Many people turn a little bit Irish for the day on March 17, but St. Patrick’s Day is far from the only noteworthy social media holiday during the month.
March is Women’s History Month, and its 31 days also include the 98th Academy Awards March 15, the first day of spring, and days spotlighting wildlife, puppies, and transgender visibility.
Social Media Holidays to Mark on Your Calendar
- March 1: First day of Women’s History Month
- March 3: World Wildlife Day
- March 6: National Employee Appreciation Day
- March 8: International Women’s Day
- March 14: Pi Day
- March 15: 98th Academy Awards
- March 17: St. Patrick’s Day
- March 20: First day of spring
- March 23: National Puppy Day
- March 31: International Transgender Day of Visibility
Social Media Platform Updates
TikTok
Locals Only
TikTok introduced a new Local Feed that connects users with content from local businesses, events, and restaurants, as well as local creators.
Local Feed is similar to Snapchat’s Snap Map, but the latter is designed to connect Snapchat users with friends who are in the area, while Local Feed serves content from businesses and creators.
Posts in Local Feed are curated based on location, topic, and time of the post, and content from users under 18 will not be included, nor will content from private accounts or those with privacy set to Friends or Only You.
TikTok is also giving users who are interested in Local Feed the option of using their devices’ GPS settings to share more accurate information on their location, and this option is set to off by default. It is only available to users 18 and older.
Other TikTok News
- TikTok reversed its decision to require U.S. merchants on TikTok Shop to fulfill orders through TikTok’s proprietary logistics services, rather than handling shipping themselves.
- More than 4 million viewers tuned into the TikTok LIVE event Feb. 12.
- The recently formed TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC released its updated privacy policy and terms of service for U.S. users.
YouTube
Auto Dubbing Updates
YouTube rolled out several updates to its auto dubbing tool, which it said is designed to make global stories feel local.
The company said more than 6 million daily viewers watched at least 10 minutes of auto dubbed content last December.
Auto dubbing is now available to all users, and its library was expanded to 27 languages.
Expressive Speech—which helps capture the creator’s original emotion and energy—is now available in eight languages: English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.
A new Preferred Language setting lets users choose how they want to consume content from creators.
YouTube is testing a Lip Sync pilot feature that subtly matches the speaker’s lip movements to the translated audio.
A new Automatic Smart Filtering feature alerts creators in cases when their videos should not be dubbed, such as music videos or silent vlogs.
The platform also stressed that there is no negative impact on auto dubbed content on its discovery algorithm.
Other YouTube News
- YouTube Premium subscribers can generate a personalized playlist on YouTube Music via artificial intelligence based on an idea, mood, or genre.
- Parent company Alphabet released its fourth-quarter-2025 financial results, saying that YouTube’s annual revenue topped $60 billion across ads and subscriptions. The company also reported strong subscription growth across YouTube, particularly YouTube Music Premium. Viewers watched more than 700 million hours of podcasts on YouTube last October via living room devices. Finally, every day last December, over 1 million channels used the platform’s new AI creation tools.
- BLACKPINK became the first artist channel on YouTube to reach 100 million subscribers.
- The company introduced 10 new plans for YouTube TV at prices lower than the main plan.
- Finally, YouTube launched America 250, a dedicated space for content related to America’s 250th anniversary.
Dear Algo
Instagram introduced Dear Algo, an AI-powered feature that lets users of its stand-alone Threads application choose topics that they want to see more or less of in their feed.
Users can also repost other users’ Dear Algo requests to try out their preferences and kick-start new conversations.
The feature is activated through public posts, with users typing, for example, “Dear Algo, show me more posts about podcasts.” Changes to the algorithm then take effect for three days.
Dear Algo is available in Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S., with more countries to be added soon.
Other Instagram News
- The platform shared a guide on how to discover and customize stickers.
- Threads posts can be added to Instagram Stories via the share button on the Threads app.
