Welcome back to another packed edition of the Social Media Journal. This week has been absolutely wild in the social media world—seriously, it feels like every platform decided to drop major updates all at once.

I’m calling this the "week of Instagram updates" because the platform has been absolutely on fire with announcements lately. But Instagram wasn't the only one making moves this week.

TikTok just handed users way more control over their For You Page with some pretty interesting new customization tools, while Meta is apparently planning to revolutionize advertising as we know it with full AI automation by 2026. Wild stuff.

I’ve got all the details on what these changes mean for creators, brands, and regular users alike—plus our take on whether these updates are actually worth getting excited about or if they're just shiny new features that'll fade into the background.

Grab your coffee (or whatever keeps you caffeinated) and let's dive into this week's social media chaos. Trust me, you'll want to stay in the loop on these ones.

Social Media Platform Updates

• Instagram Adds Native Support for 3:4 Images

• Elon Musk Confirms New ‘XChat’ Messaging Option Rolling Out This Week

• Instagram Announces Latest Updates for Edits App, Including More Transition Effects

• Reddit Launches Updated Profiles, More Controls Over Activity Info

• Instagram Creators With Over 100K Followers Will Get Access to Additional Comment Filters

• Instagram Is Testing an In-App Teleprompter Feature for Edits

• YouTube Launches Side-By-Side Ads for Livestreams

• X hits pause on its encrypted DMs feature

TikTok Hands Users the Reins: New Content Preference Tools Promise Greater Feed Control

Will more customization enhance the TikTok experience—or break the magic of its addictive algorithm?

TikTok has rolled out significant new features designed to give users unprecedented control over their For You Page (FYP), marking a notable shift from the platform's traditionally hands-off approach to content curation. The updates introduce two key tools: "Manage Topics" and AI-powered "Smart Keyword Filters," both aimed at letting users fine-tune what appears in their feeds.

The New Control Arsenal

Manage Topics: Precision Through Sliders The "Manage Topics" feature, accessible through Settings > Content Preferences, enables users to indicate their interest levels across over 10 popular categories using topic sliders covering areas from Creative Arts, Travel, Nature and Sports. Users can now dial up content they love—maxing out fitness videos while toning down cooking content, for example—using intuitive slider controls.

The preference settings only apply to the For You feed, leaving other areas of TikTok like the Following feed, profile, and inbox unaffected. While the system promises personalization, TikTok warns that changes may take time to manifest as the algorithm learns new preferences.

Smart Keyword Filters: AI-Powered Content Blocking The second major addition leverages artificial intelligence to help users eliminate unwanted content entirely. Smart Keyword Filters use AI to limit content containing similar keywords like synonyms, showing users which additional keywords are being filtered. This represents a significant upgrade from TikTok's previous basic keyword filtering system.

TikTok plans to expand this feature further, including doubling the number of keywords users can add to 200. The tool could prove particularly valuable for filtering out potentially harmful trends or content categories that users find triggering or irrelevant.

Familiar Tools Get Broader Rollout TikTok has also formalized existing options like the "Not Interested" button (activated by long-pressing videos) and the ability to refresh the entire For You feed—essentially hitting reset on the algorithm's understanding of user preferences.

The Control Paradox: Enhancement or Algorithm Interference?

These new features raise a fascinating question about the future of algorithmic content delivery: Do users actually want more control over what they see, or does increased customization risk undermining the very thing that makes TikTok addictive?

The Case for Control Proponents of these features argue they address real user frustrations. The algorithm, while sophisticated, isn't infallible—it can get stuck recommending content users have outgrown or push unwanted topics based on brief interactions. The new tools offer an escape hatch from algorithmic assumptions, particularly valuable for users who want to avoid specific content types for mental health, personal, or professional reasons.

The Smart Keyword Filters could be especially powerful for combating problematic trends. The feature could help users weed out potentially harmful trends, like "SkinnyTok," which TikTok recently banned from its search results.

The Risk of Over-Curation However, there's a compelling counterargument: TikTok's magic lies in its ability to surprise users with content they didn't know they wanted to see. The platform's algorithm has earned praise for its uncanny ability to surface engaging content from unexpected corners of the internet. Heavy customization could create echo chambers, reducing the serendipitous discovery that keeps users engaged.

Social Media Today's analysis suggests that "the majority of users won't bother to use them either way," noting that "social platform algorithms have increased our reliance on systematic recommendations" to the point where "people don't even bother to follow profiles anymore".

