😎 TikTok Saga Continues!

TikTok blames data center outage as US relaunch sparks chaos. An Oracle data-center outage caused cascading server failures that produced bugs, zero view counts, broken analytics, and vanished monetization dashboards. Creators reported suppressed content, while TikTok denies political censorship. Brands paused campaigns, CPMs spiked on Meta (+12–15%) and YouTube (+8–10%), and rival apps like UpScrolled crashed from demand as users fled.

If you see sudden zeros, don't delete, document and report. And diversify your channels now. ⚠️ ~TWISM

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Mosseri says boosting won't hurt long-term reach. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri says boosting posts doesn't affect organic reach over time, so brands can use paid boosts without fearing long-term demotion.

Good news for paid social budgets, just don't set it and forget it. 🚀 ~TWISM

Instagram Creator Marketplace expands discovery features. Instagram opens the Creator Marketplace to all businesses, adds a high-performance creator badge, surfaces partner recommendations, including creators who tagged or expressed interest, and adds similar-creator search.

Instagram influencers 'swipefishing' anti-ICE info. They hide anti-ICE tips inside carousels: slide one lures, slide two delivers activism to dodge moderation.

Instagram shows story reshare counts. Instagram now shows a count of story reshares in your story views panel so creators can track how often followers share Stories and optimize for shareability.

Instagram Reels ad spend dominates. Reels impressions rose to 21% and now account for 53% of Instagram ads and 46% of US user time; Feed dropped to 31% while Stories hold 44%. Shift budget to vertical short-form and test 3-second hooks.

Zuck outlines AI-powered future. He says Meta will use personal data to power smarter recommendations, agentic shopping, and AI glasses, promising tailored feeds and new ad opportunities.

This could change ad targeting and creative strategy,and get your first-party data in order. 🔥 ~TWISM

Facebook Dating goes free, adds Vibe Check. Meta launches the "Free to Date" ad push and a weekly "Vibe Check" question-based matching feature; Facebook Dating now has 21M daily users, including 1.77M U.S. young adults.

Facebook Marketplace turns Bridgerton props into listings. Meta and Netflix put Regency props on Marketplace with a themed page, weekly prop giveaways, and cast-signed masks, plus a shoppable cinematic ad.

Meta warns of material loss over teen trials. Meta says legal cases alleging algorithm-driven teen harms could cause "material loss"; TikTok and Snap settled similar claims while Meta and YouTube face trial.

Meta forecasts $135B capex for AI. Q4 ad revenue rose 24% to $58.14B as impressions climbed 18% and prices 6%; Meta says AI tools boosted ad conversions 24%.

Threads adds Grammy-like animation. A limited-time Like animation appears for the Grammy Awards, giving creators a simple, event-themed way to boost live-watch engagement and prompt reactions.

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YouTube pulls out of UK TV ratings. YouTube withdraws from Barb's cross-media measurement, blocking creator-level data that compared YouTube with BBC, ITV and Netflix. Google says Barb misrepresents viewing; advertisers may lose TV-grade accountability for YouTube buys.

Creators and ad buyers just lost a key verification tool; expect pushback. 😬 ~TWISM

YouTube and the NFL team up for Super Bowl LX flag game. Star-studded flag football airs Feb. 7 with captains Druski and J. Balvin, creator-athlete rosters and multilingual simulcasts including NFL Mundo.

YouTube blocks background play in some browsers. YouTube now stops background playback and removes lock-screen controls in Samsung Internet, Brave, Edge, and other third-party browsers for non-Premium users.

TikTok Shop forces platform shipping. TikTok Shop will force U.S. merchants to use its in-house shipping from March 31, affecting 170,000 sellers and 170M users; brands report slow deliveries, stock outages, and six-figure losses.

Plan for slower fulfillment, update your shipping pages, test non-TikTok channels, and protect margins. 😬 ~TWISM

Khaby Lame sells stake in $975M deal. Rich Sparkle buys 36 months of exclusive global rights to his brand, TikTok Shop, and livestream commerce, and will build an AI version to scale multilingual content; Lame stays the controlling shareholder.

TikTok Live Fest heads to Las Vegas. Keke Palmer hosts the Feb 12 show at Planet Hollywood with TikTok LIVE winners and a Demi Lovato closing set, a push to grow LIVE engagement and creator monetization in the U.S.

TikTok announces Black History Month showcase. TikTok will spotlight #BlackTikTok creators through an in-app showcase, branded-account promotion and events this February; hashtag use has grown 11× since 2020.

TikTok adds Valentine's Day templates. TikTok added video and photo templates for Valentine's Day in the Create tab with seasonal layouts and sounds to speed up holiday posts.

LinkedIn tops $5B quarterly revenue. Microsoft reports LinkedIn reached $5B in quarterly ad sales, 1.3B members with double-digit growth, and 30% video-ad growth.

Numbers still look a bit fuzzy, but the ad upside is real, test short video and authority-led posts. 🚀 ~TWISM

LinkedIn adds verification badges and scam controls. Verification badges confirm real people and companies, while improved detection pushes suspicious messages to Spam and removes fake pages, bots, and automated comments.

LinkedIn tips to boost AI search visibility. LinkedIn recommends clear headings, structured HTML, and expert-authored, time-stamped posts so AI models can cite you; track LLM referrals and mentions, not just clicks.

LinkedIn adds gen AI qualifications. New optional "Vibe Coding" badge links to Descript, Lovable, Relay or Replit to prove real-world gen-AI usage.

X adds two iOS Grok widgets. iOS users get 'Chat with Grok' and 'Grok Voice Mode' widgets for one-tap AI chats and voice replies.

37 AGs demand X curb sexualized deepfakes. State attorneys general want X to ban and remove non-consensual intimate images, give users an opt-out from Grok edits, and suspend abusers.

X partners with WBD for the Winter Olympics. Gives marketers Amplify clips, prioritized on X's high-engagement feeds and localized across 11 European markets.

If you sell winter-sports gear or run sponsorships, start planning real-time content now. ❄️ ~TWISM

Bluesky tests 'live' feeds. Bluesky is testing interactive, event-focused 'live' feeds plus drafts and longer video uploads, new formats for real-time engagement and event-driven campaigns.

Snap spins out Specs Inc. for AR glasses. Snap creates a distinct subsidiary to speed the AR smartglasses launch, open the door to partners and minority investment; expect new AR ad formats and hands-free experiences.

WhatsApp adds Strict Account Settings. A one-tap lockdown that flips privacy to the strictest options, blocks unknown device logins, and tightens recovery to prevent account takeovers.

Expect fewer hacked business numbers; update your team's recovery plans. 🔐 ~TWISM

OpenAI asks for $200K ad commitments. OpenAI requires a $200K minimum buy-in to run ads inside ChatGPT responses, limiting access to big brands and agency deals.

Netherlands pushes EU ban on social media for under-15s. The Dutch coalition will push the EU to ban social media for under-15s, require privacy-friendly age checks, and let schools lock phones.

That’s all for today. Thanks for reading. Now…

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~ Josh from “This Week in Social Media”

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