Social Media Buzz Weekly: Roundup of Social Media Updates
- ClickInsights
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
Welcome to Social Media Buzz Weekly, your weekly bulletin of the latest social media updates. With the social media landscape evolving with each passing day, it can be challenging to keep a tab on the rapid developments. Well, not anymore, as we have taken it upon ourselves to keep you abreast of every happening in the social media space.
So, without any further ado, let’s look at some of the most significant developments from the last week in the world of social media.
1. Meta Faces Fines in Turkey After Failing to Comply With Removal Orders
Meta could soon be hit with a significant fine for refusing to comply with official removal orders from Turkish authorities.
The Turkish government has been ordering the suspension of social media accounts sharing information on the widespread protests that have followed the arrest of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main political rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Meta has confirmed that it has been fined for refusing to comply with the full scope of these requests, though it did not disclose the scale of those penalties. This comes as Meta looks to enlist the help of U.S. President Donald Trump to push back against foreign fines, which it claims unfairly penalize American companies.
2. Meta Updates Teen Safety Tools on IG, Expands Teen Accounts to Facebook
Meta is rolling out some new protective elements for teen users, including restrictions on live streaming on IG, advanced protection within DMs, an expansion of its teen accounts to Facebook and Messenger, and more.
Instagram is implementing new restrictions for live-streaming and its DM protection elements, which will mean that parents will now need to approve any changes to the default settings. Meta is also making its Teen Accounts available on Facebook and Messenger, which will replicate Instagram’s teen profiles which it launched last year. The changes are the latest safety update for teen users, with IG adding enhanced privacy elements, messaging restrictions, sleep mode, harmful content exposure limits, and more last year alone.
3. Community Notes Are Now Appearing in Meta Apps
The next stage of Meta’s shift away from third-party fact-checking is now in effect, with Community Notes now beginning to appear across its apps.
The first of Meta’s Community Notes are now being displayed on selected posts, as it gradually rolls them out across its platforms. Notes will be visible beneath the main post, with a prompt that states that “People added a community note,” which you can tap through on for more info. An important additional note here is that Community Notes will also not be visible to people outside the U.S.
4. Meta Announces New Partnership With UFC
Meta has signed a new deal with the UFC, which will see the combat sports league post more exclusive content to Meta’s apps, while Meta will also become the “official fan technology partner” of the Dana White-led group.
Dana White was appointed to Meta’s board earlier this year, which was seemingly the culmination of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s growing personal relationship with combat sports. White is also a long-time supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, and his appointment to Meta’s board was seen as another effort by Zuck and Co. to better align with the second Trump administration.
With that being the case, an expanded UFC/Meta partnership seems like a logical extension of their deepening relationship, which will also benefit broader engagement across Meta’s apps, based on the popularity of UFC.
5. Trump Extends US TikTok Sell-off Deadline Once Again
US President Donald Trump has granted TikTok a second 75-day extension to comply with a law that requires the hugely popular video app to either sell its US operation or face a ban in the country.
The White House had reportedly arranged a deal that would see the U.S. arm of TikTok spun off into a separate entity, which would be owned by a group of U.S. shareholders. TikTok owner ByteDance would retain a 19.9% stake in the new business, while America would effectively “lease” TikTok’s almighty algorithm, as opposed to taking full ownership of the app.
6. TikTok Adds Alt Text for Still Image Posts
TikTok has added an alt text option for still image posts as another means to maximize accessibility and engagement in the app.
There’s now an “Add alternative text” option within the photo post composer, providing a simple way to add text descriptions of your still image uploads. Worth noting that TikTok also provides auto-generated captions for video clips as well, along with text-to-speech, and video is, of course, its primary content focus. You can also manually edit these captions to ensure their accuracy, and now you can add captions to your image posts.
7. TikTok Activates Latest EU Data Center as Authorities Issue New Data Sharing Fine
TikTok has provided an update on its “Project Clover” data security initiative, which aims to ensure that European user data is not being accessed by China-based employees and officials.
The project was largely brought online in July last year, and now, TikTok says that it’s reached a new milestone, with its latest, and final European data center now in operation. TikTok says that the establishment of its Norwegian data center is a key part of “dedicated European enclave,” where EU TikTok user data will now be stored by default. Furthering this, TikTok has also engaged cybersecurity firm NCC Group to independently oversee and verify its data controls.
8. TikTok Merchants Can Now Sell Pre-Owned Sneakers in the App
TikTok has announced that TikTok Shop merchants will now be able to sell pre-owned footwear, authenticated by vetted third parties, within the app. Though there are some provisions in place to ensure that shoe buyers don’t get ripped off in the app.
TikTok says that it’s only approving “a select group of highly vetted sellers” to trade classic shoes in the app. All pre-owned sneaker and footwear sellers in the app will also be required to upload a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) from an industry-trusted, third-party authenticator, while shoppers will also have a process of recourse if their purchase arrives damaged, defective, or otherwise not as described.
9. Instagram Launches Monthly Performance Recap and Recommendations
Instagram is testing out a new monthly recap summary to provide regular insight into your content performance.
