Social media updates from December 2024
)
Posted: Fri 20th Dec 2024
The digital landscape is regularly changing, and it is increasingly important to stay ahead of the curve. Join us as we review the exciting social media platform updates that have shaped the landscape this month.
As December draws to a close, we’re wrapping up the year with our final social media news round-up. It’s been a pretty busy month for Threads and Bluesky, as they continue to aim to stay ahead in the social media race.
Bluesky
Bluesky is proving very popular. It recently celebrated hitting 20 million users and briefly topping the Apple App Store charts! However, the platform’s swift rise hasn’t been without its challenges. A recent analysis revealed a concerning trend of bad actors using impersonation to deceive users.
Bluesky is actively working on some new measures. These new measures specifically relate to verifying accounts and combating harmful content. As the user base expands, it seems like a sensible step for the platform to look at enhancing security and ensuring a positive environment for all users.
While Bluesky may not be directly training AI systems on user content, unlike other social platforms, this doesn’t mean third parties are not taking advantage of the data available. A recent report by 404 Media reveals that a machine learning librarian from AI firm Hugging Face accessed and used 1 million public Bluesky posts via the platform’s Firehose API for research purposes. This is a little worrying, so please keep in mind that anything shared publicly on Bluesky is, essentially, up for grabs.
And another
Despite the traction that Bluesky is gaining, it still lacks a key feature: private accounts. Unlike other social media platforms, where users can restrict who sees their content, Bluesky's accounts are publicly accessible to everyone.
And lastly, Bluesky is now working on implementing a subscription model. The platform has teased its upcoming subscription plans. When we know more, you'll find it in our next round-up!
This next piece of social media news is probably the biggest update of the month!
Instagram has a new feature, allowing creators to test their Reels on new audiences before sharing them with followers. 'Trial' Reels will initially be shown to non-followers and creators will receive detailed engagement data, 24 hours after publishing. This data will help creators decide whether their content is worth sharing with their existing audience.
This update gets a massive thumbs up from us as it aims to give creators more flexibility to experiment with new content ideas without impacting their established follower base.
Lastly, Instagram has announced new features to improve the experience of broadcast channels. Creators can now engage more effectively with their audience, thanks to the introduction of replies and prompts. These tools allow for better interaction, enabling creators to respond directly to their audience’s feedback.
It's just a single update from Facebook this month, focusing on Stories.
Facebook is testing a new feature that allows users to add a note to Stories, confirming the image hasn’t been edited in the app. This update streamlines the posting process by letting users long-tap on images from their camera roll skipping the usual editing steps.
The new tag highlights the unedited nature of the post and would support more authentic, in-the-moment updates for Facebook Stories.
Meta
Following its admission of over-moderating content and mistakenly penalising creators, Meta has announced an expansion of its new policy. This expansion is designed to protect creators from being penalised after their first violation of Meta’s Community Standards. This policy offers creators a fairer approach, giving them more room to learn and adapt to platform guidelines.
Meta is exploring new ways to give users greater control over their content visibility. On Instagram, a new test allows users to make view counts on their Reels optional. This update provides flexibility in how metrics appear on their profile. Meanwhile, over on Threads, Meta is trialling a feature that lets users hide their replies tab.
Threads
Speaking of Threads, congratulations are in order as it has officially made it to 300 million monthly users!
Threads is trialling a new privacy option aimed at improving user control and visibility on the platform. The feature allows users to customise their profiles by removing the tab that displays their replies to others’ posts.
Threads has also unveiled a new redesign that allows users to keep their feeds visible directly on the home screen. The updated layout makes it easier for users to swipe between different feeds, offering a streamlined experience like what’s already available on X.
Next, Threads is trialling an enhanced analytics feature that could give creators and users deeper insights into their content’s performance on the platform.
Threads is also stepping up its search functionality by introducing new tools to help users find specific posts more efficiently. Users can now refine searches by profile and date range by tapping the menu on the right within the search bar. This update is part of Threads’ ongoing efforts to improve user experience.
TikTok
Over to TikTok now and it’s official (kind of!), TikTok’s attempt to challenge a law that could see the platform banned or forced to sell its US operations from early 2025 has been rejected by a federal appeals court.
The company argued that the legislation is unconstitutional, citing a “staggering” impact on the free speech of its 170 million US users. This decision marks a significant setback for TikTok as it navigates growing regulatory challenges in the US. That being said, Donald Trump has said he’ll look into TikTok when he’s back in office next year.
This next update is a pretty big one! TikTok has launched an updated “Donation” feature to support Giving Tuesday, making it easier for users to promote and contribute to causes directly within the app. The new update introduces a streamlined process where users can browse and select causes within the content creation flow. By adding donation stickers to their videos, creators can spotlight their chosen non-profits, encouraging greater awareness and contributions.
X
Firstly, X is working on expanding its direct messaging capabilities with a new feature that will allow users to attach files to their DMs. The addition, currently being tested, has been spotted in iOS code strings and is also expected to roll out for Android users. This update will provide more flexibility and functionality for private conversations on the platform.
After a period of exclusivity for X Premium subscribers, the Grok AI chatbot is now available to all X users. Previously limited to fewer than 1% of the platform’s user base, this move makes Elon Musk’s non-woke chatbot accessible to everyone, offering a new AI-powered tool for engagement on the platform.
Pinterest has released its 2025 Predicts Trend Report, offering an exciting glimpse into the future for marketers and advertisers. As Pinterest users search and shop for the next big thing, the platform has identified 20 fast-rising trends that reflect bold, expressive and maximalist styles.
Relevant resources
You might also like…
