Okay, I owe you one. May was a lot. Meta apparently decided this was the month to launch four new products and kill one privacy feature, all while I was catching my breath. So instead of a weekly rundown, you’re getting all the social media updates from May right here.
This is your no-overwhelm guide to what actually happened on social media this month, what matters for your business, and what you can safely ignore. Bookmark it, share it with a fellow business owner who’s been out of the loop, and then go outside for a walk because wow, it’s been a busy month.
Instagram Launched “Instants” — A Disappearing Photo Feature (and a New App)
Instagram introduced Instants on May 13th: disappearing photos that vanish after being viewed or after 24 hours. They can’t be edited, filtered, or pulled from your camera roll — they have to be captured live inside the app. Reactions go to your DMs rather than showing publicly. Meta is also rolling out a standalone Instants app as a direct Snapchat competitor.
Pink Sheep take: Head of Instagram, Adam M. said this new feature is to encourage organic posting by individuals because there has been a decrease there. Well, Mr. Mosseri, if you brought back features people actually enjoyed, like seeing friends and chronological posts, they may star posting organically again. I am not a fan of Instants hiding in the DM’s personally.
Watch out: Instants sends photos to your entire Friends list by default, not just Close Friends. If you try it, change that setting first.
Meta Quietly Launched “Forum” — A Facebook Groups Standalone App
On May 22nd, with no press release and no announcement, Meta dropped a brand new app called Forum. It pulls your existing Facebook Groups into a dedicated feed that looks a lot like Reddit — community discussions front and center, no algorithm-mixed friend posts. It includes an AI “Ask” feature that pulls answers from across your groups, and an AI admin assistant for group owners. Reddit’s stock dropped 6% on the news.
Pink Sheep take: I’m still on the fence on this one. I like seeing my Groups content on Facebook, and I hope that it remains there as well. But, as a competitor to Reddit, I think this could be a nice new app. Groups is actually one of my favorite things about Facebook. It keeps the social in social media.
Instagram Ended Encrypted DMs on May 8th
Instagram removed its opt-in end-to-end encryption for direct messages on May 8th. The feature had been available but not default since 2023, so most users never had it turned on. Meta cited low adoption and the need to detect harmful content — particularly content targeting minors — as the reasons. A new federal law requiring platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours also influenced the timing. WhatsApp still has encryption on by default.
Pink Sheep take: People were pretty upset about this one, but also didn’t know this was a feature, nor did they have it turned on. As a parent who has seen predatory messages come through on Instagram, I am not super upset about this one. I have also given in to the fact that if you use a social platform, expect them to have access to anything you put into that platform. WhatsApp is a well known encrypted messaging tool, so there are still options.
Meta Launched Paid Subscriptions for Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp
Meta officially rolled out “Plus” subscription tiers on May 27th. Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus are $3.99/month; WhatsApp Plus is $2.99/month. For businesses, the most interesting perk is Story analytics — the ability to see rewatch data on your Stories and create unlimited audience lists. Meta is also testing AI subscription tiers called “Meta One” ranging from $7.99 to $19.99/month. These are separate from existing Meta Verified plans, which are staying put for now.
Pink Sheep take: I will start with, I do NOT love this. Meta makes plenty of money, I think this is ridiculous. One reason…I have a very successful ad that I have been running for a client. Our cost per lead shot up this week, interestingly enough at the same time as this announcement. We also got an “ad warning” stating we could get 31% more leads if we use an AI image, and one feature of these subscriptions is AI focused. AI can be a great tool, but I’m not using it for client content or paying for a subscription just so my content can do better…
Other Social Media Updates Also On the Radar
- YouTube is adding more prominent AI content labels. If you create AI-assisted content on YouTube, know that disclosures are going to be harder to miss — and that’s probably fine if you’re being honest about it.
- LinkedIn shared video creation tips based on platform trends. Short, expertise-driven videos are performing well on LinkedIn right now. If you’ve been avoiding video there, this is your sign.
- LinkedIn announced in May that it is actively limiting the reach of content that appears to be AI-generated without real human perspective. The platform’s VP of Editorial called out the rise of “AI slop.” You know them, posts that sound polished but have no actual substance, and confirmed new detection measures for AI-written posts and automated comments.
- Pinterest released its 2026 Summer Fashion Trends Report. If you have clients in lifestyle, fashion, home decor, or any visual industry, Pinterest trends data is free market research.
If this recap was helpful, share it with a business owner who’s been feeling behind on social media this month. That’s exactly who this is for.
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