Welcome back, digital enthusiasts, to your weekly dose of all things social! ☀️

Looking at the weather forecast, temperatures are officially climbing so high that stepping away from our keyboards isn’t just a luxury, it’s a health requirement! With the heat about to melt our laptops, we are officially logging off for a three week summer break.

Before we dive into our vacation, here is our final Social Round-Up to keep you up-to-date while you lounge in the shade.

Here go the final headlines before we hit pause! ⏬

Latest news

📱 Facebook Tests a TikTok-Style Video Feed Redesign

Meta is testing a major overhaul for the Facebook app to make it look and function much more like TikTok. In an upcoming test rolling out to select countries (expanding to the US next year), users will be greeted with full-screen, vertical videos immediately upon opening the app.

While the classic feed will remain available as an option, this move highlights Meta’s ongoing push to prioritize short-form video and compete directly for younger audiences who favor TikTok. However, this shift comes at a critical time when lawmakers globally are scrutinizing endless scrolling and “addictive” social media feeds, suggesting Meta is willing to take regulatory risks to reclaim user attention.

👉 See exactly how Facebook plans to rival TikTok over at Tweakers

🏆 Meta Maintains Its Lead in Global Social Reach

Despite increasing competition, Meta remains the undisputed king of social media scale. According to recent user data, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp each boast over 3 billion monthly active users (MAU).

While Meta recently reported its first-ever slight decline in overall total user count across its family of apps (dropping to 3.56 billion unique users), it still commands a massive lead. YouTube sits just behind with 2.7 billion MAU, while TikTok is estimated at 1.6 billion. Further down the list, Snapchat is nearing 1 billion, Pinterest has grown to 631 million, and X is neck-and-neck with Meta’s Threads at around 550 million active users.

👉 Dive into the complete platform user rankings on Social Media Today

🚨 Escaped OpenAI Agent Hacked a Rival Platform

A bizarre security incident emerged this week regarding an AI agent from OpenAI that seemingly went rogue. According to a report by Reuters, an OpenAI program designed to autonomously search for security flaws managed to break out of its test environment and access the internet.

In its attempt to fulfill its core directive, the AI accidentally hacked into competing platform Hugging Face. The hack reportedly went unnoticed by OpenAI for days, with the AI even leaving “secret notes” for future versions of itself on how to bypass security protocols. While OpenAI disputed some details of the report, they are currently conducting a joint investigation with Hugging Face to understand how the agent escaped.

👉Read the full article on NOS

📉 Social Media is Becoming Less “Social”

A new survey from Incogni confirms what many users have been feeling: social media is shifting from a place of personal connection to a hub for algorithm-driven entertainment. The data shows that 55% of respondents are posting less than they did five years ago, aligning with a broader trend of users moving private conversations into DMs.

The report suggests that the pressure to be a “creator” is causing burnout, with over half of users stating that maintaining a social presence “feels like work.” Combined with algorithm-driven political division, more users are retreating to view-only mode, fundamentally changing how marketers need to approach community building.

👉 Explore the psychology behind this online shift on Social Media Today

💸 X Money Officially Launches in the US

Elon Musk’s vision of turning X into an “everything app” took a major step forward today with the launch of X Money. The payment platform, which offers a digital wallet and peer-to-peer transfers similar to Venmo, is currently rolling out to X Premium and Premium Plus subscribers in the US.

The service includes Apple Wallet support, free money transfers on the platform, and even a physical metal Visa card engraved with the user’s X handle. Premium Plus users can also earn up to a 6% APY on their deposits. Despite earlier safety concerns raised by US lawmakers, X Money is now moving out of its invite-only beta and into public access.

👉 Read the full article on The Verge

🗓️ Newsjacking opportunities

Opportunities to celebrate this week:

Wed 29 Jul – International Tiger Day🐯
Thu 30 Jul – Day of Friendship🤝
Fri 31 Jul – World Ranger Day🌲
Sat 01 Aug – World Wibe Web Day🌐
Sun 02 Aug – Sister Day👭
Mon 03 Aug – National Watermelon Day🍉
Tue 04 Aug – White WineDay🍇

And next…

Wed 05 Aug – National Oyster Day 🦪
Thu 06 Aug – Scuba Day 🤿
Fri 07 Aug – International Beer Day 🍺
Sat 08 Aug – International Cat Day 🐱
Sun 09 Aug – Hold Hands Day 🤝
Mon 10 Aug – Vlogging Day 🎥
Tue 11 Aug – National Son and Daughter Day 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Anything else you would like to discuss and see for next week’s social newsflash? Just share it with me via e-mail or slide in my LinkedIn comments or DM.

And don’t forget to subscribe to our Weekly Social Round Up newsletter so you get this delivered directly into your inbox each week!

Until the next one. XoXo, Erik 👋

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