News are blooming
Just like spring flowers. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: things never stand still in the world of digital marketing. That’s why we’ve prepared a glimpse into the latest news:
Google updates an important advertising policy, Trump aims to finalize the TikTok deal, and X has been sold – again.
Grab your reading glasses and dive into the April edition of Xtracts, your digital news roundup.
X has been sold
To none other than Elon Musk himself. Or more precisely, to his 2023 startup xAI, which works with artificial intelligence and is the developer behind Musk’s chatbot, Grok. For now, this ensures the platform a future it was otherwise close to bidding farewell to.
If you’ve been following even a little of what’s happening over at X, you’ve probably noticed talk of declining follower counts, fewer advertisers, massive staff cuts, and more. There’s no doubt that X has been in hot water. By merging the two companies, the finances are combined – pulling X out of an otherwise tight spot.
Potentially, X could become a financial burden on Musk’s AI project – but only short-term. Given Musk’s influence with Donald Trump and the current administration, it’s likely only a matter of time before xAI signs a contract with the White House and secures its finances.
So, X is sold – but still with Elon Musk at the helm.
Source: Mashable, Social Media Today and The Verge
Small feature may have big impact on Instagram
It’s long been possible to repost posts on Instagram. But where before you could only repost to your story, there’s now a move toward allowing reposts directly to your feed.
With this change, your followers might start seeing posts you’ve reposted from other profiles in their feed.
The question is whether this risks contributing to a growing amount of content users didn’t ask for – and thus potentially becoming an annoyance.
Current trends show that users are gravitating toward recommended content, so this could be a welcome feature among Instagram users.
If the change becomes reality, it will offer more options when it comes to interaction and engagement.
Source: Social Media Today
Trump wants to finalize TikTok deal
As a result of the law signed by the Biden administration last year, TikTok has, since January 19, 2025, theoretically been operating illegally in the U.S. The ban took effect because TikTok failed to meet the requirement to sell to American owners.
As early as January 20, Trump announced he would delay the ban and not penalize companies helping the platform operate in the country.
The ban was postponed to April 4, 2025. Still, a sale does not appear to be within reach. Trump, however, assures that the deal will be done within the week – noting he’s willing to delay the ban once more.
He says there are many buyers in the running, and now the choice is up to him – convinced that China will agree with him.
Source: Social Media Today
Google updates their Unfair Advantage Policy
At the end of March, Google sent a message to advertisers about an update to their Unfair Advantage Policy – a policy aimed at keeping the market fair so big players don’t end up with the entire pie.
The update is mainly about limiting how many ads a company, app, or website can display in a single ad placement.
Brands can still legally show multiple ads across different placements – they just can’t stack them in the same spot, as many dominant players have previously done.
Advertisers who don’t comply won’t be suspended, but will instead receive a seven-day warning to comply.
In theory, this could give smaller players a fair shot. Whether it works that way in practice remains doubtful. The real speculation lies in how enforcement will be handled.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Meta brings a piece of the past back to Facebook
Facebook was once a place where friends could connect. Over time, businesses, advertisers, and AI-recommended content have crept onto the platform, and friend updates are now drowned in a sea of content.
Now, Facebook is trying to return to its roots with a new tab that only contains content from your friends – created in hopes of fostering more engagement among users.
This likely won’t be the only throwback addition we’ll see in 2025. Meta has hinted that more of the old “Facebook magic” will gradually return to the platform.
In a landscape where recommended content is a hit and users post less – especially on Facebook – it will be interesting to see if such a tab sparks the desired engagement.
Source: Social Media Today