Welcome to the latest edition of Social Commotion, Motion’s roundup of social media updates and news. Check out our top social media updates from July 2026.
5 Tips for Building an Effective Brand Presence on TikTok
As brands prepare for the second half of 2026 and, yes, the holiday season, let’s revisit how brands can build and leverage an organic TikTok presence that supports end of year goals and broader holiday campaigns to maximize reach, awareness and sales.
To build an effective TikTok strategy, marketers should focus on five key areas:
- Use TikTok Trends and Top Ads to identify trending topics, successful content formats and audience interests.
- Build a content playbook by tracking themes and video styles that consistently perform well.
- Research influencers to understand who and what resonates with your target audience and identify partnership opportunities.
- Develop a strategy based on platform trends and continue monitoring conversations to stay relevant.
- Analyze performance using TikTok analytics to refine your content and double down on what’s working.
Ultimately, success on TikTok comes from creating content that feels authentic to the platform. By combining trend research, creator insights and ongoing performance analysis, brands can develop more engaging campaigns and improve results throughout the holiday season.
Meta Removes Instagram’s AI Remix Option
Meta has reversed course on a controversial Instagram AI feature that would have allowed users to remix other people’s public posts into AI-generated images by simply mentioning their accounts. The feature, introduced alongside Meta’s new Muse Image model, was enabled by default for all public accounts, requiring users to opt out if they didn’t want their content to be used. After significant backlash from users and concerns from talent agencies over identity theft and misuse, Meta removed the feature just two days after announcing it, acknowledging that it had “missed the mark.”
Although Meta’s quick response was widely viewed as positive, the incident has reignited concerns about the company’s approach to innovation. Critics argue that Meta continues to prioritize releasing new technologies before fully considering their potential risks, echoing past issues surrounding data privacy, social media addiction and online safety. As AI capabilities expand, many believe companies should implement stronger safeguards before launching features that could have unintended consequences.
The controversy has also fueled the broader debate around AI regulation. Meta has opposed stricter oversight, particularly from the European Union, which has delayed certain AI rollouts and fined the company for regulatory violations, arguing that regulations slow innovation. However, supporters of increased oversight say this incident highlights why independent regulation is necessary, raising larger questions about whether tech companies can be trusted to responsibly develop and deploy increasingly powerful AI tools without stronger external accountability.
How to Maximize Instagram Marketing in 2026
Speaking of Instagram, Social Media Today recently dropped a fresh guide on maximizing Instagram in 2026. With more than 3 billion monthly active users, Instagram is still a powerhouse for brand reach but standing out requires a smarter strategy. Here’s a quick breakdown of how to maximize your presence on the app this year:
- Use Meta AI to find trends faster. Don’t just rely on manual search. Prompts in Meta AI can help you spot popular content styles, niche topics and top creators in a fraction of the time.
- Partner with creators who get short-form. Short-form video is still king on Instagram. Working with influencers who already know what lands with your audience saves you from guessing, and Instagram’s Creator Marketplace helps you find them.
- Read the comments. Look through comment sections in your niche to see what people are actually asking about, then build content that answers those exact questions.
- Track metrics that actually matter. Views are great, but profile visits, saves, and direct interactions tell you if people actually care about your brand.
