Digital News and Platform Updates: April 2021

By Karen Morgan

At Flame PR this month, we’ve been busy getting our clients in the best position for sharing their news and updates in the media. We’re able to do this because we keep up with the latest digital news and platform updates from the world of online media. We’re bringing you the April update on the trending topics and changes to the digital landscape that you need to know.

Digital platform updates
The world of social media is heating up this month with the addition of Facebook’s new Q&A platform, Hotline. The new feature offers audio and video sessions to be scheduled, taking inspiration from Clubhouse, and allows users to attend formal online discussions and presentations. The Q&A feature lets people send in questions and listen to hosts give their answers. Described as a cross between radio, Instagram live and Twitch stream, we’ve got high hopes for Hotline and our team are already getting their creative juices flowing with concepts for how our clients can make use of this feature. 

As communication experts, we spot opportunities for change and LinkedIn has done just that. The last year has brought about tremendous change to our lives and LinkedIn have harnessed an opportunity that may help those who have a gap in the CV due to the pandemic. LinkedIn has added a new job title to the platform labelled as ‘stay at home parent’. This allows those who had a career break to reflect that in their LinkedIn profile and means that they have a full breakdown of when they were away from the office. We’re happy to see the social platform making changes that highlight the reality of where the world is at and making it easier for working parents to get back on the career ladder. Respect to LinkedIn for leading the way forward in lifestyle changes on social networks. 

Social media trending topics
On 22nd April, the world of social media supported Earth day in an effort to bring more awareness to reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and finding ways of preserving the planet earth. It’s the responsibility of us all to promote the message of sustainability and awareness of how our carbon footprint affects the world. We encouraged some of our clients to take part in the initiative because having an online social following gives our clients a voice and creates an opportunity for them to be opinion leaders. We were super impressed by the Earth Day campaign from O2 because as a well-established mobile network, they have a strong voice in the digital space and can reach a mass audience. In our eyes, this is a fantastic example of how large brands can use their influence to share an important message. 

Look out for next month’s digital platform updates and our favourite trending topics. Follow @flamepr on Twitter and LinkedIn to keep up to date with what’s happening in the world of Flame PR.