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Stay up-to-date with all the social media trends, features and controversies.

Cover image for the article: Gentle Monster’s “Haus Nowhere”: When a Store Is a Content Engine

10/02/25

Gentle Monster’s “Haus Nowhere”: When a Store Is a Content Engine

Gentle Monster’s “Haus Nowhere”: When a Store Is a Content Engine

Seoul’s new Gentle Monster complex launched like a film set that happens to sell things—architecture and pacing turn the store into a content engine.

Gentle Monster’s HAUS NOWHERE SEOUL didn’t open like retail; it staged a shoot-ready environment where architecture, pacing, and participatory rituals drive UGC. The multi-brand stack, kinetic anchors, and opening-week casting created a model where the store itself becomes the content engine.

Cover image for the article: Instagram Is Quietly Re-Wiring Discovery Around Recommendations, Not “Following”

09/26/25

Instagram Is Quietly Re-Wiring Discovery Around Recommendations, Not “Following”

Instagram Is Quietly Re-Wiring Discovery Around Recommendations, Not “Following”

Instagram is shifting discovery from Following to algorithmic recommendations and DMs — here’s what changed and how to adapt.

Adam Mosseri has made it explicit: Instagram will lean even harder into algorithmic recommendations and away from your Following graph, with discovery increasingly happening in DMs and small groups. You’ll get more broad “tuning” controls (topics, interest resets), but not a return to a pure follow feed. Here’s what changed, why it matters, and how to adapt without burning your team.

Cover image for the article: Instagram Opens the Grid to Landscape(-ish): The New Aspect-Ratio Playbook

09/25/25

Instagram Opens the Grid to Landscape(-ish): The New Aspect-Ratio Playbook

Instagram Opens the Grid to Landscape(-ish): The New Aspect-Ratio Playbook

Instagram’s grid is moving beyond perfect squares: rectangles change how your profile reads, how you crop covers, and how you package posts across formats.

Instagram is rolling out 4:5 portrait tiles on the profile grid and testing 3:4 support, shifting the strategic weight to first frames and grid-safe covers. This guide lays out the aspect-ratio playbook, packaging flows, and measurement tactics to win in a multi-format world.

Cover image for the article: The Most Talked-About AI Model Isn’t GPT-5 — It’s Vogue’s Guess Ad Model

08/13/25

The Most Talked-About AI Model Isn’t GPT-5 — It’s Vogue’s Guess Ad Model

The Most Talked-About AI Model Isn’t GPT-5 — It’s Vogue’s Guess Ad Model

Vogue’s August issue carried a Guess advertisement starring a photoreal, AI-generated model. Vogue clarified it was advertising, not editorial, but the debate was already on.

A Guess campaign in the August 2025 issue of Vogue used an AI-generated model created by Seraphinne Vallora. Vogue emphasized the image wasn’t editorial, but critics and supporters are already battling it out. Meanwhile new regulations are adding fuel to the fire. This piece maps the facts, surfaces the competing arguments, and offers an action-oriented, non-partisan playbook for creators, brands, and enterprises: where AI imagery makes sense, how to govern it, and how to protect brand identity while scaling content.

Cover image for the article: Australia’s Youth Social-Media Ban: Ground War, Workarounds, and What Comes Next

08/13/25

Australia’s Youth Social-Media Ban: Ground War, Workarounds, and What Comes Next

Australia’s Youth Social-Media Ban: Ground War, Workarounds, and What Comes Next

Australia will bar under-16s from most social platforms by December 10, 2025. Platforms and creators are pushing back, and enforcement raises hard questions: spoofed ages, VPNs, parental choices. Here’s the clear-eyed analysis and the playbook for brands and creators.

Australia has finalized a world-first youth social-media restriction, adding YouTube to the list of covered platforms. Regulators call it a child-safety measure; platforms and creators warn of overreach and weak enforceability. This article maps the facts, the likely workarounds, the economic stakes, and practical steps for creators, brands, and enterprises to adapt content strategy, automation, and analytics without political dramatics.

