So, as we are in the final quarter of the year, what should you be focusing on in 2026, in terms of social media? This is a summary of an interesting article, which you can read in full if you wish. Pay attention to Threads. This is rising quickly, and if you have a brand, you need to get on there before somebody grabs your name!
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Possible chronological feed opt-out at scale if a Dutch ruling holds, which would blunt algorithmic reach and change news consumption.
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More metaverse/avatars quietly threaded into apps; smart-glasses content gets preferential treatment.
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Meta AI queries feed ad targeting; expect shopping prompts inside AI answers.
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Experiments like friend highlights and even AI profiles to boost engagement. Yes, bots are liking your posts.
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Tougher AI-content labelling and scam crackdowns.
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More users are opening straight to Reels; the classic feed keeps shrinking.
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Edits (the IG video editor) likely gets paid tiers, with creators offered simplified paid boosting to juice up reach.
Threads
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Likely to overtake X in active users and push trending topic surfacing; more separation from Instagram’s graph; better real-time algorithm.
X (Twitter)
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Business still wobbly; AI targeting touted, but ad revenue pressure remains.
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Payments (“X Money”) may finally appear, plus possible adult-content monetisation to chase cash. Grim, but on brand.
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Leans into video feed and live events; career-path mapping and bite-sized Learning; probable in-stream chatbot and better trend insights for creators.
Snapchat
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Bets the farm on AR glasses (risky); doubles down on AI-assisted Lens creation and inbox ads with personalised offers.
TikTok
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U.S. situation: likely US-owned carve-out with an algorithm “retrained,” which could dull the magic.
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Keeps hammering live shopping, mini-programs (tickets, food delivery), gaming streams, and AI avatars to sell for you 24/7.
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Fights AI sludge with stronger labels/filters; pushes toward one-click checkout via big-platform partners; upgrades virtual try-on and text-to-image discovery; may sell search data to AI firms.