Welcome back to the first TEAM LEWIS Social Round-Up of 2026. Hope your inbox had a nice little holiday because the platforms absolutely did not. This week, TikTok’s handing out a “here’s your whole year” marketing calendar, LinkedIn’s basically confirmed we all now work in AI, and Instagram’s having an early-year existential crisis about what’s real anymore.
Let’s get into it 👇
Latest News
📅 TikTok just dropped 2026 marketing calendars for SMBs
TikTok’s made it super easy for small and mid-sized brands to plan their year, with downloadable 2026 marketing calendars by region. It’s packed with the seasonal moments you’d expect. Valentine’s Day, summer holidays, Black Friday, and all the other dates that magically appear right after you’ve locked the content plan. Incredibly handy if you want a head start on planning this year. 👉 Read more
🤖 LinkedIn’s “Jobs on the Rise” says AI is the new… everything
LinkedIn’s annual Jobs on the Rise report is out, based on how people have been updating their roles and skills between 2023 and 2025. No massive surprise. AI is BIG. AI Engineers, AI consultants, data annotators and AI researchers are flying up the list, alongside a mix of classics like sales roles and a very bold “Founder” entry. The real takeaway is less “everyone must become an AI engineer” and more “everyone should understand how AI fits into their job.” It’s also worth noting LinkedIn is offering free LinkedIn Learning courses tied to the report until Feb 6, so you can pretend you’re upskilling while you’re actually avoiding your emails. 👉 Read more
🧠 Mosseri says AI is making “authenticity infinitely reproducible”
Instagram’s Adam Mosseri has shared a long take on the year ahead, basically pointing out that AI is getting good enough to copy creators, copy styles, and eventually copy the “raw” aesthetic people use as proof that something is real. Instagram’s response seems to be more verification, more transparency about who’s behind accounts, and more emphasis on original creators. If you’re a brand or creator, it’s a good reminder that the advantage isn’t just production anymore. It’s trust, identity, and ideas people actually want from you, not a thousand versions of the same content trend. 👉 Read more
⚽ TikTok and FIFA. Live match streaming is officially on the table
Big sports and social are getting even closer. FIFA’s broadcast partners will have the option to live stream parts of matches from the 2026 World Cup on TikTok, alongside a dedicated World Cup hub with tickets, viewing info and gamified bits like stickers and filters. Broadcasters can also monetise coverage via TikTok ads, with anti-piracy measures in place. The “why” is obvious. TikTok’s saying fans are 42% more likely to tune into live matches after watching sports content on the platform. Social is not just the highlights reel anymore, it’s part of the broadcast strategy. 👉 Read more
🕶️ Meta’s Ray-Ban Display glasses are getting a teleprompter. And handwriting texts
Meta’s CES updates for its Ray-Ban Display glasses and Neural Band are properly futuristic. A teleprompter feature is rolling out, so you can read notes inside the glasses during talks or while filming content, plus Early Access users can send WhatsApp and Messenger messages by “writing” with a finger on any surface, translated into text. There’s also pedestrian navigation expanding to more cities. The catch. International rollout is paused because demand is huge and waitlists run well into 2026. 👉 Read more
🔎 YouTube is adding a “remove Shorts from search” filter
If you’ve ever searched for a proper how-to video and had to wade through a sea of Shorts first, YouTube’s bringing in a filter to hide Shorts from search results. They’re also tweaking search sorting terminology, and shifting “views” style ranking toward broader signals like watch time. The bigger subtext here is quality control. Reports are pointing to a growing chunk of Shorts being AI-generated, and YouTube’s clearly feeling the pressure to keep search useful, not just endlessly snackable. 👉 Read more
🎧 Google Classroom is turning lessons into podcasts with Gemini
Google’s added a Gemini-powered tool inside Google Classroom that can generate podcast-style audio lessons, with options like grade level, learning objectives, number of speakers, and even the conversational format. It’s available across certain Google Workspace Education plans. This is a smart move. It meets students in a format they already like, while giving teachers another way to repurpose content, though Google’s also stressing that educators should review anything AI generates before using it in class. 👉 Read more
📲 Disney+ is adding a TikTok-style vertical feed
Don’t you think movies are just too big? Filling that 16×9 screen to the end, looking perfect. So, thank goodness Disney’s planning to roll out short-form, vertical video experiences inside Disney+ in the US later this year. The goal is simple. More daily engagement, more time in-app, and ultimately stronger ad business performance. They’re positioning it as its own content layer, not just trailers for long-form shows. It’s also a clear signal that TikTok’s influence is still spreading. First social copied streaming. Now streaming’s copying social. 👉 Read more
🔧 Quick Tip of the Week
If you’ve downloaded TikTok’s 2026 calendar, don’t try to “do every moment.” Pick 6 to 10 dates that actually match your audience and your product, then build repeatable formats around them. One hero moment a month, supported by lighter weekly content, beats a panic-posting bonanza every time.
✨ Campaigns We Love ✨
🌞 easyJet’s Winter Sun Index
A very simple, very shareable piece of branded content. Give people a ranking, a dream, and a reason to forward it to someone who needs to stop complaining about the weather. 👉 Read more
🚇 Heineken 0.0 turns the Bakerloo into the “Bakerl0.0”
A transport takeover that’s cheeky, perfectly on-brand, and makes the alcohol-free message feel like a cultural moment, not a lecture. 👉 Read more
🗓️ Mark Your Calendars
Opportunities to celebrate this week
- Wednesday January 14 – National Dress Up Your Pet Day 🐶
- Thursday January 15 – Wikipedia Day 📚
- Friday January 16 – International Hot and Spicy Food Day 🌶️
- Saturday January 17 – National Kid Inventors’ Day💡
- Sunday January 18 – National Winnie the Pooh Day 🍯
- Monday January 19 – Blue Monday 😵💫
- Tuesday January 20 – Penguin Awareness Day 🐧
And next…
- Wednesday January 21 – National Hugging Day 🤗
- Thursday January 22 – National Hot Sauce Day 🌶️
- Friday January 23 – National Pie Day 🥧
- Saturday January 24 – Global Belly Laugh Day 😂
- Sunday January 25 – Burns Night 🥃
- Monday January 26 – National Bubble Wrap Day 🫧
- Tuesday January 27 – National Chocolate Cake Day 🎂
- Wednesday January 28 – International LEGO Day 🧱
That’s the first Social Round Up of 2026 done.
We’re back, we’re hydrated, we’re feeling good, and the platforms are already firing out updates. If you want to chat about any of these stories, or sense-check your 2026 social plans, just give me a shout.
We’ll be back next week, see you then, bye 👋
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