Cover image for the article: 'You Shall Not Pass!' Cloudflare Pushes Back Against Unrequested AI Crawling

08/12/25

'You Shall Not Pass!' Cloudflare Pushes Back Against Unrequested AI Crawling

'You Shall Not Pass!' Cloudflare Pushes Back Against Unrequested AI Crawling

Cloudflare just put a tollbooth on the open web for AI crawlers—shifting from assumed consent to explicit permission and, in some cases, payment. Here’s what changed, why it matters, and how brands and publishers can adapt.

Cloudflare now blocks AI answer-engine crawlers by default and is piloting a Pay-Per-Crawl program that lets sites charge for access. The company also called out alleged ‘stealth crawling’ by Perplexity, delisting it from verified bots. Behind the headlines is a larger reset: AI answers are re-intermediating discovery, compressing referral traffic in classic search. This article explains the technical changes, competing claims about traffic impact, economic implications for publishers and creators, and a pragmatic playbook to stay visible—owning distribution while optimizing for both humans and machines.

Cover image for the article: Reposts, Reels ‘Friends’ Tab, and Friend Map: Where is Instagram Headed?

08/08/25

Reposts, Reels ‘Friends’ Tab, and Friend Map: Where is Instagram Headed?

Reposts, Reels ‘Friends’ Tab, and Friend Map: Where is Instagram Headed?

Instagram has launched Reposts, a Reels ‘Friends’ tab showing what your friends liked, and an opt-in Friend Map. Here’s the factual breakdown—and a field guide for creators and brands to adapt quickly.

Instagram’s latest upgrades push the app further toward social-first discovery: native Reposts with attribution, a Reels ‘Friends’ tab to surface what friends liked, and an opt-in Friend Map to see where friends are and what they’ve shared. This report explains what changed, why it matters, and how creators and brands can tactically respond—especially those using AI editing and cross-platform scheduling to keep real-life content flowing.

Cover image for the article: Inside the Severance Bell Works Activation: How Apple TV+ Rewrote the Rules of Streaming Events

07/23/25

Inside the Severance Bell Works Activation: How Apple TV+ Rewrote the Rules of Streaming Events

Inside the Severance Bell Works Activation: How Apple TV+ Rewrote the Rules of Streaming Events

Apple TV+ turned Severance’s Bell Works into a living, surreal workplace — creating a fan and press experience unlike anything TV marketing has seen before.

On April 5, 2025, Apple TV+ invited fans, critics, and the world to step into Lumon Industries for real. From set recreations to a star-studded panel and uncanny roleplay, every detail of the Bell Works activation redefined how shows come alive — and why immersive events are the future of streaming.

Cover image for the article: YouTube Ditches Trending Page: What It Means for Discovery, Creators & Brands

07/23/25

YouTube Ditches Trending Page: What It Means for Discovery, Creators & Brands

YouTube Ditches Trending Page: What It Means for Discovery, Creators & Brands

YouTube’s retirement of its Trending and Trending Now tabs signals a shift toward AI‑powered discovery. Here’s how creators and brands should adapt.

As of July 2025, YouTube has removed the legacy Trending pages and launched genre-specific charts paired with AI-driven Explore feeds. The move favors personalized content discovery—but raises new challenges for brand visibility, trending topics, and creator discovery. Here's what this means for your strategy.

Cover image for the article: The Creator Economy M&A Boom: 2025’s Biggest Deals and What’s Driving Them

07/22/25

The Creator Economy M&A Boom: 2025’s Biggest Deals and What’s Driving Them

The Creator Economy M&A Boom: 2025’s Biggest Deals and What’s Driving Them

Mergers and acquisitions in the creator economy have hit record highs in 2025, reshaping platforms, monetization, and the future of content infrastructure.

With 52 deals closed in six months and over $250B in creator-driven value, M&A activity is flooding platforms, SaaS tools, and influencer networks. Here's an in-depth look at the biggest transactions, regional patterns, valuation trends, and what this consolidation wave means for the industry.

