Dear gentle reader,

I was inFLUenced (hehe) into postponing my last week’s newsletter and hoped to have it finished by now, but sickness was not on my bingo card, yet here we are.

I will fulfill my promise of a realistic outlook on Social Media Marketing Trends and Predictions for 2025, hopefully by Monday but until that, please enjoy this Social Media News summary for the past almost two weeks.

And if you’re new here, don’t miss out on the 3-part miniseries on Social Web - the future of social media and social media marketing here:

Social Web episode 1 | Social Web episode 2 | Social Web episode 3

My name’s Mark Valasik, I help businesses master early-stage marketing and build authority through social media and you’re reading the 29th edition of my Marketing Sick Side Up newsletter.

Social Media Marketing News for late February / early March 2025:

• Meta and X Approve AI Ads Referencing Nazi War Crimes Ahead of German Elections, Research Finds. A watchdog submitted 10 extremist hate ads, of which Meta approved 5 within 12 hours and X approved all 10 immediately.

• Elon Musk’s Grok AI blocked results saying Musk and Trump “spread misinformation”. An internal system prompt was altered to censor content describing both figures as potential misinformation sources.

• Reporters launch new TikTok-like news platform. Noosphere will charge under $20 a month for unlimited content from independent journalists, aiming to remake the news feed.

• Here’s what’s going on with TikTok as it reaches the half-way point of the 75-day extension to its U.S. ban. Political wrangling continues while ByteDance explores strategic moves to avoid a complete shutdown.

• TikTok for Bluesky is here. The Flashes app, currently #9 in the App Store’s Social Networking category, enables short video sharing up to one minute long.

• The Oversight Board will weigh in on Meta’s new hate speech policies. It’s unclear whether their recommendations will actually influence Meta’s increasingly hands-off approach to moderation.

• Instagram May Launch Reels as Separate App, Increasing Pressure on TikTok. Project Ray reportedly includes improved recommendations and longer three-minute videos to rival TikTok’s core features.

• YouTube Adds AI Audio Replacement Options and Tests ‘Hype’ Purchasing. Creators can swap problematic audio with AI-suggested tracks and potentially buy more “Hype” points to boost their clips.

• Meta confirms Instagram issue that's flooding users with violent and sexual Reels. A Meta spokesperson apologized for the recommendation error and says it has been fixed.

Instagram says its ranking and recommendation algorithm update to help creators of all sizes breakthrough, is now fully launched. Reels are distributed based on engagement rather than follower count, driving a double-digit jump in overall video watch time.

• YouTube Podcast Users Top 1 Billion Monthly Viewers in 2025. More than 400 million hours of podcast content were watched on TVs last year, with YouTube beating Spotify and Apple Podcasts in the U.S.

• Canada watchdog probing X's use of personal data in AI models' training. The investigation questions whether X’s collection and deployment of Canadians’ info for AI aligns with federal privacy law.

• Microsoft is shutting down Skype in favor of Teams. Skype will retire on May 5, requiring users to export data or migrate to Teams.

• The future of the internet is likely smaller communities, with a focus on curated experiences. A new survey from The Verge shows big platforms feeling less useful and more commercial, with many people preferring AI-free, tight-knit spaces. (like mentioned in my Social Web miniseries!)

• US official slams EU’s social media ‘censorship’. The FCC chair warns the Digital Services Act’s content moderation rules conflict with U.S. free speech norms.

• Instagram delays launch of new CapCut competitor app 'Edits'. Initially slated for March 13, the app’s expected release date has been pushed to March 31.

• The latest Digital 2025 Global Snapshot report is out. Findings highlight 5.24B active social media users worldwide, a slight drop in daily usage, a rise in platforms per user, and YouTube’s continued dominance in watch time.

• TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat are fuming mad about exemption of YouTube from Australia’s under-16s social media ban. They call the carve-out “irrational” and “shortsighted,” likening it to banning soda for minors yet exempting Coca-Cola.

• TikTok Projects $77 Billion in Sales From TikTok Live by 2027, Lawsuit Claims. The complaint alleges the livestream feature is on track for explosive revenue growth, already netting $1.7B in one quarter.

• YouTube has announced a new €10m fund to promote teen safety and wellbeing in Europe. This initiative aims to back programs that protect kids online and encourage digital wellbeing.

• Elon Musk’s bumbling X posts are inadvertently teaching everyone how government works. Musk’s threads often provoke expert replies, turning his feed into an unexpected lesson in civics.

I know the world seems to be burning more than the US stock market right now, but let’s focus on the nice things. Like, spring, idk…

Stay safe.

coughs

Mark.