Social Media Buzz Weekly: Roundup of Social Media Updates
- ClickInsights
- 14 hours ago
- 6 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 Is Consolidating More of Its Detailed Ad Targeting Options
Meta is moving ahead with its plan to reduce manual ad targeting on its platforms, as it pushes advertisers towards broader, AI-driven campaign management.
The company has begun notifying advertisers through Ads Manager that additional detailed targeting options will be removed or consolidated. The changes are set to take effect from 15 January 2026, after which any ad sets using the discontinued criteria will stop delivering. Meta has gradually pared back detailed targeting since early 2024, citing limited use, excessive granularity, or links to sensitive topics as reasons for removal. The company has framed the changes as a way to improve overall ad performance by enabling its automated systems to determine the most relevant audiences.
2. TikTok Implements Hashtag Limit
Some users are now being told that TikTok has instituted a five hashtag limit on posts, restricting the amount of topic tags that you can append to your TikTok clips.
Most platforms are revising their approach to hashtags, with X removing them from ads, LinkedIn deprioritizing hashtags for discovery, and Threads limiting its own topic tags to one per post. Instagram has also been experimenting with a five hashtag limit, with the idea being that any more than this leads to misuse, and spamming popular or unrelated tags in an effort to boost reach.
3. TikTok Updates Community Guidelines To Address AI Misinformation
TikTok has announced some updates to its Community Guidelines, in order to put more focus on user safety, while also ensuring ease of access for creators and those trying to understand the platform’s various rules and policies.
TikTok’s updated guidelines aim to move the platform more into line with community expectation, while also seeking to simplify its various rules, in broad terms. The main rule changes relate to misinformation, as well as the misuse of TikTok for varying purposes. The update is likely aimed at those looking to scrape TikTok and/or use TikTok accounts to promote misinformation.
4. Instagram Considers Counting Screenshots in Its Engagement Metrics
Instagram might be adding a new metric to its analytics: screenshot tracking. In a recent Q&A session, Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri, responded to a user’s question about tracking screenshots within the app.
Currently, Instagram provides insights into metrics like likes, comments, shares, and saves. Screenshots, however, aren’t officially tracked. The user suggested that knowing how often people screenshot content could be a valuable addition to Instagram’s analytics.
5. New Study Suggests That Posting More Often Is Key to Instagram Growth
According to a new study by Buffer, the more you can post to Instagram, the better, with users who post more frequently seeing clear engagement and reach benefits.
Buffer analyzed over 2 million posts from 100k Instagram accounts to identify key trends in posting and the relation of such to engagement. The data suggests that posting on Instagram between 3 and 5 times per week can more than double your follower growth rate, while posting 6 to 9 times per week, or even more, will increase your growth rate even further. In addition to gaining more followers, posting more often can also increase your reach.
6. Snapchat Launches ‘McDonaldland’ AR Experience
With McDonald’s looking to expand its digital footprint in new and interactive ways, Snapchat’s partnering with the fast-food giant on a new activation, which will see its “McDonaldland” experience rendered via a range of Snap AR Lenses.
Snapchat will be hosting various custom Lens experiences which will all link into McDonald’s broader “McDonaldland” promotion. The main Lens will be activated when you are in-store, transforming your surroundings into the fantasy McDonaldland. The activation will use Snap’s AR tools to render the AR overlay on your real world scene, providing an engaging gateway into the experience.
7. Snapchat Launches ‘Buddy Passes’ To Boost Memberships
Snapchat is trying out another way to promote its subscription offering, with the addition of new “Buddy Passes” for Snapchat+ members, which will enable subscribers to gift a free week of Snapchat+ access to their friends, at no additional cost.
Snapchat is looking to use its existing Snapchat+ audience to promote the option.With over 15 million Snap users already paying for the add-on package, that could lead to significant exposure, and a heap more sign-ups for Snap’s paid package.
