Social Media Buzz Weekly: Roundup of Social Media Updates
- ClickInsights
- 2 hours ago
- 5 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. Canadian Government Looks To Bring News Content Back to Facebook
The Canadian government is looking to make a deal that would allow local publishers back into the Meta ecosystem after Meta banned Canadian news content in its apps two years ago.
Canada’s Online News Act ostensibly aims to address imbalances in the local news ecosystem, by forcing large online platforms, like Meta and Google, to pay publishers for news content that’s shared across their platforms. Meta blocked all Canadian news outlets back in 2023, in order to prove that it doesn’t actually need their content the way that the bill suggests. And seemingly, that has proven true, with Canadian officials now looking to restore publishers in Meta’s apps, as a means to bring more readers to these publications.
2. Meta Posts Increases in Users and Revenue in Q4
Meta has published its latest quarterly performance update, which shows an increase in total users across its Family of Apps (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads), and a jump in revenue in Q4 2026.
First off, in terms of users, Meta added 40 million users in Q4, taking it to 3.58 billion daily active users across its apps. In terms of revenue, Meta brought in $59.89 billion for the quarter, taking it to $200.97 billion for the full year. Meta has also gained a new revenue stream in Threads Ads, which are now available to all advertisers, while it continues to push Meta Verified subscriptions with expanded offerings.
3. TikTok Announces ‘TikTok Live Fest’ Event
TikTok has announced its latest TikTok LIVE event, which will feature major Hollywood stars, alongside emerging TikTok talent, in a big-time showcase of some of the app’s top performers.
TikTok’s Live Fest event will be held at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas on February 12th, and will be hosted by multi-Emmy Award-winning actress Keke Palmer, who will oversee a showcase of TikTok talent on stage. The event will also feature the winners of in-app competitions around the world, who have used TikTok LIVE to showcase their varied talents. The event’s closing act will be award-winning performer Demi Lovato, who will be performing some of her biggest hits.
4. Snapchat Forms Separate Business for AR Specs
Snapchat is making the clever move to separate its glasses business from its main social/messaging app, ahead of the anticipated launch of its first AR-enabled Specs later this year.
Snapchat lost $40 million on unsold Spectacles after its first glasses launch, and the impacts of similar losses from its AR glasses could be even worse, considering the cost of development, marketing, distribution, etc. At this stage, Snap’s AR specs look to be significantly worse than Meta’s in-development AR glasses, with a smaller field of view, shorter battery life, a heavier frame, and fewer cameras. But Snap’s hoping that it can gain first-mover advantage, by releasing its Specs a year before Meta launches its consumer AR device.
5. Snapchat Previews Shared AR Experiences in Specs
Snapchat has shared a preview of its new “Shared Experiences” element built into Snap’s Specs, which will make it easier for Specs users to engage in shared experiences with one another, with the device able to detect and share info to help map the surrounding environment of both users.
Using the “EyeConnect” function in Snap Specs, two users in the same physical space can engage in a shared AR experience by simply looking at each other, in order to help map the surrounding area. Through this, up to three devices can communicate with each other via Bluetooth connection to create communal experiences. This will add another interactive element to Snap’s new device, and make it a more engaging virtual option for Snap users.
6. X Launches ‘Brand Ranx’ To Measure Super Bowl Ad Response
X has announced a new feature aimed at tracking discussion around Super Bowl advertising on its platform. BrandRanx, a new digital experience powered by Grok and real-time X data, will spotlight the brands that win the biggest advertising moment of the year, the platform said in a post.
The announcement comes as advertisers prepare for the Super Bowl, an event that often draws heightened attention from brands seeking visibility on television. The tracker will rank Super Bowl advertisements based on mentions and engagement within the app, using real-time data.
7. X Announces Partnership With Warner Bros. Discovery for Winter Olympics
X has announced a new partnership with Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD) for coverage of the upcoming Winter Olympics, with the deal enabling X to share exclusive Winter Olympics content with audiences in Europe and the U.K.
WBD also says that brands will get access to WBD’s in-game and event clips, via X’s Amplify offering, which will be “prioritized on X’s high-engagement feeds and localised for audiences in 11 markets” across Europe. That’ll make it easier for marketers to tap into viral moments, while X also notes that discussion of the Olympic events has been on the rise, with the 2024 Paris Olympic Games generating 40% more impressions than the Tokyo games in 2020.
8. Grok Reinstated in Indonesia After Recent Nudification Controversy
X’s Grok app has been reinstated in Indonesia, after it was recently banned for generating sexualized images of people without their knowledge or consent.
In early January, in response to the Grok nudification trend on X, Indonesia’s Communications Ministry threatened to ban both X and the separate Grok app if concerns related to “degrading pictures of women and children” were not addressed. A few days later, the ministry followed through on that threat, by banning the Grok app entirely, and restricting access to X.
9. xAI Releases Updated Video Generation Process in Grok
X has officially announced the launch of Grok Imagine 1.0, which it claims is its “biggest leap yet” in AI video generation.
According to X, Grok 1.0 unlocks 10-second videos, 720p resolution, and dramatically better audio. Imagine has generated 1.245 billion videos in the last 30 days alone. X owner Elon Musk is keen to facilitate a more open approach to social media, and what people can say, or generate, in his app. However , there have been reports that X’s significantly reduced safety team repeatedly warned of the risks related to content generation in Grok, but that X chose to push ahead anyway.
10. LinkedIn Adds New Generative AI Qualifications
LinkedIn is looking to help its members showcase their generative AI proficiency, with a new qualification that you can display on your profile, which is backed by AI training providers to support and reflect your skills.
LinkedIn is rolling out a new “Vibe Coding” qualification, which will be an optional display in the “Licenses and Certifications” element of your LinkedIn profile. The qualification will include a link back to Descript, Lovable, Relay.app or Replit, which will provide the back-up data to support your generative AI skills. So, you’ll now have some means to provide qualified, verified examples of your generative AI skills.
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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