Snapchat
Creator Subscriptions
Snapchat began alpha-testing Creator Subscriptions with a select group of U.S. creators, with expansion planned in the coming weeks to Snap Stars in Canada, France, and the U.K.
Fans who subscribe to creators will gain access to premium features such as exclusive Snaps and Stories, priority replies to public Stories, and an ad-free experience within the creator’s Stories.
Benefits for creators include a new sustainable revenue source, more direct engagement with loyal fans, and control over how they show up for their community.
Creators who are part of the program can set their own monthly pricing, while Snapchat will recommend pricing tiers.
By the Numbers
Parent company Snap Inc. released its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results, saying that the platform now reaches 946 million global monthly active users, up 6% year-over-year.
Dedicated short-form vertical video feed Snapchat Spotlight saw 47% more U.S. users posting compared with the fourth quarter of 2024, with reposts and shares in the U.S. up 69% over the same period.
In a separate announcement, the company said its direct revenue business—Snapchat+, Lens+, Snapchat Premium, and Memories storage plans—saw its annualized revenue run rate surpass $1 billion.
Other Snapchat News
- Gucci launched a Sponsored AI Lens that lets Snapchat users transform themselves into iconic characters from the Gucci: La Famiglia collection.
- Snapchat teamed up with the Musée du Louvre on augmented reality experience The Incredible Unknowns of the Louvre, which brings six masterpieces to life.
- The Home Safe feature on Snap Map added Arrival Notifications, which lets users set one-time or recurring alerts for places beyond their home.
- Finally, the company shared a conversation with Samsung Electronics Executive Vice President and Samsung Next Head David Lee on AI transformation and what it really means for independent agencies.
Meta
Partnership With NVIDIA
Meta and NVIDIA began a long-term partnership, under which NVIDIA will supply technology for Meta’s AI-optimized data centers.
Engineering teams across the two companies will optimize and accelerate state-of-the-art AI models across Meta’s core workloads to drive performance and efficiency for new AI capabilities.
Meta also adopted NVIDIA Confidential Computing for WhatsApp private messaging, which enables AI-powered capabilities across the messaging app while ensuring user data confidentiality and integrity; and NVIDIA Spectrum-X Ethernet networking platform across its infrastructure footprint to provide AI-scale networking.
Other Meta News
- The company is testing a stand-alone Vibes app, bringing the dedicated feed of AI videos outside of the Meta AI assistant and onto its own platform.
- Messenger.com will sunset in April, with Meta saying users can message on the web via facebook.com/messages or use the Messenger mobile app.
- Meta is changing the focus of its Horizon Worlds to make it almost exclusively mobile and separating its Quest VR platform from Horizon Worlds.
- Finally, the company joined forces with the Oscar Mike Foundation, a nonprofit that supports military veterans with disabilities, to explore how advances in its AI glasses can empower people experiencing memory loss.
Giving Profile Pictures a Touch of AI
Facebook users can now tap virtual assistant Meta AI to enhance their profile pictures with AI.
Animations can be added, making it appear as if the user is waving or wearing a party hat.
Animated backgrounds can add extra personality to Feed posts, while Stories and Memories can undergo a mood change via a Meta AI prompt.
After uploading a photo to Stories or viewing Memories to share on Stories, tapping Restyle lets people use Meta AI to change things up or choose from Styles (like anime or illustrated), Moods (like glowy), Lighting (like ethereal), Colors (like cool or pink), or Backdrops (like beach or cityscape).
A Nod to Creators
LinkedIn Group Manager, Solutions Marketing Lindsey Brummer shared her thoughts on the increasing role of creators in business-to-business marketing.
Brummer noted that the trend in B2B is for people to buy from people, and not companies, citing research from the professional network and Edelman, which found that nearly three-quarters of decision-makers believe thought leadership is a more trustworthy way to assess a company’s capabilities than product sheets or marketing materials.
She wrote, “Buyers are overwhelmed with polished, product-centric messaging. They’re also more connected than ever to peers, specialists, and practitioners who talk candidly about what works and what doesn’t. That shift is showing up clearly in the data.”
