Bluesky hits 30m user milestone
Bluesky celebrated a new milestone this week after reaching 30m total users. It comes six weeks after the social app welcomed 25m users to the platform. While Bluesky has gained momentum recently, it remains some way behind its rivals. Threads, for example, has 100m daily active users (DAUs) and a much larger total user base.
Google experiments with AI ‘Ask for me’ feature
Google is testing an “Ask for me” feature in search results. Users can use Google AI to call businesses directly to enquire about services by opting into Search Labs experiments.
Google’s VP of search product, Rose Yao, explains: “We’re testing right now with auto shops and nail salons, to see how AI can help you connect with businesses and get things done. Just opt in & search something like ‘oil change near me’ to try it out, and let us know what you think!”
Zuckerberg wants Facebook to be cool again
Mark Zuckerberg wants Facebook to reclaim some of its old magic. In a conference call, the Meta chief spoke about making it more culturally relevant again. While Facebook remains hugely popular in terms of raw numbers, it isn’t a prime destination for memes and new trends that define the internet and broader society.
However, Zuckerberg didn’t mention any specifics about how Facebook could recapture its “OG” energy.
Instagram tests pausing Reels
Instagram is testing a much-requested new feature: pausing Reels. Currently, users have to tap and hold the screen to stop Reels from scrolling to the next piece of content.
Instagram is now trialling a single tap-and-pause feature with a small group of users. It’s yet to provide any details about a broader rollout.
Google search volatility ramps up
The familiar sight of heated search ranking volatility returned to SERP trackers last week. After a relatively quiet period during mid-January, SEMrush logged an upswing in volatility and a “very high” score of 8.2 out of 10 on 30 January (Thursday). Several users in the SEO community also reported “huge” drops in traffic.
It’s been a few months since the last broad core algorithm update finished rolling out, and we are still awaiting the first big update of 2025.
X struggles to generate a profit
X got an “election-related bump” in revenue and users during the fourth quarter, but it’s still struggling to make a notable profit. Bloomberg reported last week that its $1.2bn earnings for the full year in 2024 are “roughly flat.” That figure hasn’t changed much since before Elon Musk acquired the app.
While more than a billion dollars in earnings isn’t disastrous, Bloomberg states that Musk has to make around $1.2bn in interest payments every year after taking on a significant amount of debt to purchase the app.
TikTok returns to the US after 20-hour shutdown
TikTok is live again in the US less than 24 hours after going dark.
TikTok sent a pop-up message to users late on Sunday welcoming them back and hailed “President Trump’s efforts” in the process. The social media app had gone offline following months of legal wrangling and a failure to secure a US-based buyer.
However, it now appears the brief downtime was a publicity stunt designed to give Trump an easy “win” as he returns to the White House.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: “I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”
Google’s search market share drops
Google’s position as the global search engine market leader isn’t under threat, but it’s not as strong as it once was.
New data shows that Google dipped below 90% for the first time in a decade in October, November, and December last year. Both Yandex and Yahoo were among those who picked up the slack, but there weren’t major gains for AI answer engines such as ChatGPT Search.
Google is still the dominant player by some distance, though. Bing, in second place, has just under 4% market share.
Instagram Reels extended to 3 minutes
Instagram Reels are getting longer. The video format is getting a runtime boost from 90 seconds up to three minutes.
Meta has decided to double the limit after creators complained that the previous cap was too short. That’s despite the company’s own data showing longer Reels aren’t that effective and actually result in a drop in engagement.
Instagram previously stated that the sweet spot for keeping viewers hooked is between 30 and 90 seconds.
