A month in review: August social media trends and updates

Paris made history with the first Olympic opening ceremony held outside a stadium. The ceremony featured a parade of athletes on the River Seine, accessible to all spectators. Performances included artists like Lady Gaga, Aya Nakamura, and even the Minions, sparking online curiosity about their potential origins. The Olympic flame journey featured sports icons such as Zinedine Zidane, Rafael Nadal, and Snoop Dogg, and the event concluded with a stunning performance by Celine Dion at the Eiffel Tower.

We also saw Olympic athletes go viral during the games. South Korean pistol shooter Kim Yeji gained attention for her “main character energy,” donning a black backward cap and Terminator-style glasses. Fans dubbed her “the coolest person ever.” Stephen Nedoroscik, nicknamed “Pommel Horse Guy,” also captivated viewers by delivering a stellar routine that earned his team a bronze medal after a 16-year drought.

Art director Zed Anwar transformed a viral moment featuring Simone Biles into a stunning spec ad for Mercedes. The ad garnered 3 million views on X over a single weekend and continues to gain traction. It highlights the power of visual storytelling while aligning with Mercedes-Benz’s values of luxury, performance, and precision, qualities embodied by Biles in this year’s Olympics.

Finally, breakdancing debuted at the Olympics this year. It was introduced by Snoop Dogg and sparked a social media buzz. Team Australia's Raygun stole the show with her Kangaroo routine, leading to viral memes and hilarious commentary.

UK beauty brand P Louise broke the record for the most revenue generated on TikTok shop by a UK brand, earning over £1.5 million in 12 hours, selling two products every second. This achievement is a testament to the power of live shopping, the brand’s dedication to producing authentic and engaging content, and its commitment to growing a solid community on TikTok.

• Meta launched a new AI platform powered by Llama LLM, allowing users to create AI profiles with customizable templates. These AI bots can offer advice, play games, and interact with fans, serving as extensions of the creators by answering questions and engaging in their voice while linking to other content.

• Last year, Meta introduced AI-powered celebrity-styled chatbots. However, due to a lack of support, Meta has announced it will stop using celebrities' faces for these chatbots and is now exploring using celebrity voices instead.

• Meta is launching an update for Meta Business Suite that allows users to connect additional profiles to an account. This feature simplifies switching between profiles while managing your brand's Facebook and Instagram presence.

• Instagram is testing a new feature that adds a “Notes” filter to the Reels tab, displaying only Reels with Notes. This aims to boost interaction by highlighting Reels with Notes from friends, making it easier to join ongoing discussions.

• Instagram has increased the limit for carousel posts, allowing users to include up to 20 photos or videos in a single post. This feature enables users to share more content at once. Additionally, the platform is experimenting with text overlays and different image size formats, giving users more control over their feed's visual presentation.

• Instagram is introducing a new feature for Stories that allows users to leave comments directly on the screen, which will be visible to others viewing the Story. With rapid growth in engagement through Notes, this update is expected to enhance interaction further and boost user engagement.

• Meta has introduced several new features on Threads, including Threads analytics, which lets users view key performance metrics. Additionally, Threads now offers a scheduling feature, allowing users to create and schedule posts for later, and save post drafts for future planning.

• Meta has introduced cross-posting for Threads, allowing users to share updates across Instagram, Facebook, and Threads simultaneously. While Reels and Facebook videos can't be cross-posted, Instagram posts can be auto-shared, with captions turning into text and hashtags into plain text on Threads.

• TikTok lets creators select a custom thumbnail for their videos, allowing them to choose a specific frame or upload an image as a cover, making their content more eye-catching and engaging.

• ByteDance recently launched Jimeng AI, a new text-to-video AI app for Apple and Android devices. The app is currently exclusive to China and requires a subscription fee. Positioned as a competitor to OpenAI’s Sora, the app may expand to other regions.

• As DMs become an essential engagement tool, TikTok is tapping into this trend by adding group chats for up to 32 people, available to users aged 16 and up. TikTok is also introducing stickers in DMs, including video stickers made from TikTok clips and user-created stickers.

• TikTok has launched a new in-app experience to celebrate Sabrina Carpenter's latest album, featuring rewards like exclusive profile frames for fans. This initiative highlights TikTok's increasing influence in music promotion and suggests a potential for expanding similar campaigns into other categories.

• YouTube is testing a new integration with Google’s AI Gemini to help creators easily generate video ideas, titles, and thumbnails. Currently, only a select group of creators can access this feature, located in the new “Research” tab within Channel Analytics.

• YouTube is experimenting with merging Shorts and long-form videos into a single feed. This feature aims to leverage the popularity of Shorts to boost the visibility and viewership of longer videos.

• X is developing a comprehensive dashboard for verified accounts designed to streamline the management of X ads, job listings, affiliate accounts, and analytics in one place. This feature will be exclusively available to verified organizations, which costs £1,140 per month in the UK.

One thing is abundantly clear: the digital landscape is constantly in flux. New trends emerge weekly, and the social media giants introduce innovative features that shape how we connect, share, and engage online.

Keeping a finger on the pulse of these changes is not just beneficial; it's essential. Whether you're a business looking to stay ahead of the competition or an individual navigating the social media universe, staying informed is the key to success.

The insights and updates we've covered this month provide a glimpse into the exciting journey ahead.

Stay tuned for more trends and industry news from our Strategic Services team in the coming months. The world of social media is a never-ending adventure, and together, we'll continue to explore its uncharted territories.