Welcome to this week’s Social Round-Up, a quick pit stop through the weird, wonderful, and occasionally worrying world of digital updates.
So what’s been happening this week? Well, Instagram is (sort of) letting Google into its house, Meta dropped a new Reels playbook for marketers, Threads turned two, and Jack Dorsey unveiled a messaging app that works without the internet. It must be magic. Also, TIME ranked the world’s top creators (again, I didn’t make the cut, rude), and OpenAI wants to take on Chrome.
Let’s dig in 👇
Latest News
🔍 Instagram + Google = Sort of News
Some headlines made it sound like Instagram just started letting Google index your posts. But surprise – it’s been happening since 2020… if your account’s public and you’re over 18. The “big update” is actually a slow rollout to regions where it wasn’t already live. So, if you got a pop-up about it, congrats, you’re finally being crawled. For everyone else, keep calm and optimise your captions. 👉 Read more
🎞 Meta’s New Reels Ads Guide
Meta released a 6-page Reels Ads guide that’s part creative bible, part pep talk. With video now making up 60%+ of time spent on Meta platforms, the doc urges marketers to get on board, and yes, even AI-generated Reels count. The tips cover narrative structure, visual tricks, and partnering with creators. In a nutshell, you should probably be posting more Reels. And now you’ve got no excuse. 👉 Download the guide
🎉 Threads Turns Two
Threads hit the terrible twos last week and marked the moment with a party hat graphic no one can move. But aside from questionable design decisions, Threads is looking strong, 350 million active users and counting. It’s gaining ground on X, particularly as Bluesky stalls and Elon continues to steer X into strange territory. It’s definitely in the conversation. 👉 More on the milestone
📡 Meet Bitchat – Dorsey’s Offline Messaging App
Jack Dorsey has launched a “weekend project” called Bitchat – an encrypted messaging app that runs over Bluetooth with no internet needed. It sounds a bit like wizardry, but it is actually a BLE mesh network. It connects people within ~300 metres, relays messages, and doesn’t rely on central servers. There are concerns over its security (and name), but if you’re planning a rave, this might be your guy. 👉 Read more
🌟 TIME 100 Creators
TIME released its 2025 list of the most influential creators in the world. Highlights include MrBeast (obviously), Sean Evans from Hot Ones, and Amelia Dimoldenberg from Chicken Shop Date. Still no sign of yours truly, but there’s always next year. Great barometer of who’s shaping culture right now and who your clients will want to work with next. 👉 See the list
🌐 OpenAI’s Web Browser Is Coming
OpenAI is reportedly launching an AI-powered browser to rival Chrome. It’ll integrate ChatGPT-like tools directly into the browsing experience, allowing users to search, navigate, and complete tasks via a chat interface. It’s part of their plan to grab more user data and move further into Google’s turf. With 500 million ChatGPT users, that launch could shake things up fast. 👉 Full article
🔥 Quick Tip of the Week
Using Reels for your brand? Try mixing in AI-generated video clips – Meta’s new guide suggests they’re just as engaging and can save your team a ton of time. Tools like Meta’s Edits or Google Veo make it easy to generate short-form content without filming a thing.
✨ Campaigns We Love ✨
🛒 Ocado’s Shopping List Stories
Ocado leans into everyday emotion with its new print/OOH campaign. Less about discounts, more about the small moments a grocery list can hold. Lovely stuff. 👉 Read more
⚽ Basel’s Euro 2025 Traffic Lights
To celebrate the UEFA Women’s Euros, Basel’s pedestrian lights now feature women mid-kick instead of the usual green man. 👉 See the lights
🗓️ Mark Your Calendars
Opportunities to celebrate this week
- Wednesday 16 July – World Snake Day 🐍
- Thursday 17 July – World Emoji Day 😀
- Friday 18 July – World Listening Day👂
- Saturday 19 July – International Karaoke Day 🎤
- Sunday 20 July – International Chess Day ♟️
- Monday 21 July – Global Hug Your Kids Day 🤗
- Tuesday 22 July – World Brain Day 🧠
And next…
- Wednesday 23 July – National Vanilla Ice Cream Day 🍦
- Thursday 24 July – National Tequila Day 🥃
- Friday 25 July – National Wine & Cheese Day 🍷
- Saturday 26 July – National BagelFest Day 🥯
- Sunday 27 July – National Scotch Day 🥃
- Monday 28 July – World Conservation Day 🌱
- Tuesday 29 July – International Tiger Day 🐅
That’s a wrap for this week!
Join Threads, make a Reel, test Bluetooth messaging, share a Hug with someone, and maybe start mentally prepping for OpenAI’s browser takeover.
Need help with social, content or creative? You know where to find us.
See you next week! 👋
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