Cheat Sheet: 2025 Social Media Updates to date
We’re only three weeks into 2025, and the whirlwind of social media updates (and let’s not forget the political news) has already left me spinning! If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ve seen me sharing these updates in real time. But I know it can be hard to keep up, so I’ve put together a quick and easy summary just for you.
Here’s everything you need to know to stay ahead of the curve:
2025 Instagram Updates
✅ Edits is launched - a video editing app and a suite for creative tools. Expect to find a tab for inspiration, keep track of early ideas, higher quality camera, ability to share drafts, and insights for videos shared on Instagram.
✅ Updates to the Reels tab, which displays friends who liked a video and will soon allow you to view other Reels your friends liked.
✅ You can now upload Reels up to 3 minutes long (previously only 90 seconds).
✅ Coming soon, highlights will be moving into its own tab and removed from the main profile page.
✅ Instagram has now taken steps to remove augmented reality (AR) beauty filters that overly alter facial features. This decision is part of a broader effort to promote body positivity and reduce unrealistic beauty standards.
✅ Grid layout goes from square to vertical aspect ratios in order to better align with video and image content dimensions. The New Grid/ Feed Post (Vertical) has a 3:4 Ratio or 1080 x 1350px (vs. 1:1, 1080 x 1080px previously). Reels, Stories, Lives & Covers continue with the same measurements of 9:16 Ratio or 1080 x 1920 px.
2025 Meta Updates
Recent announcement by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg signal a shift in the company’s approach to content moderation and platform management:
✅ Replace fact-checkers with community notes, relying on community contributions to flag and contextualize content. This new, user-driven approach risks mob mentality or organized misinformation campaigns, with potential increases in unverified claims on sensitive topics like health, elections, and social issues.
✅ Political and civic-related posts will be reintroduced to the feeds after Meta began deprioritizing this type of content in early 2021. Espect to see more political posts on the feeds.
✅ Meta Trust & Safety teams will relocate from California to Texas. This strategic move leverages Texas’ looser business regulations.
✅ While Meta has not explicitly detailed how these changes will affect privacy and advertising, the move suggests a shift in content moderation practices and reevaluation of how user data is managed and utilized. This shift ralso aises concerns about privacy and targeted advertising practices.
2025 TikTok Updates
On January 18, 2025, TikTok became unavailable across the U.S. following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold a federal law mandating ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, to divest its U.S. operations.
However, less than 24 hours after the app went dark, TikTok says President-elect Donald Trump has given it the reassurance it needs to resume service in the US.
With TikTok sponsoring Trump's inauguration, which took place on January 19, we can expect that a resolution will be reached in collaboration with President Trump and that TikTok may be saved after all. But let's wait to see how it will unfold...
So, what's next?
How to future-proof your marketing strategies amidst so many changes:
Diversifying your marketing strategies have never been so relevant. If you've been relying in a few platforms to grow your business, you are at risk of drying out your pipeline due to changes in algorithim, policies and regulations, or consumer behaviour changes - which are outside of your control.
Want to go beyond social media and build a marketing strategy that stands the test of time? Join my 2025 Marketing Blueprint Workshop to dive into my proven marketing blueprint for growing a sustainable business.