2025 is off to a good start.
So is the digital marketing world. After a well-deserved rest, it’s time to catch up.
Let’s see what the first news of the year has to offer:
AI profiles are on their way to Meta, X changes course for their algorithm, and then we eagerly await TikTok’s final verdict.
You’ll find all this and more in the January edition of Xtracts, your digital news overview..
1. Farewell to TikTok?
TikTok is not exactly the favorite app of the US, and for a long time there has been talk about whether TikTok should be allowed to continue as before or not. The reason for all the commotion stems from a security issue. The US is nervous that users’ sensitive personal data will end up in the hands of the Chinese government.
Joe Biden signed a law that gave ByteDance, the owners of TikTok, a year to sell the platform to a government-approved buyer, if they don’t want to wave goodbye to their operations in the US. Of course, this is not a deal that ByteDance is interested in, and that is why the company has tried to work against the law – an unsuccessful attempt. On December 6, they lost their first legal effort to change the law.
However, all is not lost. ByteDance has appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, which means that the ban could potentially be postponed while the trial is ongoing. In addition, there is also a real chance that Trump will try to save the app – something he has mentioned several times during his campaign.
If the ban becomes a reality, what does it mean for Europe? Europe has always looked to the US, and if they ban the app first, there is a good chance that Europe will work against the same.
Source: The New York Times
2. AI profiles on the way to Meta
If you thought 2024 was the year when AI really took its place on social media, then you should see 2025. Meta plans for even more AI to roll out across their platforms. Among other things, they will implement millions of generative AI characters and let them post as real profiles on both Instagram and Facebook – and of course you can interact with them.
Are people happy about this news? No, not really.
But despite the great resistance, there is a real chance that the implementation of AI profiles will be able to increase engagement on the platforms.
Source: Social Media Today
3. OpenAI may move away from the non-profit route
Until now, OpenAI has operated as a non-profit company, but as the demand for AI increases, it will require significantly larger sums of money to keep things running – more than their current investors can put in. Therefore, OpenAI is working towards a different structure that puts their for-profit unit in control.
The non-profit division will still be part of the company, but as an independent entity that will primarily deal with charitable initiatives within sectors such as healthcare, education and science.
As with so much else, the transition is not without its problems. Both Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are against the changes and are trying to put an end to it. Time will tell if it succeeds.
Source: The Verge
4. X changes course for entertaining content
It is no secret that Elon Musk does not appear to be the most cheerful or positive person on X. However, recently he has tried to encourage people to maintain a more positive tone on the platform.
At the same time, he has also announced that X’s algorithm will be updated to favor more entertaining and informative content. However, the call does not seem to apply to him, as he continues to share the same type of depressing content on his profile.
But why such a sudden change? Because it works and helps keep users on the platform longer. Meta made this change several years ago when they faced criticism that their platforms consisted of too much political content. Therefore, their algorithm was changed to favor video and entertaining content. TikTok is built on this very principle – video and entertainment – and has taken the world by storm.
Entertaining content works. Whether it works for X, however, is a completely different question – because can Musk’s negative posts go hand in hand with the desire for a more positive platform?
Source: Social Media Today
5. Meta gets rid of fact checkers
Recently, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta will remove its fact checkers, and instead switch to a user-controlled system, called ‘community notes’ – very similar to X’s.
The news comes in the wake of accusations that Meta censors innocent posts and is politically biased – criticism comes from both Trump and Republican supporters. In addition, Donald Trump’s imminent presidential inauguration and a replacement of key people at Meta, who are more right-wing, also influenced the decision.
The fact-checker program dates to 2016 and has been aimed at stopping harmful content and misinformation. Zuckerberg justifies the decision by saying that third-party fact checkers have made too many mistakes over the years and took regular posts down. He himself acknowledges that the change will mean that there may be more harmful content on the platforms.
What does this mean for you? 1) that there is a significantly lower chance that your content will be taken down, 2) that you can expect to encounter more inappropriate and political content on your Meta channels, and 3) that there is a good chance that Meta’s channels will lose a handful of users, who will instead migrate to Blue Sky or other alternatives.
Source: CNN