Social Media Everywhere You Look: From Instants and Cannes to the World Cup

Here is another weekly round-up of what has been happening across social media.

Instagram is searching for authenticity, but Instants is so far getting mixed reactions

Instagram has launched Instants, a feature — and in some countries also a standalone app — for quickly sharing disappearing photos with Close Friends or mutually followed accounts. Photos are sent via DMs, disappear after being opened and expire after 24 hours at the latest. The idea is simple: less perfection, more immediacy. Something between Snapchat, BeReal and the good old “look what I’m doing right now”.

For now, we would not call Instants the next big revolution. It is more of a signal. Instagram knows very well that the feed has become a showcase of curated lives, Reels are a race for attention, and younger users often share more in private messages than in public. Instants is an attempt to bring spontaneity back into the app.

For brands, it is still difficult to grasp, because this is not about public reach but about more intimate sharing. Still, the trend matters: DMs, Close Friends and smaller communities will become increasingly important for content.

At the same time, Meta is pushing in the opposite direction: professional creation. Its Edits app is Meta’s answer to CapCut. It is not just about video editing, but about bringing the entire creator workflow into one ecosystem: idea, editing, captions, AI tools, export, publishing and analytics. Meta is effectively saying: we do not only want you to upload finished content to Instagram. We want that content to be created with us.

Meta in Cannes: AI, glasses and the creator economy on the red carpet

Meta became a partner of the Cannes Film Festival, and this was not just about a logo on banners. It brought Instagram, Threads, Reels, Meta AI, Ray-Ban Meta glasses, AI translations, creators and its own Meta House at the Majestic Hotel to Cannes. For Meta, Cannes is the perfect stage: film, fashion, celebrities, video, AI and culture all in one place.

More important than the festival itself is the message Meta is sending. In its view, the future of content will not live only on the phone. It will live in glasses, AI translations, live sharing, first-person perspectives and creator-led coverage. Ray-Ban Display AI smart glasses are also receiving new features, while Meta is opening the door to developers who can build applications for the glasses.

For brands, this is a useful reminder: content will gradually move from the screen into the real world. Not tomorrow, and not for every campaign. But the direction is clear. The next “platform” may not be just another app. It may be a device we wear on our face.

Threads wants to step out of Instagram’s shadow

Threads now has more than 400 million monthly active users globally, and Meta is trying to move it beyond the role of a “text-based add-on to Instagram” into a more independent conversational platform. Its new logo and font are meant to signal that Threads is entering its own era, rather than remaining a side product of Instagram.

Another interesting update is a feature that automatically splits longer posts of more than 500 characters into connected threads. That is practical for commentary, mini-essays, reactions to current events, public affairs or newsletter-style ideas adapted into a social format.

TikTok adds interesting features for e-commerce and search

TikTok has long since stopped being just a place where teenagers dance to viral songs. It is moving into search, commerce, travel, bookings, advertising automation and full-funnel marketing.

This is clearly visible in TikTok GO. In the United States, the feature allows users to discover and book hotels, attractions, tours and experiences directly through TikTok. Partners include Booking.com, Expedia, Viator, GetYourGuide, Tiqets and Trip.com. TikTok is shortening the path from “I saw a video of a beautiful place” to “I’m booking it now”.

That is a major development for travel marketing and local businesses. TikTok does not want to be only the top of the funnel, where inspiration begins. It wants to become the place where decisions are made and action is taken.

TikTok World 2026 also brought a wave of new advertising tools: TopReach, Creative Sequencing, Branded Buzz, Search Hubs, Creator AI Search, Symphony, Smart+, GMV Max, TikTok GO Ads and TikTok Ads MCP Server. Put simply: TikTok wants to give brands a route from reach to search to conversion — while bringing in AI agents to help manage campaigns.

Alongside this, TikTok launched TikTok Real, a programme aimed at fighting counterfeits and protecting brands in TikTok Shop. It is less flashy than new ad formats, but crucial for business. If TikTok wants to become a serious shopping platform, it must address trust, counterfeits, IP protection and brand safety.

The FIFA World Cup is approaching — and it will bring another content revolution

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will not only be the biggest football event of the year. It will also be one of the biggest tests of how social media content works today. For the first time, the tournament will feature 48 teams, 104 matches and 16 host cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico — an enormous volume of stories, emotions, behind-the-scenes moments, fan experiences and short videos that will circulate long before kick-off and well after the final whistle. The tournament will take place from 11 June to 19 July 2026.

That is why FIFA is no longer approaching the World Cup merely as a television product. It has selected TikTok as its first Preferred Platform for video content around the men’s World Cup. TikTok is set to get a dedicated World Cup hub, more original content, deeper integration with media partners, creator access and more opportunities for fan engagement throughout the tournament.

In other words, TikTok is not supposed to be just a place where a few highlights are uploaded after the match. It is meant to be one of the main environments where fans continuously discover, comment on and experience the tournament.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Creator Correspondents programme is also important. TikTok and FIFA are bringing in 30 creators to cover the tournament from host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States. They will not be doing traditional sports journalism. Instead, this will be creator-led, fan-first storytelling: team arrivals, city atmospheres, training sessions, press conferences, warm-ups, behind-the-scenes access and moments that often never make it into the television broadcast.

This is a major shift. Alongside traditional broadcasters, another layer of the tournament is emerging: mobile, fan-driven, behind-the-scenes and creator-led. For younger audiences, this layer may often be their first point of contact with the tournament. Not a TV studio, but a short video from a creator. Not an official highlights package, but emotions from the street. Not a full-length press conference, but a 15-second moment that takes on a life of its own.

X has announced an exclusive series, Fabrizio 24/7, featuring Fabrizio Romano. The series is expected to run in June and July and include 40 episodic videos and three livestreams. The content will cover predictions, tactical analysis and personal insights. X also says that in the first 100 days after the milestone ahead of the tournament, World Cup-related content generated 360 million posts, 4 billion engagements and 233 billion impressions globally.