Twitter’s NFT-Friendly Profile Pictures, Clubhouse Live Captions & Instagram’s New Feature

There’s one thing you can count on when it comes to the world of social media, and that’s that it is constantly evolving. Every platform you know and love (or maybe hate) continues to evolve, trouble-shoot, adapt, and reinvent itself – and this week’s breaking social news reminds us of this salient truth. From NFT profile pictures on Twitter to Clubhouse increasing its accessibility, here’s everything you need to know to stay in the social loop.

Twitter is Soon to Be a Safe Space for NFTs…Kinda

I have had NFTs explained to me many times over, and I still don’t quite understand how they can be a thing when screenshotting exists, blockchain and all…but that’s just me. However you feel about NFTs, you should be aware that Twitter has made moves to enable users in possession of these digital investments to use NFTs as their profile pictures.

Twitter announced this week that users who chose to share their NFTs as profile pictures will have said profile pictures displayed in a unique, hexagonal shape – which will indicate to both your followers and anyone who comes across your posts on their timelines that you own that image.

As part of this update, users who opt in to use their NFT as their profile image will be able to link that image for any interested parties to learn more about their NFT, including the creator, the owner and more.

Speaking of Twitter…Small Biz Saturdays Just Got Easier

Ahead of the rush for holiday gifts, Twitter released a checklist for users to reference when participating in Small Business Saturday – which, ICYMI, is the unofficial official answer to Black Friday deals. Small Business Saturday encourages consumers to shop local and/or small for holiday gifts. In the wake of the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of small businesses have had to shutter their doors for good – and many of those that were able to make it through are hanging on by the skin of their teeth.

If you’re planning on promoting a small business you love next Saturday, be sure to take a look at Twitter’s best practices checklist.

Instagram Adds Option to Delete Single Image From Carousels

Social media managers everywhere, rejoice. Instagram has finally given users the option to remove a single image from carousel posts, after the post has been shared to a user’s main feed. I can’t tell you how many times I personally have accidentally sent a post out into the ether with images I did not mean to attach sneaking in for a third or fourth swipe!

This update makes Instagram an even more forgiving platform for busy creators on the move, because as Hannah Montana once said, everybody makes mistakes.

Clubhouse Adds Live Captions

Clubhouse just announced that closed captions are now available for Clubhouse chats, making the platform more accessible than ever.

Clubhouse’s largest competitor, Twitter Spaces, has offered closed captions since its launch, but this update marks Clubhouse’s continued efforts to compete in a now saturated market. According to Social Media Today, these two continue to neck and neck for the top spot in audio-based social experiences:

“With a much bigger potential audience base, and with Twitter failing to gain significant traction in the Indian market, that could make the region a more beneficial focus for Clubhouse – so while its momentum may have slowed in western markets, Clubhouse still has significant opportunity, if it can maximize its take-up in different regions.”

It will be interesting to see who comes out on top –  Clubhouse was here first, but Twitter Spaces certainly has the scope and dollars to continue to evolve at lightspeed. We shall see!

Subscribe to the BlogHer newsletter for more tactical advice, exclusive content, and timely event updates.