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Hi friend 👋🏼 and welcome to this week’s edition of “the dump.”

BlueSky is soaring, but may be breaking the law in the EU, while Threads is still trying to gain its share of the fleeting X users. All making for an interesting “battle” of the feeds.

This week I’m also very interested to follow two new features, one on Instagram, and one on TikTok with the later testing product links in posts and the former going some sort of Snapchatisation. Exciting times!

Have a great week!

Geoff.

☀️ Today on “the dump”

1. 📍 Instagram takes on Snapchat with new location-sharing feature

2. 🤫 TikTok quietly tests product links in posts 

3. ✅ Bluesky promises more verification and an ‘aggressive’ approach to impersonation

4. 📰 Threads lets you swipe between different feeds right from the home screen

5. 💅 TikTok will block beauty filters for teens over mental health concerns

Read time: 5 minutes

📊 Stat of the Day: Experts predict there will be 117.9 million TikTok users in the US next year, reaching over one-third of the population. (Source: eMarketer)

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📍 Instagram takes on Snapchat with new location-sharing feature

Instagram is introducing the ability for users to share their locations with their friends via DMs (direct messages). The feature indicates that the Meta-owned social network is looking to challenge services like Apple’s Find My and Snapchat’s Snap Map, both of which are popular ways for users to see their friends’ and loved ones’ live locations.

🤫 TikTok quietly tests product links in posts 

TikTok is letting some creators add product links from third-party affiliate networks, including including Amazon, Walmart, Target, Rakuten, Impact, CJ, Expedia, Clickbank, Flexlink and Temu, according to in-app notifications received by eligible creators.

💡 Why it matters:

TikTok is betting BIG on both Creators and shopping. Allowing the former to post shopping links directly on their posts will continue to build the platform’s credibility in social commerce, and attract revenue-seeking Creators.

✅ Bluesky promises more verification and an ‘aggressive’ approach to impersonation

As more celebrities and popular influencers join Bluesky, the fast-growing social media service has been facing more concerns around impersonation and verified identity. The Bluesky Safety team posted Friday that the company has updated its impersonation policy to be “more aggressive,” adding that “impersonation and handle-squatting accounts will be removed.”

📰 Threads lets you swipe between different feeds right from the home screen

Threads is rolling out a redesign that keeps your feeds visible on the home screen. The redesign allows you to quickly swipe between different feeds just like you can on X. The change is already rolling out on Android, and will launch on iOS in the coming days.

💡 Why it matters:

With the ‘demise’ of X, both BlueSky and Threads are competing for the migrating users. Recent surveys have shown that most users are not looking for something ‘new” but rather for the app that will offer the closest experience to what they had on Twitter.

💅 TikTok will block beauty filters for teens over mental health concerns

TikTok is placing age restrictions on some of its beauty filters to address concerns about how they impact the mental health of its teenage users. Some of the changes rolling out “in the coming weeks” include preventing under-18s from using certain appearance-altering effects, and expanding filter descriptions to specify what the filters adjust when applied.

💡 Why it matters:

Beauty brands have long benefited from using TikTok filters for an immediate “feel” - helping to show consumers sometimes over-exaggerated results before they shop.