8. xAI Is Planning To Release Various Concerning Bot Personas
According to a new report from 404 Media, in the back-end code for X’s Grok site, the xAI team has logged references to some of its coming AI companion personas, which will expand upon its existing bot models.
They include a doctor bot, a therapist, and also a conspiracist bot that “spends a lot of time on 4chan.” xAI has thus far released four companion AI options, with “Ani,” a flirty anime character, “Rudy” (and “Bad Rudy”), a misbehaving panda, and “Valentine,” a male version of its Ani character.
9. Elon Musk Threatens Legal Action Over Apple’s App Store Rankings
Elon Musk has again decided to take on Apple, this time over app rankings, and the fact that his Grok AI app hasn’t reached number one on the relevant app store charts as yet.
Elon says that Apple is deliberately restricting promotion of the app, despite its clear popularity. However, many AI apps have reached the number one spot in the App Store rankings, including Perplexity, DeepSeek and Meta AI. So, it’s not remotely true that Apple is restricting all AI apps except OpenAI, but even so, Elon has dug his heels in, and has continued to take swipes at Apple throughout the day, essentially accusing the company of anti-competitive behavior, designed to benefit OpenAI.
10. X Expands Grok Translation on Posts In-Stream
X has expanded the availability of its AI-powered auto-translation option for posts, with a broad range of languages now supported by Grok translation.
So now, Grok’s updated AI model will be the primary translation tool when using the “Translate Post” option in-stream, with most languages now supported, at least to some degree. X actually began integrating Grok translation back in June, phasing out Google Translate as its primary provider, and making its own AI system its top translation source for posts.
11. LinkedIn Adds More Post-Level Analytics Updates
LinkedIn has rolled out a new update to its post analytics, which will provide users with rolling updates as to how their posts are driving views and follower growth, along with impressions.
LinkedIn will now provide more specific updates on post performance within your updates stream, in order to keep you updated on how your content is driving response. The update is an expansion of LinkedIn’s refreshed post analytics, which it launched back in May, providing more post-level insights into related profile activity, link engagement and more.
12. LinkedIn Adds Mini Sudoku, Its Sixth In-App Game
LinkedIn is adding yet another game to its collection of in-app puzzle challenges, with “Mini Sudoku” being the latest addition to its games slate.
LinkedIn’s new Sudoku challenge will add another opportunity to compete with colleagues and companies for intellectual supremacy, via puzzle games that enable you to match wits with other LinkedIn members. LinkedIn’s Mini Sudoku is a variant of the original Sudoku game, and was developed in partnership with 3x World Sudoku Champion Thomas Snyder, whom LinkedIn also describes as a LinkedIn Puzzle Master.
13. LinkedIn Enables Brands To Sponsor User Posts for LinkedIn Events
LinkedIn is adding another element to its Thought Leader Ads, with businesses now also able to sponsor any member’s posts that include a link to a LinkedIn event.
LinkedIn’s new “Thought Leader Event Ads” will provide another way to highlight upcoming LinkedIn events, by amplifying user-created posts. You will need to find LinkedIn posts that link to your event, and they will have to include a direct link to your LinkedIn event page. You’ll also need to get permission from the creator to sponsor their post, but it’ll provide another means to highlight upcoming LinkedIn sessions, using the power of influencers to generate more interest.
14. Russia Restricts WhatsApp, Telegram Calls, Accusing Apps of Law Breaches
Russia has started restricting some Telegram and WhatsApp calls, accusing the foreign-owned platforms of failing to share information with law enforcement in fraud and terrorism cases, the digital development ministry has said.
Russia has clashed with foreign tech platforms for several years over content and data storage in a simmering dispute that intensified after Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with critics arguing that Russia is trying to expand its control over the country’s internet space. President Vladimir Putin has authorised the development of a state-backed messaging app integrated with government services, as Moscow seeks to establish what it called “digital sovereignty” by promoting home-grown services and reducing its dependence on platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram.
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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