Some Instagram creators are now being prompted to check out their previous month’s recap, which then provides a Story-like full-screen set of slides that summarize your performance. The summary includes data on the total views of your Reels and posts, views from non-followers, notes on your activity, as well as recommendations on how to maximize your performance, your top posts, and comparative views data. There are also additional notes on when your audience was most active throughout the month, as well as tips and examples to help improve your content process.
10. Instagram Tests Lockable Posts to Enhance Engagement
Instagram is trying out a new way to drive engagement with your followers, with lockable posts that can only be unlocked with a code.
Instagram is reportedly testing out a new locked post format which prompts viewers to “Enter secret code” to view the content. That could be a new way to drive engagement within specific segments of your audience, like superfans who’ve obtained a code through whatever means you choose. You could also use it to offer discounts to previous customers, as opposed to all of your followers, or provide region-specific updates, in conjunction with your off-platform client details.
11. Instagram Chief Says Edits App Coming Soon, Will Be Available for Free
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has provided an update on the work that’s going into its dedicated creation app, essentially IG’s own version of CapCut, which is set to be launched to users very soon.
Mosseri said that Edits is “getting really close”, and should be available within “the next couple of weeks.” Mosseri says that a selected group of creators are currently beta testing the app, with a view to the release of an initial, “simple” version shortly. Addressing questions about the app’s pricing, Mosseri stated that Edits will be free to use but may introduce paid features over time, particularly for AI-powered tools that require significant computational resources.
12. Snapchat Launches Sponsored AI Lenses To Help Brands Enhance Engagement
Snapchat is looking to help more brands utilize its popular Lenses within their promotions, this time via AI-generated Sponsored Lenses, which enable brands to build interactive in-app experiences without developer investment.
Snapchat’s Sponsored AI Lenses generate themed AI images from selfies, and are available within Snapchat’s Lens carousel in the app. So they’re not AR, which is the focus of most of Snap’s Lens experiences, but they do provide a similar form of engagement, by enabling people to place themselves within different settings via digital means.
13. Snapchat Launches Expanded Agency Partner Program
Snapchat has announced an expansion of its Partner Program, with a new “Agency” partner offering that’ll enable agencies to gain Snapchat accreditation to showcase their platform expertise.
Snapchat expanded its Partner Program with its “Advanced Partner Program” in April last year, providing more ways for agencies to work with Snapchat to both create and facilitate new ad solutions, in order to improve results for their clients. The Agency Partner initiative is the next iteration of that.
14. X Announces New Requirements for Parody Accounts
After implementing “Parody Account” labels back in December, X is now moving to make parody profiles even more visible in the app, with updated username requirements for joke accounts.
As per X’s expanded guidance, parody accounts will now have to include “parody,” “fake,” “fan,” or “commentary” at the beginning of their account name. So if you wanted to create an Elon Musk parody profile, for example, you’ll no longer be allowed to use the same profile image that Elon does, and you’ll have to add a specific keyword at the start of your account name for clarity. So, your account would need to be called “Fake Elon Musk” or “Parody Elon Musk”, and use a totally different avatar image than Elon’s actual profile.
15. EU Seeking to Fine X $1B for DSA Violations
The EU Commission is currently finalizing plans to issue Elon Musk’s X with a penalty in the range of $1 billion for violations of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA).
The penalty relates to an investigation launched by EU officials back in 2023 around X’s revised approach to content moderation, and how that had seemingly allowed the amplification of misleading claims. EU investigators have since examined X’s compliance with its DSA obligations relating to the dissemination of illegal content, and the effectiveness of Community Notes in countering such. And the results, based on the scale of the fine being considered, were obviously not great.
16. LinkedIn Now Enable Users To Share MP4 Videos in DMs
You can now add MP4 videos as attachments in your LinkedIn messages. LinkedIn added file attachments for DMs back in 2018, with users able to add PDFs, spreadsheets, Word DOCs and PowerPoint files.
It’s since expanded this to more file types, with virtually all forms of image and/or spreadsheet file now able to be shared in the app, while you can also capture and share direct video replies within your DM response options.
17. LinkedIn Tests Video Trends to Encourage Member Engagement
LinkedIn is taking another step into TikTok territory, with a new video trends feature that will encourage members to add their own video responses to trending topics in the app.
LinkedIn’s new format will include header tags within video clips, as well as within the main feed, that highlight trending video topics in the app. Tap on any topic to see what other members are sharing about that specific subject. LinkedIn will also encourage viewers to “Add to this trend” with a simple CTA button that opens your own camera to record your take. The format is similar to LinkedIn’s AI-generated “Collaborative Articles”, which generate industry and niche questions, then invite members to contribute.
Wrapping Up
And that was a wrap of this week’s Social Media Buzz. We’ll be back next week with more news and updates for you from the social media world. Till then, stay tuned!
If you want to read more on the latest developments taking place in the social media space, take a look at ClickInsights’ Social Media Buzz, wherein we bring to you monthly reports on everything going on in social media, ranging from platform updates to policy changes that influence the way we market.
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