Social Media Platform News and Updates for JANUARY 2025
This blog dives into the newest updates across social media platforms. Meta advances its metaverse vision with "Avatar Quests" and empowers creators with expanded affiliate tools. Threads, Meta's alternative to X, celebrates 300M users and introduces native post-scheduling. LinkedIn enhances branding with dynamic slideshows and tests, boosting visibility for personal updates. Instagram showcases innovative AI video tools and privacy enhancements. X (formerly Twitter) enriches creator opportunities and sports partnerships, while TikTok focuses on safety and in-app transactions. Snapchat combines monetization programs and highlights festive features, while YouTube explores multiplayer gaming and connected TV growth. Explore these trends to optimize your digital strategy!
Social media updates for Meta
Meta's Avatar Quests: A Step Toward the Metaverse
Meta continues its efforts to integrate avatars into immersive experiences, exemplified by the development of "Avatar Quests," which let users engage in interactive games and explore virtual worlds as their digital depictions. This feature aligns with Meta's broader vision for the metaverse, aiming to create more personalized and engaging avatar-driven interactions. By expanding avatar functionality across platforms like Facebook and Instagram, Meta is paving the way for users to embrace their digital characters in more meaningful ways.
Meta Expands Affiliate Link Opportunities for Creators
Meta is enhancing its affiliate marketing tools by making product links more prominent in Reels, videos, photos, and text posts, increasing visibility and engagement potential. A new auto-detection system alerts creators to label affiliate content appropriately, while simplified workflows make it easier to add and display product links. These updates aim to empower creators to maximize monetization opportunities and help brands drive sales, especially during the busy holiday season.
Meta Balances AI Development with Misinformation Risks
Meta continues to integrate generative AI into its platforms while acknowledging the challenges of discerning AI-generated content from reality. Instagram's Adam Mosseri emphasizes the need for responsible AI labeling and user vigilance in identifying manipulated content. Despite these risks, Meta is ramping up its AI tools, aiming to reshape its platforms while addressing potential societal impacts.
Social media updates for Threads
Threads Achieves 300 Million Monthly Active Users
According to Instagram and Threads chief Adam Mosseri, threads, Meta's alternative to X (formerly Twitter), has surpassed 300 million monthly active users. This rapid growth follows an addition of over 200 million users this year as Threads continues attracting migrating users seeking alternatives to X. Impressively, Threads took less than five months to leap from 200 million to 300 million users, showcasing its exponential growth trajectory. Read more about this milestone.
Threads Introduces Native Post Scheduling
Threads is set to launch a test for scheduling posts directly within the app, a feature long requested by users. Users will soon be able to schedule posts by tapping the three dots menu in the post composer, though replies will remain un-schedulable to maintain real-time engagement. While third-party platforms have enabled scheduling since March, this native feature will streamline posting and analytics tracking for social media managers. Learn more about this upcoming feature.
Threads Rolls Out Media Sharing with Creator Credits
Threads now offers a new media-sharing feature that credits creators directly in shared posts. Users can share images or videos with the creator's username displayed prominently, helping establish better content-sharing norms. While creators can disable this feature for future uploads, the move aims to enhance collaboration and respect within the Threads community. Discover more about this update.
Social media updates for LinkedIn
LinkedIn Adds Auto-Revolving Slideshow for Profiles
LinkedIn has introduced a dynamic banner slideshow feature for Premium Business users, allowing up to five rotating images. This update offers a unique way to showcase personality, projects, or business offerings to enhance professional branding. The feature is rolling out globally and could be an appealing upgrade for professionals seeking to refresh their profiles for 2025.
LinkedIn Tests Post Boosting for Personal Updates
LinkedIn is piloting a feature enabling users to pay to amplify personal posts, extending its existing “Boost” option for business updates. This tool offers individuals a streamlined way to reach larger audiences and build their personal brand. Currently available to select Premium subscribers in the U.S., it may expand further in 2025 as LinkedIn refines its paid promotion tools.
LinkedIn Experiments with Enhanced Video Display
LinkedIn is testing larger video panels with rounded corners in the main feed to spotlight video content. The format, reminiscent of TikTok, aims to capitalize on video’s popularity among younger professionals and growing LinkedIn usage. With 36% growth in video engagement this year, LinkedIn’s push for immersive video formats could be worth exploring for 2025 marketing strategies.
Social media updates for Instagram
Instagram Introduces AI Video Generation Tools
Meta continues to push AI's role in social media, with Instagram introducing new AI-powered video editing tools. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri previewed upcoming features that will allow users to modify their video clips with different backgrounds, outfits, and even Muppet-style versions of themselves, powered by Meta's Movie Gen engine. While these tools could spark creative trends, concerns remain about the shift away from authentic, human-centric social connections in social media.
Instagram Expands Screenshot Blocking for Sensitive Content
Instagram now blocks screenshots for "Vanish Mode" and "View Once" content in DMs, enhancing privacy for sensitive media. This update follows a feature that alerted users about screenshots, offering greater assurance for those sharing temporary or private content. While not foolproof, this additional safeguard aims to address concerns, particularly for younger users, about trust and online safety.
