Welcome back to this week’s TEAM LEWIS Social Round-Up.
This week Instagram is testing captions for every carousel slide, TikTok’s AI has started describing celebrities as fruit, and kids are apparently beating age checks with fake moustaches. So, good news, the future of online safety is apparently a Year 8 drama costume box.
Meanwhile LinkedIn is using AI to make your feed more relevant, TikTok is testing ad-free subscriptions, and Instagram might be having another crack at long-form content. Because apparently our attention spans are both six seconds and three hours long now.
Let’s get into it 👇
Latest News
🎠 Instagram tests captions on each carousel post
Instagram is testing a feature that would let users add captions to each individual image or video inside a carousel. So instead of one caption doing all the heavy lifting, each slide can carry its own context.
It’s a useful update, especially as carousels continue to perform strongly. More context, more storytelling, more reasons to swipe. Basically, Instagram is slowly turning carousels into mini blog posts, but with better lighting. 👉 Read more
🤖 TikTok scales back AI video descriptions after weird errors
TikTok has pulled back its AI-generated video descriptions after the feature started producing some deeply strange summaries. One video of Charli D’Amelio was reportedly described as “a collection of various blueberries with different toppings”.
The feature will now focus more on product information rather than trying to explain entire videos. Probably wise. Nobody needs TikTok turning Shakira into a smoothie. 👉 Read more
🥸 Kids bypass age checks with fake moustaches
A new report found that some children are getting around age-verification checks by drawing on fake facial hair. Which is funny, but also not exactly reassuring.
It’s a reminder that online safety tools are only as strong as the systems behind them. And apparently some of those systems can be defeated by a makeup pencil and a bit of confidence. 👉 Read more
💸 TikTok launches ad-free subscription in the UK
TikTok is rolling out a paid ad-free option in the UK, giving users the choice to remove ads and stop their data being used for targeted promotions.
Most people probably won’t pay for something they currently get free, but it’s another sign that platforms are building subscription options around privacy regulation. Ads are still the main event, but paid opt-outs are becoming part of the furniture. 👉 Read more
🧠 LinkedIn uses AI to improve feed relevance
LinkedIn is using AI-powered recommendation systems to better understand user behaviour across the platform. Rather than looking at single actions, it’s trying to understand your broader professional journey.
In theory, that should mean more relevant posts, jobs, people and opportunities. In practice, it may also explain why your feed suddenly knows you’re interested in AI, leadership and someone’s 17-slide life lesson from missing a flight. 👉 Read more
📺 Instagram eyes long-form content on CTV
Instagram is reportedly exploring long-form video for connected TV, with the platform thinking beyond short-form Reels as it looks at future creator opportunities.
It makes sense, given YouTube’s success on TV screens. But Instagram has tried long-form before with IGTV, and we all know how that went. Still, maybe this time we’re ready to watch Instagram on the sofa like it’s Netflix with ring lights. 👉 Read more
🔧 Quick Tip of the Week
LinkedIn’s latest AI update is a reminder that consistency matters. If you want the platform to understand what you’re about, keep posting around clear themes. One viral post is nice. A consistent signal is better.
✨ Campaigns We Love ✨
💐 OpenTable tots up the unpaid debt to mothers
A giant receipt showing everything mums do, ending with a total of $0.00. Emotional, simple and dangerously close to making people cry in a shopping centre. 👉 Check the bill
📰 The Guardian remakes its iconic ad
Forty years later, The Guardian revisits Points of View to show how perspective changes everything. Still sharp, still relevant. 👉 See it from another angle
🗓️ Mark Your Calendars
Opportunities to celebrate this week
- Wednesday May 13 – Top Gun Day ✈️.
- Thursday May 14 – International Chihuahua Appreciation Day 🐕
- Friday May 15 – National Pizza Party Day 🍕
- Saturday May 16 – World Whisky Day 🥃
- Sunday May 17 – World Baking Day 🧁
- Monday May 18 – International Museum Day 🏛️
- Tuesday May 19 – World Family Doctor Day 🩺
And next…
- Wednesday May 20 – World Bee Day 🐝
- Thursday May 21 – International Tea Day 🍵
- Friday May 22 – World Goth Day 🖤
- Saturday May 23 – World Turtle Day 🐢
- Sunday May 24 – National Escargot Day 🐌
- Monday May 25 – National Wine Day 🍷
- Tuesday May 26 – World Dracula Day 🧛
- Wednesday May 27 – National Flip Flop Day 🩴
That’s a wrap for this week!
If you want to chat about any of these updates, feel free to get in touch.
I’ll be testing whether a fake moustache can get me verified on LinkedIn, past TikTok’s age checks, and maybe into long-form Instagram TV. Wish me luck.
See you next week, bye 👋
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