Cover image for the article: Brat Summer: Inside the Messy, Maximalist Trend of the Year

07/16/25

Brat Summer: Inside the Messy, Maximalist Trend of the Year

Brat Summer: Inside the Messy, Maximalist Trend of the Year

Aristocrat heirs, Berghain K-pop idols, indie sleaze, and Martha Stewart luxury: the content world is going Brat. Welcome to Summer 2025’s messy, maximalist, unapologetic new era.

From Paris runaways to late-night K-pop chaos, Brat Summer 2025 marks a dramatic turn in content culture. Brands, influencers, and creators are riding a wave of emotional, messy, maximalist storytelling that prizes candor, neon grunge, and Martha Stewart-style homebody luxury. The era of sanitized feeds is over; this summer, ‘don’t care’ is the new cool.

Cover image for the article: Meta Follows YouTube: Facebook Cracks Down on Unoriginal Content

07/16/25

Meta Follows YouTube: Facebook Cracks Down on Unoriginal Content

Meta Follows YouTube: Facebook Cracks Down on Unoriginal Content

Meta is slashing reach and revenue for unoriginal and recycled content—forcing creators to double down on authenticity and value.

In the wake of YouTube’s AI and disclosure updates, Meta is now tightening the screws on ‘unoriginal’ content. Brands, creators, and social media managers using UGC scraping or recycled posts are seeing reach and monetisation slashed. The future? Only transformative, brand-owned content will thrive on Facebook’s new terms.

Cover image for the article: Indie Sleaze Revival: How 2000s Nostalgia is Reshaping TikTok and Depop

07/15/25

Indie Sleaze Revival: How 2000s Nostalgia is Reshaping TikTok and Depop

Indie Sleaze Revival: How 2000s Nostalgia is Reshaping TikTok and Depop

From TikTok to Depop, the 'indie sleaze' look is fueling a raw, anti-polish wave of nostalgia—and brands are taking notice.

The messy, nightlife-soaked ‘indie sleaze’ aesthetic—think thrifted clothes, grainy flash, DIY edits, and 2000s alt-rock—has roared back across TikTok and Depop. With a 43% surge in search volume and brands quickly adapting, the trend is more than a meme: it’s a playbook for authentic, high-engagement content creation in 2025.

Cover image for the article: NBA Creator Cup: What It Foreshadows About the Future of Media

07/14/25

NBA Creator Cup: What It Foreshadows About the Future of Media

NBA Creator Cup: What It Foreshadows About the Future of Media

The NBA’s experiment with creator-driven spectacle is raising bigger questions—about sports, AI, and what audiences really want in a world of algorithmic feeds.

A new kind of live event—blending creators, pro athletes, and viral storytelling—just played out in Las Vegas. But as AI-generated content floods social media, the NBA Creator Cup hints at where the real value in media might be heading.

Cover image for the article: Kpop Meets Berghain: Summer 25’s Content Machine

07/13/25

Kpop Meets Berghain: Summer 25’s Content Machine

Kpop Meets Berghain: Summer 25’s Content Machine

Fashion, festivals, AI-driven MVs and meme-fueled fandoms: this is K-culture's edgiest, most international summer yet.

Korean pop culture just raised the global bar—again. 2025’s summer lineup features EDM anthems, shirtless idols, meme-driven drama ships, and fashion collaborations that amplify album storytelling. It’s all powered by next-gen social media strategy, content automation, and fan-first localization.

Cover image for the article: Did YouTube Just Ban AI Content? The Real Story Behind the Viral Panic

07/11/25

Did YouTube Just Ban AI Content? The Real Story Behind the Viral Panic

Did YouTube Just Ban AI Content? The Real Story Behind the Viral Panic

No, YouTube didn’t just nuke AI creators. Here’s what actually changed—and how to futureproof your content strategy.

A wave of panic swept through the creator and brand world as rumors swirled about a YouTube ‘AI ban.’ The truth? It’s a policy update about transparency—not an apocalypse. But for creators, agencies, and social media teams, it’s a wake-up call: platform compliance and smart content automation are more important than ever.