Instagram Tests DM Scheduling for Better Outreach
Instagram is testing a DM scheduling feature, enabling users to plan and send messages at optimal times. This tool, currently available to select Android users, could be particularly helpful for brands managing global outreach or coordinating campaigns across time zones. As DMs increasingly become a focal point for Instagram engagement, this feature is expected to enhance user interaction and strategic communication.
Social media updates for X (Twitter)
X Boosts Creator Revenue Share Program Over Christmas
X is running a seasonal promotion to encourage the adoption of its creator revenue share program. While the effort may entice some users, the broader challenge remains—most users are unlikely to pay for the app's subscription services. This initiative seems most beneficial for creators targeting the niche audience of X Premium subscribers.
X Expands DM Features with File Attachments
X is testing a feature that allows users to attach files to DMs, broadening its messaging functionality beyond photos, videos, and GIFs. This enhancement aligns with X’s goal of evolving into an “everything app” by improving its communication utility. While no launch date is confirmed, the feature is expected to roll out soon, likely to X Premium subscribers first.
X Renews Partnership with NBA for Exclusive Content
X has renewed its partnership with the NBA, promising new, innovative fan experiences starting in 2025. The collaboration strengthens X’s position as a hub for real-time sports discussions, leveraging its popularity among basketball enthusiasts. This move underscores X’s broader strategy to integrate exclusive content and foster stronger community engagement.
Social media updates for TikTok
TikTok Enhances Creator Resources for In-Stream Shopping
TikTok introduces an Account Health Report and a Creator Policy Quiz to help sellers understand and adhere to platform guidelines, ensuring their product listings reach wider audiences. These tools simplify policy education and reduce penalties, allowing creators to maintain strong account standing. TikTok also hosts in-person workshops to boost creators' e-commerce skills, highlighting its focus on strengthening in-app shopping.
TikTok Minis: A New Avenue for In-App Transactions
TikTok may soon launch "TikTok Minis," lightweight third-party apps integrated into its platform, similar to the successful "Mini Programs" on Douyin. These tools could expand TikTok's marketplace by enabling functions like ride-hailing, ticket booking, and more, driving transactional activity. While previous efforts by other platforms have had limited success, TikTok's approach could reshape user engagement and commerce.
TikTok Tackles Age Verification and Teen Safety
TikTok reports removing six million accounts monthly for violating its minimum age requirement as part of its push to enhance safety. New initiatives include appearance-altering filter restrictions for teens, mental health support integrations, and compliance with EU data laws. These updates aim to protect young users while addressing broader regulatory challenges like Australia's proposed age-verification legislation.
Social media updates for Snapchat
Snapchat Unifies Monetization for Stories and Spotlight Videos
Snapchat is integrating Stories and Spotlight into a single monetization program, starting February 2025, to simplify revenue opportunities for creators. Eligible creators can earn through mid-roll ads in both formats, provided they meet viewership and activity thresholds. With 500 million monthly Spotlight users, this update aims to create sustainable earnings for creators while fostering exclusive content on the platform.
Snapchat Rolls Out Festive Updates for the Holidays
Snapchat introduces holiday-themed features, including seasonal app themes and Bitmoji reactions, exclusively for Snapchat+ subscribers. Non-paying users can enjoy new AI-powered Lenses, like an "Ugly Sweater" generator, and opt-in to a seven-day message retention option in chats. These updates aim to enhance user engagement during the festive season and attract more subscribers to Snapchat+.
Snapchat Shares Key Usage Insights for 2024
Snapchat's 2024 trends reveal popular Lenses like Pink Dog and Soft Filter alongside top Bitmoji items such as Baggy Skater Jorts and Pumpkin Slippers. The platform also highlights growth among older audiences, with over 50% of U.S. users now aged 25 or older. With 90% retention for annual users over five years, Snap continues to engage its audience through evolving features and targeted content.
Social media updates for YouTube
YouTube Tests Multiplayer Games in Playables
YouTube's "Playables" gaming platform now includes multiplayer games, starting with titles like Ludo Club and Magic Tiles 3. This feature enables users to play in real time with friends, expanding the platform's gaming potential and engagement opportunities. With over 75 mobile games already available on Playables, YouTube continues to explore ways to integrate gaming into its ecosystem. Read more about this experiment.
YouTube's Connected TV (CTV) Growth Insights
Connected TV (CTV) viewership, where users stream web content on TV sets, is expanding rapidly, with YouTube emerging as a major beneficiary. Nielsen reported that YouTube led streaming platforms by watch time in 2023, and the platform now sees over a billion hours of daily TV-based viewing, including a 30% year-over-year growth in sports content watch time. New features like multi-view for sports and NFL's "Sunday Ticket" are attracting more fans, while efforts such as 4K video uploads (up 35% YoY) and a direct "Subscribe" button on the TV interface (boosting subscriptions by 40%) enhance the big-screen experience.
YouTube Tests Voice Replies to Comments
YouTube is testing a feature enabling creators to reply to comments with voice notes, providing a more personalized and engaging experience for fans. Currently limited to iOS creators in the U.S., this feature allows users to record audio replies directly from the app. While YouTube already offers video replies via Shorts, audio replies may help creators offer quicker, meaningful responses, similar to TikTok's engagement tactics.
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