January Social Media Digest 2026

During the freezing cold days hot social media news can keep you warm. So, get yourself a cup of hot coffee and a spare a few minutes to read.

Meta Uses User Feedback Surveys to Refine Facebook Reels Algorithm

Meta has shared a new overview explaining how user response surveys are helping improve Facebook Reels recommendations. These in-feed prompts ask viewers how they felt about a Reel, allowing Meta to gather direct feedback alongside traditional signals like likes and watch time. By correcting for sampling and response bias, Meta says it has built a more accurate picture of real user preferences.

According to the company, recommendation alignment with user interests increased from 48.3% to over 70% after applying insights from the surveys. Meta says this feedback-driven approach enables more personalized and engaging Reels experiences, while still leaving room for further refinement. Although similar methods have been used by other platforms, the results highlight Meta’s ongoing effort to close the gap with TikTok’s highly effective recommendation system.

More Detail: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/metas-outlines-how-its-improved-its-reels-recommendations/809804/

LinkedIn Expands AI-Powered Job Search to More Languages

LinkedIn is expanding its AI-powered job search tools to support more languages, with Spanish, German, French, and Portuguese now included. The AI job assistant allows users to describe their ideal role in natural language, helping match them with relevant job opportunities without relying on exact keywords. Designed to feel more like a conversation with a career advisor, the tool simplifies discovery and delivers more personalized results.

The feature has already gained strong adoption, with over 1.3 million members using it daily and more than 25 million searches conducted each week. LinkedIn says the system has been carefully adapted to work across different languages and cultural interpretations of job titles. Hence, this update builds on LinkedIn’s growing suite of AI tools, including profile writing, job application assistance, and content prompts, further embedding AI into the job search experience.

More Detail: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedin-expands-ai-job-discovery-to-more-languages/809019/

YouTube Adds Interest Targeting to Promote and Experiments With AI Shorts

YouTube is rolling out new updates to its Promote in-stream boosting tool while also testing an AI-powered image-to-video feature for Shorts creation. The updated YouTube Promote option now allows creators to target viewers based on interests, such as gaming, beauty, or travel, making it easier to reach relevant audiences. Designed as a simplified ad experience, Promote helps creators quickly boost clips and drive views with minimal setup.

At the same time, YouTube is experimenting with a new AI feature called Ingredients, which lets users turn up to three still images into short, 8-second video clips with optional sound. Powered by Google’s latest Veo AI video generation models, the tool aims to help creators transform static visuals into dynamic Shorts. These updates are part of YouTube’s broader push to expand AI-driven creation and promotion tools across the platform.

More Detail: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-adds-more-promote-targeting-options-image-to-video-ai/809671/

That’s it from VAfromEurope for January 2026. Stay tuned and stay warm!