Social Snapshot – 22.01.20

January 22, 2020

At IF we love all things social. So, we’re always interested in staying up to date with the latest happenings and bringing them to you in our weekly Social Snapshot! Read on to find out what’s been happening in the past week…

Facebook does a U-turn on brining ads to WhatsApp. https://bit.ly/2GfbiMi

After announcing that they were testing ads in WhatsApp, Facebook has pulled the plug and are now re-thinking its approach to making WhatsApp a revenue-generating tool.

Shutterstock Outlines Rising Visual Trends of Note for 2020. https://bit.ly/2GaIIvC

Feast your eyes on the latest design trend listings for 2020. According to Shutterstock, the data is pointing towards ‘the pursuit of meaning, happiness and opportunity in new, creative projects’.

Instagram’s VP of Product Provides Insight into its Hidden Like Count Test: https://bit.ly/2ulMj7y

Instagram’s hidden like counts test has been hotly debated since it’s trial began last year. But what effect has it had? Well, the first little nuggets of information are beginning to trickle through. Read up on Vishal Shah’s thinking behind it all.

BEWARE… Changes Could be Coming to Twitter’s Explore Page. https://bit.ly/2RLo5vA

Big fan of the explore tab? Well, if you are, get ready for some (potential) changes! Twitter has issued a plea to all users for feedback on explore and how they can improve.

Pinterest Expands Self-Help Exercises to Nine New Regions. https://bit.ly/2RgWl2H

After seeing a rise in mental health-related queries on the platform, Pinterest has expanded their ‘mental health and wellbeing self-help exercises’ to nine new regions. Expect other platforms to follow suit soon!

Linkedin adds live streaming for company pages as well as new ‘invite to follow’ options. https://bit.ly/36afXtC

After launching its native streaming option last year, Linkedin is expanding live options to company pages.

Latest Posts

Yep – it’s a 101 for finding out if your B2B social campaigns and content are delivering. Think you know it all? Think again. The sands of marketing are shifting…again. Aligning metrics and business objectives. Most B2B marketers can tell you the engagement rate. And they certainly know the level…

Meta has started rolling ads into Threads timelines globally from late January 2026. That’s the moment Threads stops being a side app and becomes a paid, recommendation-led public square. Threads has passed 400 million monthly active users, and Meta has put daily actives at around 150 million. The strategic implication for B2C and B2B is the same; distribution gets easier to buy, credibility gets harder to earn. Threads rewards coherence in public conversation, how you answer, how you sound, how specific you are. Treat it as a trust surface, because that’s where decisions get shaped now.

Feeds are getting tired of “perfect”. A lot of the most interesting work going into 2026 is reacting against hyper-digital polish with visuals that feel more handled: scanned textures, mismatched elements, collecting layouts, and deliberate “imperfections” that make the human hand visible again. That matters for social, because audiences clock…