Social media never stops, and keeping up with the latest updates can feel like a full-time job. That’s where we come in. We’ve rounded up some of the biggest headlines, feature rollouts and platform changes from the past few weeks, so you don’t have to go digging.
Here’s what’s new in the world of social this month, and what it might mean for your brand.
Instagram Expands Google Access to Public Posts
Instagram has reportedly expanded a feature that allows public posts to be indexed by Google, making them discoverable outside of the app. This feature has been the norm in some regions for a while, including the US, but is now starting to reach more regions globally.
So, what does this all mean for brands and creators? If your Instagram profile is set to public, your content could now appear in Google search results, boosting your reach beyond your followers. While Instagram is still primarily an in-app platform, this update is definitely a shift towards greater discoverability through traditional search engines.
Threads Turns Two
Meta’s Threads has recently celebrated its second birthday, marking two years since it launched with a bang in 2023. The platform’s still showing signs of continued growth, recently hitting 350 million monthly active users and seeing steadily increasing engagement. It’s on track to compete with X on total active users, and the addition of more features over time has definitely given it a boost.
Threads seems to be carving out its own niche, leaning into a less chaotic, more community-focused user experience. Meta continues to invest in the app and the steady rollout of updates, including ads, shows that Threads is becoming a space marketers are looking at more seriously.
X Introduces AI Bots For Community Notes
X has announced a new update to its Community Notes feature, which means that AI-powered bots can now contribute to the process of identifying potentially misleading content. The bots are being used to detect patterns in posts that might need additional content, flagging them for human contributors in the Community Notes program. The bots won’t be writing the notes themselves, but helping prioritise which posts need attention.
This update is part of X’s ongoing efforts to make Community Notes more efficient, especially as the platform continues to face criticism around misinformation, and is another example of how platforms are increasingly leaning on AI.
Meta Rolls Out Threads DM For All Users
Threads have officially rolled out direct messaging features to all users, after many requests for this extra layer of functionality. They’ve chosen to integrate DMs through Instagram’s existing messaging system, rather than building a whole new inbox. All messages sent from Threads will appear in your Instagram inbox, keeping things streamlined across Meta platforms.
Threads is continuing to evolve and adding DMs opens the door to more community interaction, collaborations and future integrations. However, it’s worth noting that users can’t yet message someone directly from their Instagram inbox into Threads, as it’s a one-way flow (for now).
Reddit Introduces New Ad Optimisation Tips
Reddit has launched a new feature designed to make ad management easier and more effective. With this update, advertisers will now see real-time ad recommendations and improvement tips directly within the platform.
The tips will appear in-stream, offering suggestions on creative aspects, targeting and performance optimisation without needing to leave the Ads Manager interface. This could be especially helpful for smaller teams or first-time Reddit advertisers, and is part of a push from Reddit to improve its advertising tools and attract more brands to the platform.
Talk To Victress About Social Media
Social media is always changing and we know it can feel like a lot to keep up with. At Victress, we love helping brands cut through the noise and focus on what actually matters. If you’re unsure of where to start or just want to make sense of it all, we’re always here for a chat. Drop us a message so we can help you feel more social media confident.