Cover image for the article: Is Bluesky the New Twitter? Why the Social Media Landscape Is Splintering in 2025

06/16/25

Is Bluesky the New Twitter? Why the Social Media Landscape Is Splintering in 2025

Is Bluesky the New Twitter? Why the Social Media Landscape Is Splintering in 2025

Twitter is gone; long live the social web. Bluesky’s niche buzz, Musk’s riot-driven sign-ups, and a post-Twitter world where diverging platforms might just be the new normal.

Launched by Jack Dorsey in 2019 and now steered by CEO Jay Graber, Bluesky has topped 34.6 million registered users as of May 2025—yet remains a sliver next to X’s 350 million actives . After Elon Musk’s comments on UK riots, Bluesky saw a 60 % sign-up spike last August . Favored by journalists seeking ad-free, chronological discussions . Bluesky underscores a larger shift: the end of one-size-fits-all platforms and the rise of specialized social ecosystems.

Cover image for the article: Inside Netflix Tudum 2025: The Fan-Driven Spectacle Influencers and Brands Can't Miss

06/09/25

Inside Netflix Tudum 2025: The Fan-Driven Spectacle Influencers and Brands Can't Miss

Inside Netflix Tudum 2025: The Fan-Driven Spectacle Influencers and Brands Can't Miss

A star-studded recap of Netflix Tudum 2025 at the Kia Forum—why influencers were buzzing, brands were leveling up, and social feeds couldn’t get enough.

Netflix Tudum 2025 brought the heat to LA’s Kia Forum with star-studded reveals, electrifying performances, and immersive fan zones. From Lady Gaga’s ‘Wednesday’ showcase to Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein teaser, #TUDUM lit up social feeds and set the bar for live-streamed spectacles—VIP moments for influencers and a masterclass in event culture for brands.

06/05/25

Google Launches Vids, Sora in ChatGPT: Are AI Avatar Startups Dead?

Google Launches Vids, Sora in ChatGPT: Are AI Avatar Startups Dead?

Google Vids feels like a 2000s flashback with its cringe OneNote-style UI and unclear purpose; Sora lands smoother but can’t dethrone dedicated tools.

Announced at Google I/O in April 2024, Vids brings Gemini-powered AI video to Workspace Labs but sports a cringe “2000s Flash” UI and unclear use case beyond Slides presentations—realistic output, utility lacking . Sora arrived in December 2024 for ChatGPT Plus & Pro, offering smoother 20-second, 1080p clips with warmer reception, though it trails the recent Ghibli-style AI-image frenzy . Looking ahead to 2026, expect Google to keep bolting on suite features, OpenAI to iterate rapidly, and startups with focused offerings to lead a messy, vibrant AI video market.

Cover image for the article: Instagram Edits Reality Check: The Odds, the Rivals, and the 2026 Showdown

06/02/25

Instagram Edits Reality Check: The Odds, the Rivals, and the 2026 Showdown

Instagram Edits Reality Check: The Odds, the Rivals, and the 2026 Showdown

Instagram Edits racked up 7.1 M downloads in week one—but for a 2.1 B-user giant, that’s barely a ripple. Here’s why the real action is in the AI arena, with CapCut, OpusClip, Captions, Blaze AI, and Rkive AI circling like contenders in a 2026 prize fight.

When Instagram dropped Edits on April 22, 2025, it rocketed to #1 on the App Store with 7.1 M downloads in seven days—yet that’s just 0.34% of Instagram’s 2.1 B MAUs, a modest splash for Meta’s flagship platform . Free and watermark-free, Edits still lacks templates, advanced effects, and mature AI tools that CapCut masters, and trails specialized rivals like OpusClip ($20 M funding), Captions (10 M+ installs), Blaze AI (static-visual automation), and internal frontrunner Rkive AI (true end-to-feed workflows) . Mosseri has teased future AI upgrades, but no concrete Llama roadmap exists beyond general plans for “intelligent features” . Buckle up: 2026 promises a battle royale of price cuts, acquisitions, funding deluges, and feature arms races—good news for creators and brands craving more choice, lower costs, and genuinely functional editing solutions.

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News from Rkive AI