Social media continues to evolve fast, and recently there have been major updates across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X. From new ways to engage audiences with auto-scroll and music-enhanced posts to fresh communication tools and AI-driven moderation, here’s what’s new, and what it means for brands and creators.
TikTok Launches Bulletin Boards and Its Own Custom Font
TikTok is testing Bulletin Boards, a new broadcast messaging feature that allows creators and brands to send one-way updates directly to their followers via direct messages. This offers a fresh way to engage audiences with announcements, exclusive content, or promotions without overwhelming users with back-and-forth chat. The feature is designed to strengthen creator-fan communication and streamline brand messaging.
In addition, TikTok has introduced TikTok Sans, its own custom font, expanding its unique visual identity across the platform. The font aims to enhance brand consistency and give creators new options for stylising their content, helping maintain the playful and distinctive TikTok aesthetic.
These updates reinforce TikTok’s commitment to innovative communication tools and brand-building, creating more personalised and recognisable experiences.
Facebook Adds Music to Text Posts and Tightens Rules on Unoriginal Content
Facebook has introduced a new feature that allows users to add music to text-only posts, enhancing simple status updates with sound to make them more engaging and expressive. This addition aims to make static text posts more dynamic and emotionally resonant, providing creators and everyday users with fresh ways to connect.
In parallel, Meta is strengthening its efforts to combat unoriginal content across its platforms. New policies and tools are being rolled out to prioritise authentic, original material and protect creators from content theft.
Together, these updates highlight Facebook’s focus on improving creative tools while maintaining content integrity and supporting original voices.
Instagram Experiments with Auto-Scroll and Smarter Carousel Insights
Instagram is currently testing two new features aimed at improving both user experience and creator insights. The first is an auto-scroll option for the main feed, allowing posts to advance automatically after a short delay. Users with access to the feature can enable this through the three-dot menu on individual posts.
The second test introduces frame-specific like counts for carousel posts. Instead of a single engagement metric, creators can now see which individual image or video was on screen when a user liked the post. This data, visible in Insights, offers a more detailed view of what’s resonating within multi-image formats and could help inform the order and design of carousels moving forward.
These experiments suggest Instagram is leaning into both automation and deeper analytics, signalling a shift toward more optimised and scroll-friendly content experiences.
X Adds AI Community Notes and Tests Video Replies
X is exploring AI-driven fact-checking through Community Notes. Developers can now create bots that propose notes based on verified sources. These notes are only published if users with diverse perspectives rate them as helpful, and all AI suggestions are reviewed by humans before going live, ensuring quality and neutrality.
The platform is also testing video replies, allowing users to respond to posts with short video clips. This feature is similar to TikTok’s reply videos and offers a new way for creators and users to engage more dynamically on X.
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