Brummer continued, “Creators are becoming the new word-of-mouth in B2B. People turn to them to make sense of complex topics, pressure-test assumptions, and see how solutions show up in real-world scenarios. This isn’t just a top-of-funnel phenomenon; creator content is making an impact across the buyer journey.”
Other findings shared by Brummer included:
- Nearly six out of 10 buyers said they discover new brands through creator content.
- Roughly two-thirds said creator perspectives help them evaluate options during the consideration phase and separate real solutions from noise.
- Nearly one-half of buyers said they visited a vendor’s website after engaging with creator content, and more than one-third said engaging with creator content prompted discussions with a vendor’s sales team.
Finally, Brummer outlined five focal points for human-centered thought leadership:
- Start with fit, not follower count.
- Activate people who are already close to the work
- Create with people, not for them.
- Use paid social to scale what’s already working
- Lean into video to make expertise feel human.
Big News for Small Businesses
The professional network’s new Premium All-in-One offering is specifically tailored to small businesses on its platform.
LinkedIn said it was “built specially for small businesses, including founders, solopreneurs, and small teams who are wearing multiple hats with limited time and resources,” and it provides a single subscription and destination for tools including:
- A centralized dashboard showcasing sales, marketing, and hiring activity, along with recommended actions.
- Personalized insights, including daily prospect suggestions and unlimited searches with advanced filters.
- Credits that let small businesses boost their posts to a wider target audience, as well as auto-invites for members who engage with their content.
- AI-powered profile writing suggestions.
- A Company Spotlight area in the profile’s Featured Section.
Other LInkedIn News
- Answer Engine Optimization and Generative Engine Optimization Consultant Brooke Weller shared a guide to optimizing owned content for AI discovery.
- LinkedIn’s new global brand campaign, “The Network That Works for You,” created in collaboration with McCann New York, uses relatable, unexpected moments to reflect both the layers and realities of modern professional life.
Shopping With AI
Reddit began testing a new AI-powered search feature that combines recommendations from its community with the product catalogs of some of its shopping and dynamic product ads partners,
A small group of U.S. users will see interactive product carousels in their search results, when relevant, and they will include pricing, images, and direct links to purchase.
Reddit said the feature surfaces the top recommended products directly from discussions on its platform.
Other Reddit News
- The company announced three executive moves. Amit Puntambekar joined Reddit as Executive VP of Consumer Engineering, following engineering leadership roles at Atlassian and Meta. Jim Squires was promoted to Chief Marketing Officer, from Executive VP, Marketing and Growth. And Laura Nestler was elevated to Executive VP of Community, from VP of Community.
X
API News for Developers
X began offering a pay-per-use option for developers seeking to access its application-programming interface.
The platform formerly known as Twitter said developers on the pay-per-use model will get special access to a redesigned developer experience, adding that for-good public utility apps will retain free scaled access to the X API.
Other X News
- The platform’s new immersive video player, which launched on iOS, lets users expand videos to full-screen with a single tap, at which point they can swipe up to see the next video, similar to TikTok’s interface.
- Creators using Creator Subscriptions will see subscriber badges in X Chat for their most loyal followers.
- Finally, handles requested via the recently introduced X Handle Marketplace will now dynamically redirect all past searches and mentions to the new identity, with full URL redirects in the pipeline.
Group Message History
Meta-owned messaging app WhatsApp introduced Group Message History, which lets group administrators and members share recent messages with new members to help them catch up with the conversation.
When a new person is added to a group chat, an option will appear enabling the adder to share 25 to 100 recent messages with the new person.
Everyone in the group is notified when this is done, with clear timestamps and sender information, and message history is visually distinct from regular messages.
Open Influence’s team stays on top of the latest trends and is here to help you maximize your creator campaigns. Open Influence is a leading global creator marketing agency dedicated to creating engaging campaigns.