😎 TikTok Stays Afloat!

TikTok finalizes U.S. joint venture to stay operational. TikTok USDS Joint Venture will store U.S. user data in Oracle's U.S. cloud, retrain the recommendation algorithm on U.S. data, and hold trust and safety authority.

Relief for campaigns, but audit your ad APIs, privacy settings, and measurement setups now. 🙌 ~TWISM

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Instagram is testing a paid tier with premium perks. Reported perks include unlimited audience lists, a list of accounts that don't follow you back, anonymous Stories views, and a Super Like.

Most Instagram ads ran on Reels in 2025. Sensor Tower says Reels hosted about 50% of Instagram ads in 2025, up from 35%. Marketers must prioritize short-form creative and adjust measurement as Reels shifts pricing and engagement.

Mosseri warns AI threatens authenticity. Mosseri says AI endangers authenticity, but Instagram already rewards recycled formats and mimicry, and AI can fake low-fi "real" looks. Marketers risk losing differentiation unless creators double down on unique framing and community signals.

Facebook shows the total post count on profiles. A new profile design surfaces how many posts an account has published; it gives creators and brands quick social proof and makes auditing posting frequency easier.

Facebook brings back local job listings. U.S. users can search and apply for nearby entry-level, part-time and service roles, while small businesses can post openings in Marketplace and Groups to boost local discovery.

Great quick win for local teams. 😉 ~TWISM

Facebook revamps public profiles with Media Kit. Adds a Media Kit plus Interests, Places, and Hobbies to improve discovery and let creators showcase stats; Offers enables promotional links for direct conversions.

Meta blocks teens from AI character bots. Meta temporarily blocks teens from interacting with custom AI personas across its apps while it rebuilds safer AI characters and rolls out parent controls.

FTC appeals ruling in Meta antitrust case. FTC has taken its 2020 suit over Instagram and WhatsApp to the appeals court, extending a five-year fight; marketers should watch for long-term M&A, data, and ad-policy risks.

Threads rolls out ads globally. Ads start next week as Threads hits 400M monthly users; initial ad delivery will be low. Advantage+ and manual campaigns can auto-extend to Threads, supporting image, video, carousel, catalog and app ads.

Plan small tests now: optimize short-form creative, set exclusions and watch frequency. 😌 ~TWISM

Threads edges ahead of X in daily users. Similarweb estimates that Threads now leads X in daily active users, but it's based on app-only estimates and excludes web.

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YouTube will let creators make Shorts with AI likeness. Creators can generate Shorts using their own AI likeness and get controls to block misuse; YouTube adds likeness-detection and removal tools.

This speeds content production but raises moderation work for creators. 😬 ~TWISM

YouTube CEO outlines 2026 priorities. Neal Mohan flags AI creation tools, Connected TV multiview, frictionless YouTube Shopping and new in-stream monetization.

YouTube simplifies mobile video management. "Your videos" becomes the main entry, creators are redirected to their channel after upload, and advanced settings hide under a "Show more" menu.

YouTube softens its iconic red. YouTube shifts to a softer red and introduces a magenta gradient to reduce screen burn-in and harshness. Marketers should update thumbnails, brand palettes, and ad color specs during rollout.

YouTube shares Shorts tips from APAC creators. Three creators outline hooks, themed mini-series, and authenticity tactics to boost Shorts reach and retention.

TikTok releases Smart+ AI campaign guide. 23-page guide shows how Smart+ automates targeting and optimizes asset groups so you reach the right users without manual audience setup.

TikTok Shop ends seller shipping in the U.S. Seller Shipping ends Feb. 25; by March, all U.S. merchants must use TikTok's shipping. Brands warn of higher costs, slower fulfillment and tighter platform control.

Audit margins and delivery SLAs. 😬 ~TWISM

TikTok raises subscription share to 90%. TikTok will let creators keep up to 90% of subscription revenue starting Feb 1, 2026; check eligibility and local terms, this makes subscriptions a much stronger recurring revenue option.

TikTok launches Streaming Ads for film fandom. Streaming Ads uses AI to showcase multiple shows to high-intent viewers and drive new subscriptions; New Title Launch ads let studios target fans by genre, price, and fandom signals during tentpole releases.

People are flirting on LinkedIn. Searches for "LinkedIn for dating" jumped 8x; surveys show dating on LinkedIn-style apps is common, and 91% of women report unwanted advances.

Add safety cues and clear outreach guidance in recruiter messaging. 👀 ~TWISM

X open-sources AI-powered 'For You' algorithm. X publishes its Grok-powered "For You" feed code on GitHub, showing Thunder (follows) and Phoenix (AI recommendations); marketers should space posts, favor video to boost dwell time, and avoid external links.

Transparency's welcome, but the algorithm still feels rough. 🤖 ~TWISM

X tests in-stream paid promotion tags. X is trialing a simple paid-partnership tag so creators can disclose sponsored posts without typing #ad; it could later surface brand analytics to streamline campaigns.

X launches Starterpacks for creator discovery. Curated topic-based follow lists help new users find niche creators, speeding onboarding and improving feed relevance.

X algorithm fuels vagueposting boom. A viral cryptic post hit 32.6M views, and X now boosts reply-driven bait; marketers should avoid vague hooks, as they drive replies but frustrate audiences.

Bluesky adds composer to the top of feeds. Composer now sits at the top of the Following and Discover feeds, making quick posts easier and reducing friction; marketers should lean into short, timely updates.

This makes posting feel instant. 🔥 ~TWISM

Pinterest launches Media Planner. Built into Ads Manager, Media Planner helps you size audiences, see estimates for impressions, reach, frequency and CPC, and model budgets and flight dates.

Nice, less spreadsheet guesswork, more time for creativity. 🙌 ~TWISM

Snapchat swaps crystals for USD creator rewards. Snapchat replaces Crystals with direct USD payouts so creators get cash, not platform tokens; simplifies revenue and makes earnings easier to report.

Snapchat adds trust signals to Family Center. Parents can now see daily time, Camera/Spotlight/Stories use, and Trust Signals, including mutual friends, contacts, and location.

WhatsApp adds quiz sticker to Channels. WhatsApp's Channels now include a multiple-choice quiz sticker; creators can run short polls in Channels to boost engagement and gather audience insights.

Substack launches TV app. Watch creators' Video posts and Livestreams on Apple TV and Google TV; sign-in matches subscription level, and creators needn't re-upload.

149M credentials leaked from an unsecured database. An unsecured database exposed 149M usernames and passwords, including 48M Gmail and 17M Facebook, tied to active infostealer malware. Reset passwords, enable 2FA, and audit client ad and email access.

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

Go BIG or go home!

~ Josh from “This Week in Social Media”

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