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 September 2026.
Report Highlights the Value of Creator-Led Collabs on Instagram
Instagram Collab posts are driving stronger performance for brands, according to Emplifi’s analysis of more than 520,000 posts from 3,791 brand profiles between January and June 2026. While more than 73% of brands are using Instagram’s Collab feature, creator-published collaborations—where the creator posts first and invites the brand to collaborate—consistently outperform both standard brand posts and brand-published collaborations.
The research shows that accepted, creator-led collaborations generate significantly more amplification, shares and reposts than non-Collab content. In ecommerce and retail, these posts delivered more than five times the amplification of standard posts. The growth may also be connected to Meta’s expanded affiliate program, which gives creators more opportunities to earn commissions by promoting products through Reels.
Collabs improve performance across content formats, but Reels see the strongest lift. That’s likely because creators tend to have a stronger understanding of short-form video trends, formats and audience behaviors. For marketers, the data suggests that giving creators more ownership over the content and publishing process could lead to stronger organic engagement and reach.
TikTok Rolls Out New Ways to Interact in the Comments
Every day, more than 1.7 billion comments are shared on TikTok. And comments have become much more than a place to react to a video—they’ve taken on a life of their own as an integral part of the TikTok experience. They’re where users build on jokes, discuss ideas, share perspectives, ask questions and more.
TikTok is leaning into that, adding new features that give users even more ways to connect and express themselves. TikTok announced several updates coming to a comment section near you:
- Voice Comments: Users will now be able to leave audio responses up to 60 seconds long, giving them a new way to convey tone, laughter and reactions.
- Comment Polls: Creators can ask their audience questions directly and get a quick read on where they stand. Whether you’re picking an outfit, deciding on your next video topic or asking opinions on a current event, polls make it easy to see how a conversation is trending in real time.
- Photo Carousels: Previously, users could only add one photo to a comment. Now, they can share up to nine photos in a single comment.
- Live Photos: Users can also share Live Photos directly from their camera roll, bringing a little more motion to the comment section.
For brands and creators, these updates offer even more opportunities to turn the comments into a place for real conversation and engagement.
LinkedIn Tests Network Tab to Encourage Engagement among Connections
LinkedIn is testing a new “Network” tab that gives users an alternate feed focused exclusively on people and accounts they’ve explicitly connected with or followed. The experiment is part of LinkedIn’s broader effort to encourage more authentic engagement and make it easier for users to see updates from people they actually know, rather than relying solely on the algorithmically curated main feed.
The test also comes as LinkedIn works to address the growing concerns around AI-generated content, engagement pods and feed clutter.
For marketers, the shift could reinforce the importance of building genuine relationships and creating content that resonates with an existing audience, rather than relying solely on broad algorithmic reach.
