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.
