by Feedsy guest writer Erica Stacey
I LOVE this time of the year!
In a time where the internet, news and content moves so freaking fast, it’s a great opportunity to look back and reflect on just how much has occurred over the past 12 months.
So in case you have forgotten, here are some highlights:
March 2016: Instagram releases algorithm…
… and everyone freaked out and begged their followers to “turn on notifications”.
Personally I’m still not a fan of the algorithm, and with more recent Stories and commenting updates, Instagram appears to be copying other channels and having less of its own personality.
Here’s a post I wrote back in March about the algorithm update: Don’t Panic (and don’t turn on Instagram notifications)
June: 2016: Microsoft buys LinkedIn for USD$26.2 billion
I’ve been a long time lover of LinkedIn, and while many fear that Microsoft will “ruin it” I’m eager to see how LinkedIn continues to develop.
Over the past few years it has become a true “social platform” with a dynamic feed of interesting professional content (and unfortunately some spammy updates as well – learn the channel people!)
The mobile app has been pivotal in encouraging engagement, and LinkedIn Pulse posts provide valuable in-channel reading.
I’m excited to see what 2017 has in store for LinkedIn.
Read about Microsoft’s purchase of LinkedIn here.
August 2016: Australia tries to do their census online
Ask a country of 24 million people to go online at the same time and complete their census. What could go wrong?
Reported later as a DDoS attack, our inability to do the census did result in the trending of the #censusfail hashtag which now has its own website: www.censusfail.com.au
September 2016: Apple announces new iPhone and AirPods
Along with the announcement of the new iPhone, Apple announced their controversial new AirPods (wireless ear buds) at September’s launch.
The AirPods are now available for purchase in some stores and areas.
As someone who keeps losing their regular Apple headphones, I’m concerned about these guys…
December 2016: Yahoo hacked (again)
Yahoo has recently disclosed that it has discovered a breach of more than 1 billion user accounts from August 2016, however it has not been the only platform to suffer such a security attack in 2016 (though it seems to be the worst, that we know of).
A number of platforms experienced similar breaches, and many are upping their security, implementing two-step verification methods etc.
As we share more and more information online, and there are more and more users, I can see these incidents of cybercrime and attacks continuing.
They are important reminders to:
- think about what we share online
- be careful who we connect with
- understand privacy settings
- have secure passwords, update them regularly and use two-step verification methods
Speaking of passwords, these are The Top 25 Passwords of 2016 (don’t use them in 2017).
Top Google Australia searches for 2016
Google recently shared the top Australian searches for 2016, with:
- US Election
- Olympics
- Census
at the top of the list.
Australia Social Media Statistics (as at November 2016)
And thanks to SocialMediaNews.com.au here’s a summary of where some of the most popular social media channels are at with Aussie users, compared to this time last year:
| CHANNEL | NOVEMBER 2015 | NOVEMBER 2016 | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14,000,000 Australian users | 15,000,000 Australian users (steady) | +1,000,000 | |
| 5,000,000 monthly active Australian users | 5,000,000 monthly active Australian users (steady) | no change | |
| 3,800,000 Australian users | 3,600,000 Australian users | -200,000 | |
| 2,800,000 active Australian users (approx) | 2,800,000 active Australian users (approx) (steady) | no change | |
| Snapchat | 2,000,000 monthly active Australian users (approx) | 4,000,000 DAILY active Australian users | HUGE GROWTH |
Socialnomics 2017
And this summary would not be complete without a video from Erik Qualman featuring some more epic statistics of what we can expect from digital and social media in 2017…
What was your favourite online event from 2016?
This post was originally published on the Scout Digital Marketing blog
