Social Media Updates: July 2025

By Brittany Siminitz | July 28, 2025

The Latest on a Possible TikTok Ban

U.S. commerce secretary Howard Lutnick said last Thursday in an interview with CNBC that TikTok will go dark for Americans if China fails to give the U.S. more control over the app.

It’s not clear where talks currently stand, but ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, now has until Sept. 17 to divest the app’s U.S. business. While the Trump administration has extended TikTok’s sales deadline several times already, the days of TikTok could indeed be ticking away.

Google Adds AI-Aided Shopping Tools

Google recently announced the introduction of AI-powered tools designed to make online shopping closer to the in-store experience.

A virtual try-on feature, originally introduced as a limited experiment in May, has rolled out to all users. Shoppers can use it with over 1 billion searchable apparel items, according to Google.

The site has also updated its price alerts feature, enabling users to not only track prices but also select their preferred size and color and set a maximum price they want to pay. If an offer meets the criteria, users will receive an alert.

In the fall, Google plans to release shoppable outfit and room inspiration from AI Mode, using vision match technology to generate visual options in response to search queries.

Instagram Reportedly Trying Out Like Counts for Individual Frames in Carousel

Instagram is testing an addition to its post analytics that would show like counts based on whatever frame was on screen when the like was applied, according to consultant Lindsey Gamble’s newsletter on the creator economy.

This new “insight” would theoretically give an indicator of that specific frame’s popularity-though a higher count could just result from people hitting like on whatever frame pops up in their feed first.

Knowing that a particular image garnered a significantly higher like count could help users generate more engagement in the future, as it suggests the type of content or aesthetic that performs better with audiences.

(Photo: Getty Images Plus/pressureUA)