Need-to-Know Social Media Updates: January 2026

What changed through December that you need to be aware of this month? Let’s dig into the social media updates for January.

ICYMI: November 2025 Social Media Updates

Facebook Updates

New Feed Formatting and Algorithm Update

Meta is now making it “easier to create, discover and share content on Facebook” in their words the key takeaways are as follows:

• We’re introducing improvements to Facebook’s Feed, search, and navigation systems so you can easily find what you are looking for and dive deeper into your interests.
• We’re streamlining how you create content in the app with a redesign of how you create Stories and Feed posts, as well as how you interact with and share them.
• We’re also launching new ways to surface things in common with your friends directly on your profile and through search.

It really is a whole host of UI changes that actually make Facebook look cleaner and more simple, which we are always fans of.

Facebook Creators YouTube Channel

Facebook has launched a “Facebook Creators” YouTube channel, with the aim to provide advice and guidance on building content for Facebook by genuine content creators.

It’s still early days and they’ve only got a handful of videos online, but it does look like a helpful resource and there is a variety of creators from chefs to gardeners, so there should be something here that everyone can learn from.

Meta add “Chat on WhatsApp” to Leads Ads

Meta have added a new CTA (Call To Action) for Lead campaigns, you can now allow potential leads to chat to you via WhatsApp instantly. If you want to capture attention and capitalise on hot leads straight away, then this feature allows you to do just that. My suggestion would be to have a work phone that you assign to this feature, otherwise you may just find yourself getting messages at all hours of the day or night for potential customers.

Instagram Updates

Expiring Stories Feed

You may have already seen this feature, but Instagram have added an “Expiring stories” feed to Instagram. We have found this helpful for accounts that we enjoy but simply haven’t got to viewing their stories yet. You can miss valuable nuggets of information, or just general life updates from close friends, so this is a welcome feature to make sure that you don’t miss updates from creators and brands you love.

Algorithm Control 

Although this is currently a US only feature, Instagram has pushed an update that allows users to control their algorithm.

This will give users more control over their reels experience in particular, so if you’re sick of seeing something that you took a fleeting interest in, or you want to see more cute dog videos. Now, in the US, you can control this. If it works well in the US (which is likely to) then we can expect to see it come to the UK. Regardless, this is a clear signal from Instagram to optimise your content so it gets categorised correctly. This means using keywords in the caption, text on screen, audio and making sure your Reels have a clear purpose. This will maximise your chances of getting seen by people who may be interested in your content. It is also a signal that social feeds continue to move towards discovery and DMs and Stories are where it’s at for community-building.

More Edits Updates

Instagram has added more enhancements to Edits, with an improved Storyboard feature amongst other updates. You will now be able to more directly map out your videos, by attaching video clips to your sticky notes, and mapping out your videos in a more structured way.

This update alongside more templates, lock screen widgets, and further colour customisation options demonstrates that Instagram are going all in on Edits, and want to make it the go-to app for video creation.

Struggling to keep pace with the changes and what they mean for your social media strategy? We have capacity for new clients in 2026.

Chat to us about social media management.

TikTok Updates

“Nearby” Feed

TikTok has added a new “Nearby” feed in the UK. TikTok continues to develop their app to be primarily a discovery platform and this will only further enhance that functionality. It is less about who you follow but finding relevant and engaging content in your geography. The feed filters out private, old, or restricted posts, keeping content recent and public-facing only. This is great news for businesses who only serve a specific location, like local restaurants, cafes or small businesses. To maximise your chances of showing up on the “Nearby” feed, make sure you are tagging your location and using keywords in the caption, text on screen and audio.

It is worth considering your own privacy here, and only opting-in if you’re happy with members of the general public knowing where you are.

Link Fundraisers

If your channel is dedicated to supporting a charitable cause, or you just want to publicise a charity that you are fond of, TikTok now allows you to link directly to a fundraising effort within the app. A good move, aimed at raising awareness for good causes in an easy to find place.

CapCut AI Integration

In a move that will surprise absolutely nobody, CapCut now allows you to update and edit your images with Google Nano Banana Pro.

In an era where perfection is becoming easier to attain than ever, our advice is that you allow your images to be raw and unfiltered, to demonstrate the humanistic elements within your content. Leave the AI for other useful purposes!

LinkedIn Updates

Ad Updates

LinkedIn is going hard on their ad platform at the minute and they have announced a number of changes to the way you can auction for placements and (surprise surprise) some AI feature’s to enhance the ad experience.

LinkedIn is launching new ad tools for 2026, including Reserved Ads for premium first-slot placement and AI-powered variants to automate creative production. Marketers can now use enhanced personalisation to include user profile data in copy and flexible ad creation to automatically optimise combinations of images and video.

Final Takeaway

You may sense a general apathy towards “AI enhancements” in this months blog, and while I do believe that on the whole AI is amazing technology, it is stripping away the humanistic elements that are at the core of the word “social” in social media!

It would be amazing if app developers were focussing on ways to encourage more user generated content creation, and community connection within their platforms. These are the reasons most of us are on the platforms in the first place, not to be wowed by an AI video or advertised to.