TikTok Braces for a U.S. Ban and Meta Shoots Itself in the Foot!

A weekly newsletter about all things social media by Nuelink

Exciting news to start 2025! The Nuelink Social Media Calendar is here, 365 days of content ideas plus our “Collections” system to keep your posts fresh and impactful. And it’s free for a limited time. Check the link to grab your copy and share your feedback.

https://nuelink.gumroad.com/l/2025-social-media-calendar-ready-set-post

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Hey there, and welcome to this week’s social media news recap! Here’s what’s happening this week:

📈 X Algorithm Update Focuses on Positivity
Elon Musk revealed an algorithm tweak for X to highlight entertaining and informational content while cutting down negativity. The goal? Boost user engagement by increasing “unregretted user-seconds.” In line with this, X is exploring a new $8 signup fee for all new users to offset financial losses projected for 2024.

📊 Bluesky Growth Slows but Stays Strong
Bluesky doubled its user base to 20M after the U.S. elections but hit slower growth in December. Despite this, features like Trending Topics helped it outpace Instagram Threads in U.S. growth, cementing its position as a key player in the social media scene.

📝 Meta Adopts “Community Notes” for Fact-Checking
Meta is ditching third-party fact-checking for a collaborative “Community Notes” system inspired by X. With moderation teams relocating to Texas and loosened restrictions on political content, reactions are mixed. Critics worry about misinformation, while supporters see it as a free speech boost.

📉 Meta Faces Backlash Over Policy Changes
Searches for how to cancel Facebook, Instagram, and Threads accounts have surged. Critics say Meta’s rollback on content moderation and fact-checking caters to political pressure, raising concerns about misinformation and hateful content spreading unchecked.

📷 ByteDance Promotes Lemon8 Amid TikTok Ban
As TikTok faces potential U.S. bans, ByteDance is pushing Lemon8, a photo-sharing app similar to Instagram. With features like collages and cross-platform login with TikTok, Lemon8 offers a backup, but U.S. legislation could put it at risk too.

🤖 Google’s DeepMind Pursues “World Models” AI
Google is doubling down on AI with a new team at DeepMind, led by former OpenAI researcher Tim Brooks. The project aims to develop models simulating the physical world, potentially transforming robotics, VR, and scientific research.

Which update caught your eye? Drop a comment and let us know! 👇

Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more updates. And continue reading for your weekly trends and memes update.

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Read Our Blog Posts for This Week 📚

• Exploring the Best X Alternatives: BlueSky, Threads, or Mastodon?

• How to Schedule Telegram Messages (Text-Only, Photos, and Videos) [2025].

Create Content 🤳

Holidays 🎉

Jan 13

• Public Radio Broadcasting Day.

• Make Your Dream Come True Day.

Jan 14

• Orthodox New Year.

• World Logic Day.

Jan 15

• Wikipedia Day.

• Energy Saving Week.

Jan 16

• Book Publishers Day.

• Religious Freedom Day.

Jan 17

• Customer Service Day.

• Ditch New Year's Resolution Day.

• Kid Inventors’ Day.

Jan 18

• Thesaurus Day.

• Use Your Gift Card Day.

Jan 19

• World Religion Day.

• World Snow Day.

Trends 📈

• The “It’s Useless to Yell” Trend: Create a lip-sync video using this audio, paired with a hilarious text overlay describing a moment when shouting feels completely pointless.

@snumpledorfThey’d much rather use their lungs than use the call light 😔 #cna #cnasoftiktok #cnalife #cnahumor #nurse #nursesoftiktok #nursetok #nurses #healthcare #healthcarehumor #healthcareworker

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• The “Peekaboo” Trend: This audio is perfect for creative edits. Start with a short video, then sync clips or photos to each sound, and wrap it up with another video for the final line.

@bloomingdalechilis @bloomingdalechilis ♬ peekaboo - Kendrick Lamar

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• The “I Make The Face, You Make The Sound” Trend: Create a fun video with a friend where you alternate, one makes a silly face, and the other matches it with a sound effect.

@diaryroom @diaryroom ♬ original sound - diaryroom

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• The “Messy” Trend: We have covered this sound on a previous post, but it’s making a comeback. This song is a tribute to those people who are impossible to satisfy, no matter how hard you try or just a nice background sound.

@lidiaflorizinha#eolica #foryou #viralvideos #iratainternational #bladerepair #eolicasdobrasil

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Read about Social Media News 📰

TikTok 🎤🎧

• TikTok Shares Insights into its Value as a Shopping Tool.

• TikTok pushes users to Lemon8 as ban looms.

• TikTok Shares Insights Into Emerging Brand Trends and Approaches.

• The Supreme Court's TikTok dance.

Instagram 📷

• Instagram and Threads will now recommend political content.

𝕏

• Data Shows That X Premium Take-Up is Growing.

• X Flags Coming Algorithm Update to Focus on Entertaining Content.

• X Tests Expanded Grok Prompts and Functions In-Stream.

• X is rolling out labels for parody accounts.

• X Is Considering Removing Time Markers on Posts in the Main Feed.

• EU races to conclude investigation into X’s content moderation efforts.

• X Considers Charging All New Users to Sign-up to the App.

Google 🔎

• Google is forming a new team to build AI that can simulate the physical world.

• Google’s Daily Listen AI feature generates a podcast based on your Discover feed.

• Google launches a ‘neutral’ Chromium development fund.

YouTube 🎥

• YouTube Looks to Simplify Shorts Creation from Longer Clips.

• YouTube Expands 3-Minute Shorts to All Users.

Facebook 📘

• Meta deletes 2023 AI-generated profiles after uproar.

• Meta’s Generating AI Images of Users to Spark More Interest in its AI Tools.

• Zuckerberg and Meta say good riddance to fact-checking.

• Google searches for deleting Facebook, Instagram explode after Meta ends fact-checking.

• Meta tests eBay listings in Facebook Marketplace.

• The fallout of Meta’s content moderation overhaul.

Pinterest 📌

• Inside Pinterest’s quest to restore internet optimism.

Snapchat 👻

• Snap Shares Insights into the Benefits of AR Campaigns.

Bluesky ☁️💙

• Bluesky bump from X exodus is slowing down, data shows.

• Bluesky Launches New Funding Push To Capitalize on Opportunities.

Threads 📝

• Threads prototypes custom display names and cover images for profiles.

• Meta’s Revised Political Content Approach Could Benefit Threads.

Hot SaaS Tools on the Market 🔨🧰

• Nuelink: Plans, automates, schedules, cross-posts, and manages your social media platforms and content for you.

• Zyro: A website builder offering AI-driven tools for logo creation, heatmaps, and content generation.

• Tability: Focuses on helping teams track OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) in an easy-to-digest format.

• Descript: An audio and video editing tool with features like transcription, overdubbing, and real-time collaboration.

Our Two Cents on Social Media Marketing 🧙‍♂️

• Before diving in, assess what each platform offers and align it with your objectives. Whether you prioritize privacy, audience reach, or customization, pick a platform that matches your needs to maximize your impact.

• Build and nurture connections within smaller, niche communities. Platforms like Mastodon and BlueSky thrive on intimate interactions, so focus on meaningful discussions rather than broad, impersonal content.

• Social media landscapes evolve rapidly. Whether you're using X, Threads, or others, maintain your brand’s authenticity and adapt to platform shifts without losing your unique voice.

• As usual, use Nuelink to keep your social media marketing plan running without investing much time and resources with its automation and scheduling features.

I hope you enjoyed this week's Nuesletter by Nuelink. Stay tuned for the latest news, tips, and more!

See you next week!