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Random Round-Up: Social Media Updates and News, January 2025

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Author
samuelstapp
Published
February 4, 2025

As we move into February, it’s time to recap the latest social media updates and news from January (spoiler: there’s A LOT to cover). 🫣

1. The Ongoing TikTok Saga

    If you thought January was off to a quiet start, TikTok had other plans. On January 19, a Senate-approved bill went into effect that banned the app. U.S. users could still open the app but were met with this pop-up that stopped users from accessing app features.

    TikTok ban notification on smartphone.

    But psych! The blackout didn’t last long, and 16 hours later, TikTok was back up and running. The app was granted a 75-day extension in order to work out…something? It’s pretty unclear what’s in the works now but it looks like the new presidential administration is hoping to find an alternative.

    There has been speculation on suitable buyers from YouTube star MrBeast to Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary. Whether or not these potential buyers actually have a serious chance of purchasing the app is pretty unclear.

    With tensions still high and TikTok’s fate hanging in the balance, one thing’s for sure—everyone is trying to take advantage of the moment. Especially Instagram…

    2. Instagram is Trying to Steal the Show

      With TikTok on the ropes, Adam Mosseri and his team have been working overtime to increase “creativity” and “connection” (i.e. win over TikTok users) on the platform.

      To achieve this, Instagram has released a slew of new social media updates (too many to go into detail). Here’s a brief overview of the biggest ones:

      Instagram Updates in January 2025:

      Apart from the updates, there's also been some controversy on the platform and with Meta in general in the past month.

      3. Is Meta Taking a Political Stance?

        It seems that Donald Trump's re-election has influenced both small and large decisions at Meta. While these changes could be seen as adaptive business efforts to align with the current administration, it’s hard to ignore the possibility of political bias shaping the platform’s direction.

        In early January, Meta made some shakeups to different teams and boards, including appointing UFC Chief and prominent Trump supporter Dana White to their Board of Directors. Meta also replaced public affairs leader Nick Clegg with Republican Joel Kaplan. If you don’t remember, Nick Clegg was the one who made the call to suspend Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts back in 2021.

        On top of all that, Mark Zuckerberg also announced that Meta is replacing fact-checks with Community Notes. According to Zuckerburg, this is an effort toward “restoring free expression on our platforms.” It also seems like an effort towards increased misinformation and decreased public safety. (uh oh)

        Women at neat desk holding an iPhone with Facebook open.

        With the new administration just barely taking office, we predict that Meta will make many more changes in the near future.

        4. And now for the Drama-free updates…

          Meta and TikTok have been absolutely dominating the headlines. Here are some social media updates that went a little under the radar and deserve some attention:

          • Threads is now testing ads on its platform.
          • YouTube is testing a new feature that allows creators to easily clip segments from long-form YouTube videos and INSTANTLY publish them as separate 16:9 videos.
          • Spotify is testing an option that allows users to share a video snippet from a podcast to their Instagram Stories.
          • Pinterest released its 2025 Trending Colors Palette. (and with that, we end on a happy note!)

          That’s it! We’ll see you next month. 👋

          Need expert guidance on the latest social media updates and trends? You’re in the right place. Get in touch with us today!

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