ICYMI: People didn't actually rage quit TikTok
Meta leadership has been tied up in court, TikTok has been trying not to ruffle feathers, and YouTube even had an outage… It’s been a mercifully quiet week in social and creator marketing land — and I’m not going to pad the newsletter to pretend otherwise. Instead, I spent the week talking with conference organizers and speakers so I can bring you a newsletter next week on how to pitch yourself for speaking opportunities.
⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY
Meta is shutting down Messenger’s website and desktop app
Meta patented an AI that would keep your account active after you die
TikTok Shop won’t force U.S. merchants to fulfill orders through the platform’s proprietary logistics services
YouTube’s first-ever video is now on display at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum
LinkedIn announced it’s going after automated comments
Snapchat is rolling out Creator Subscriptions
Apple is launching out a new and improved video podcast experience
💻 ROADMAP
📲 Meta Updates
Meta is shutting down Messenger’s website and desktop app.
Threads announced an easier way to share to Stories. Now, when you tap the share button on a post, you’ll see the option to add it to your IG Story without leaving the app.
Spotted: Threads is working on the ability to let you choose whether to receive replies to your Ghost posts as a public reply, instead of a DM.
Related Meta News:
Mark Zuckerberg said increasing engagement on Instagram is not a company goal
Meta patented an AI that would keep your account active after you die
📲 TikTok Updates
TikTok Shop has reversed course on a mandate that would have required U.S. merchants to fulfill orders through the platform’s proprietary logistics services. “At this time, Seller Shipping remains unchanged, and previously shared deadlines are not going into effect.”
Related TikTok News:
As of now, TikTok appears to be largely unaffected by its restructuring and week-long U.S. outage. Early data suggests January’s disruption was more of a blip than a turning point, though it may take months to determine any long-term impact:
The average number of TikTok’s daily active users in the U.S. remains around 95% of its usership compared to the week of Jan. 19-25, according to Sensor Tower data.
TikTok did see a small usage dip in the U.S. immediately after the ownership change — and a spike in people deleting the app — but has largely recovered.
The median follower counts for brands on TikTok increased 200% year-over-year in 2025, according to Emplifi’s 2026 Social Media Benchmarks report.
📲 YouTube Updates
YouTube announced improved in-app editing for Shorts, a new Shorts grid view in the YouTube Studio mobile app and the arrival of gifts and jewels for Canadian creators.
Related YouTube News:
YouTube confirmed an outage Monday due to issue with their recommendations system
YouTube’s first-ever video is now on display at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum
Google unveiled the Pixel 10A, a fully flat-backed smartphone
📲 LinkedIn Updates
LinkedIn announced it’s going after automated comments posted via a browser extension, script, or third-party tool: They plan to remove automated comments from the "Most Relevant" section; They may remove it from the commenter’s network; And people who repeatedly violate this policy could find their account restricted.
📲 Snapchat Updates
Snapchat announced Creator Subscriptions, which gives fans access to exclusive content, priority replies to a creator’s public Stories and an ad-free experience within that creator’s Stories.
Snapchat announced its paid tier, Snapchat+, now has more than 25 million subscribers.
📲 Reddit Updates
Reddit published a 2026 Creative Trends report, spotlighting: Nostalgia-Driven Storytelling; UGC Social Proof; and Niche Inspired Campaigns, among others.
🔖 PLATFORM PLAYBOOKS
ICYMI, I put together a special series of platform playbooks featuring insights from creators, marketers, advertisers, and the platforms themselves. I was revisiting them recently and pulled a few quotes I keep coming back to:
Sol Betesh on YouTube
“If you’re Home Depot, become HGTV. If you’re in the food business, become the Food Network. That is the future of marketing, and that’s where you really need to spend your time.”
Enara Roy on LinkedIn
“I truly just make content that I personally want to see more of on the platform. The kind of posts where if I was scrolling on LinkedIn, I’d be like ‘aw, that was cute” or “that made my day!’”
Greg Baroth on TikTok
“Avoiding trends was not really a conscious decision but it was more so just wanting to establish our own recognizable way of making content that people would enjoy.”
JT Casey on Snapchat
“All of my content across every other social platform is very highly produced. Crazy editing, the whole thing. And on Snapchat, it’s not like that at all.”
Gregory Littley on Pinterest
“There’s an assumed level of safety on Pinterest. You can build private boards, collage your hopes for 2026, explore ideas — without the same level of judgment or pressure you feel elsewhere.”
Jennifer Wong on Instagram
“You have to find the right people who know what they are doing, are open to ideas and enjoy being on camera. If the people who are making the content are enjoying it and having fun, then it’ll translate through to the platform.”
👀 ICYMI: JUST THE HEADLINES
Apple is rolling out a new video podcast experience on Apple Podcasts - Apple
These are the countries moving to ban social media for children -Tech Crunch
Macy’s wants to grow its Style Crew influencer program from 600 to 1,000 people - Modern Retail
Why American Eagle rebuilt its creator program to find Gen Z shoppers - Adweek
If every brand is a media brand, every brand needs a newsroom - Thinking Out Loud
The first academic journal devoted to research on influencers, creator culture and content production has been announced with Jess Maddox as editor-in-chief - University of Georgia
Wonderfully informative albeit distoptic Friday read 👌👍
This post raises some intriguing points about social media dynamics. It reminds me of my article on how social media can sometimes hinder genuine engagement, which you can check out here: https://theuncomfortableidea.substack.com/p/social-media-promises-flow-but-delivers.