoppelman, aims to safeguard competition, protect consumer choice, and prevent future anti-competitive behaviour by Google. The lawsuit also highlights how Google allegedly scraped review content from Yelp and other sites to bolster its own services, further harming Yelp’s business.

Instagram Adds Stories Comments To Encourage Interaction

Instagram is introducing a new feature allowing users to comment on Stories, with these comments being visible to all viewers of that Story. This addition aims to boost interaction on the platform, as Instagram has noticed users increasingly shifting to private DMs and Stories instead of the main feed. The comments will appear at the bottom of the Story frame, providing a non-intrusive way to spark discussions. Instagram hopes this feature will enhance engagement, especially among younger users, by encouraging more public interaction on Stories. Users can also disable Story comments if they prefer.

Snapchat Reawakens Retro Trends With Latest Update

Snapchat has introduced new features with a nostalgic twist, reviving older trends. The platform is bringing back Bitstrips, the original format of Bitmoji, by adding new 3D Bitmoji Stories that let users see their avatars in comic-strip style content. Snapchat also added lyric stickers for singalongs and custom ringtones for Snapchat+ subscribers, a throwback to the early 2000s when personalised ringtones were popular. Additionally, Snapchat+ users can now rewatch their sent Snaps for up to five minutes. These retro-inspired updates aim to boost engagement and attract more subscribers to Snapchat’s paid service.

Google Places Further Restrictions On GenAI Products Ahead Of 2024 Elections

Google is implementing stricter restrictions on its AI products, like the Gemini chatbot, in preparation for the 2024 political elections. The company will limit responses to election-related queries, particularly about candidates, voting processes, and results, to avoid misinformation. These safeguards will extend across Google’s AI ecosystem, including Search AI Overviews, YouTube summaries, and image generation tools. Additionally, Google is enhancing transparency by requiring advertisers to disclose synthetic content in election ads and updating Search and YouTube to help users find credible election information and voter registration details.

AI-Generated Fake Reviews Found Across App Stores

Recent data reveals that AI is being used to create fake reviews in app stores, inflating an app’s credibility and leading users to download potentially harmful content. Media measurement firm DoubleVerify found that many five-star app reviews across various platforms, including mobile and streaming services, are AI-generated. In 2024, the number of apps with such fake reviews has more than tripled compared to 2023. These fraudulent apps often bombard users with out-of-context ads and can continue to affect devices even after uninstallation, causing malfunctions and making them difficult to remove. The fake reviews also help mask fraudulent activities, such as generating illegitimate traffic on connected TV platforms.