The Adoption Question This behavioral pattern points to a crucial question: Are these features solving a problem that most users actually have? TikTok's algorithm has made users "a bit more lazy in implementing manual customizations," as one industry observer noted. The platform's success has largely been built on passive consumption—users scroll, the algorithm learns, and the cycle continues with minimal user intervention.

What This Means for TikTok's Future

These updates suggest TikTok is hedging its bets, acknowledging that while most users may prefer algorithmic automation, a significant minority wants more agency over their content diet. The platform appears to be responding to mounting pressure around algorithmic transparency and user control, particularly as regulators worldwide scrutinize how social media platforms influence user behavior.

The rollout also reflects broader industry trends. As social media matures, platforms are increasingly offering granular control options—though uptake often remains limited. Instagram, YouTube, and other major platforms have introduced similar features with mixed user adoption rates.

The Bottom Line TikTok's new content preference tools represent a thoughtful balance between algorithmic efficiency and user agency. While power users and those with specific content preferences will likely embrace these features, the majority of TikTok's user base may continue to rely on the platform's algorithmic recommendations.

The real test won't be whether users adopt these tools, but whether those who do find their TikTok experience genuinely improved—or if they discover that sometimes, the algorithm knows what we want better than we do.

This Week’s Social Media Meme

The AI Ad Revolution: Will Meta's 2026 Vision Liberate or Limit Brands?

Meta's ambitious plan to fully automate advertising by 2026 represents either the ultimate democratization of digital marketing or its creative death knell—depending on who you ask. The tech giant's vision is deceptively simple: brands input a product image and budget, and Meta's AI handles everything else—creative development, targeting, placement, and optimization across its 3.43 billion active users.

The Case for AI Automation

For small and medium businesses, this could be transformational. The system is expected to be particularly beneficial for small and midsized businesses, which often lack dedicated advertising infrastructure, potentially democratizing access to sophisticated marketing campaigns that were previously the domain of deep-pocketed corporations with extensive agency relationships.

The performance data is compelling. Meta has reported a 22% improvement in return on ad spend for advertisers using AI tools, suggesting that machines may indeed outperform human creativity when it comes to driving measurable results. Mark Zuckerberg's vision is clear: "You don't need any creative, you don't need any targeting demographic, you don't need any measurement, except to be able to read the results that we spit out."

For resource-constrained businesses, this represents unprecedented efficiency. No more wrestling with campaign setup, creative briefs, or audience segmentation—just set a budget and let the algorithm work its magic.

The Creative Control Dilemma

But efficiency isn't everything in branding. Some brands are worried that the AI-generated ads won't look or feel the same as ads made by people, and this concern strikes at the heart of brand identity. Advertising has never been purely about performance—it's about storytelling, emotional connection, and building distinctive brand experiences.

When Meta's AI generates "different versions of the same ad in real time, based on factors such as geolocation," it optimizes for relevance and performance. But what happens to brand consistency? To the carefully crafted voice and visual identity that companies spend years developing?

The Agency Apocalypse

The market's immediate reaction tells its own story. Shares of ad giant Interpublic Group and Omnicom Group fell 1.9% and 3.2%, respectively following the announcement, while shares of major marketing firms such as WPP, Publicis Groupe, and Havas falling sharply amid concerns about disruption.

This isn't just about stock prices—it's about an entire ecosystem of creative professionals, strategists, and account managers who may find their expertise commoditized. If AI can truly handle everything from concept to execution, what role remains for human creativity in advertising?

The Reality Check

Despite the revolutionary rhetoric, brands shouldn't panic or celebrate just yet. As with all AI tools, they will still require human oversight to deliver the best results. The most successful implementations will likely combine AI efficiency with human strategic thinking and creative direction.

Smart brands will use this technology as a powerful tool rather than a complete replacement for marketing strategy. While AI can optimize for engagement and conversions, it cannot understand cultural nuance, anticipate societal shifts, or make the kind of bold creative leaps that define memorable campaigns.

The Bottom Line

Meta's AI advertising revolution will likely bifurcate the market. Smaller businesses and direct-response advertisers will embrace the automation, efficiency, and improved ROI. Meanwhile, larger brands with complex positioning and premium identities will use AI as a supplement to, not a replacement for, human-driven creative strategy.

The real winners will be brands that learn to harness AI's optimization power while maintaining human oversight of brand narrative and creative vision. The losers will be those who either resist the efficiency gains of AI or completely surrender their creative identity to algorithmic optimization.

In 2026, the question won't be whether brands use AI for advertising—it will be how skillfully they balance automation with authenticity.

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