TikTok’s Weird & Wonderful, Instagram Updates You Didn’t Ask For, Content Trends to Try and More
Plus new additions to A.S.M.R that I think you'll love
Hey Digital Insiders, welcome to another edition of the Actionable Social Media Report (A.S.M.R.)! This week, I’m introducing two new sections:
🗞️ Platform Updates – key shifts and changes in social media you need to know about.
🫙 Tip Jar : I follow countless marketing blogs and newsletters, constantly picking up valuable insights. Each week, I’ll sift through the lot to find the juiciest tip to share with you.
I hope these additions bring even more value to you. Let's dive in.
🤩 Content I’m Loving This Week
If it seems like I’m always talking about TikTok, it’s because no other platform offers the same mix of weird, wonderful, and wildly engaging content.
Take TikTok Live—the variety of formats, topics, and interactions is unmatched. Yes, it’s addictive and definitely not great for our brains, but the sheer randomness of what you can stumble upon is insane. As you scroll, you’ll see what I mean.
It’s also why TikTok markets itself as an entertainment platform, because that’s exactly what it is.
So while I dish on the incredible content I’ve stumbled across over there, the real takeaway is this: If it moves you, adapt it, and channel that energy into your own content on other platforms.
A new kind of ASMR?
Adult colouring TikTok is having a moment, and I’ve been seeing a lot of these videos pop up on my FYP. I even follow a few accounts because they’re just so relaxing to watch. The best part? I don’t actually have to do the colouring myself—I can just enjoy the process vicariously while engaging with a like-minded community.
It feels like the new ASMR—a soothing, creative escape that also fosters community. Sometimes, people just want a space to shoot the breeze, and if you can provide that, it could be a great way to attract people to you and build engagement.
This approach works especially well for creatives like illustrators, painters, and writers. If you're in the creative field, consider incorporating more low-energy, chill content to create a relaxed space.
Chill Content Ideas:
☑️ Go live while you work. Let your audience be part of your creative process while giving them something soothing to watch.
☑️ Share behind-the-scenes videos that tie into your brand story. Each video can highlight a different aspect—fun facts, challenges you've overcome, or big and small wins.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Jamaican Comedian Becomes the Face of ‘Hopeless Core’
Comedian Mark has unwittingly become the poster child for the ‘Hopeless Core’ movement—TikTok’s dark-humour antidote to ‘HopeCore.’
While HopeCore is all about editing uplifting and inspiring moments to give viewers hope, Hopeless Core takes demotivating or perplexing content and spins it into something mockingly aspirational. It’s the comedic equivalent of a deep sigh.
The trend has racked up millions of views, and Mark’s humour, which often challenges our perception of reality, fits the vibe perfectly. His clips are frequently used in Hopeless Core edits.
However, there’s a downside to virality. We’ve seen this before with comedian Jason Banks (aka Derek), whose videos and trending sounds were poached, amassing millions of views without proper credit to him. I’m not sure if that’s why Mark’s page is now private, but it’s yet another example of how viral success can come at a cost.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
The Meditation Monkey
My latest TikTok obsession is this monkey puppet that reads stories and guides meditations, and honestly, I usually end up falling asleep to it. It’s the most relaxing, positive, and calming live stream I’ve ever been on.
🗝️ Key takeaway:
Anything can be entertainment on social media. If you’re unsure where to start, just begin with what you know—you’ll find your community.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
’I have no one to share this with’ type content
Another reason why TikTok content is elite? It’s a haven for random oddball content. Take this series produced by neuralviz for example. I stumbled across it by chance, and now I’m hooked.
Watching it feels like stepping into a bizarre alien world, equal parts dark, hilarious, and just plain odd. I have no idea what it’s supposed to be about, but I do know one thing—it’s wildly entertaining. It's also another serialized content next leveling content engagement.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
An Endless Stream of Catz
All this creator does is draws cats —over and over again—yet consistently pulls in hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of views.
They never show their face or use captions, just a steady stream of cat drawings. Despite the simplicity, they’ve built a following of 340K+ on TikTok and 130K+ on Instagram, with their audience still growing.
The genius lies in letting their audience dictate the content, whether it’s a drawing of a pet or a cat version of a trending moment. One standout request was a cat adaptation of the "Is that hyperpigmentation?" viral drawing.
In the original video, a little girl hesitantly shows her mom a drawing, that is supposed to be of her with a mark on its face, the mom asks, "Is that hyperpigmentation?" while the dad is doubled over with laughter. The clip went viral—and so did Stack of Catz’s feline version.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Following the Stack of Catz playbook is Katya Ross, an illustrator who has built a massive following through audience-driven engagement. She invites her audience to suggest and vote on animals based on letters of the alphabet, which she then illustrates.
In both cases, these illustrators have found a fun and interactive way to sell their art while shifting the creative burden from themselves to their audience.
Jacana bingoed with this one
This tongue-in-cheek ad from Jacana was a bop. While poking fun, it also sparked a genuine discussion about the cost of their products. Whether intentional or not, it led to insightful conversations that if they’re paying attention, offers a valuable benchmark for brand sentiment.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Merriam Webster Never Misses
Merriam-Webster perfectly mocked the absurdity of the so-called TikTok "ban" while turning it into a clever teaching moment—chef’s kiss marketing.
🗞️Platform Updates
Oh look more Instagram changes no one asked for 🙄:
A forced shift to a rectangular grid—or as they’re absurdly calling it, the "tall grid." No warning, no mercy, just a complete disruption of feed aesthetics. And for what? To look more like TikTok? It’s always to look more like TikTok.
DM Scheduling
Instagram now lets you schedule DMs—but only text-based ones. And honestly, why? Who is this for? Who asked for this? Colour me unimaginative but I can't think of a single practical use case.
Facebook + eBay = ???
Meta is partnering with eBay to integrate listings into Facebook Marketplace, likely as a move to appease the EU after being slapped with a €798M fine for monopolistic behavior—all while still contesting the sanction.
🛒 More on this here.
WhatsApp updates
Older phones left behind: As of January 1st, WhatsApp stopped supporting over 70 older model smartphones due to OS incompatibility.
📲 Full list of affected devices here
iPhone users, rejoice! WhatsApp will finally let you switch between multiple accounts on one device—something Android users have had since 2023.
🔄 More on this update here.
📢Tip Jar - Campaign Logos
This week’s juicy tip comes from Rachel Karten of Link in Bio.
What if, as part of your campaign rollout, you created a fresh visual experience across your entire profile? Not just pretty pictures or influencer posts, but in your brand marks too.
Think about it—a rollout is something new and exciting for your audience, so why not make your page reflect that? Updating your profile visuals builds anticipation, signaling that something big is coming. And now, with the ability to add music to your profile on most platforms and profile notes on Instagram, you have even more ways to tease your launch or event with extra oomph.
🧰 Tools of the Week
🛠 Hailuo AI Audio - Hailuo AI is a free tool for creating videos from text or images. Their latest release, Hailuo Audio, generates highly realistic voices from text prompts—perfect for no-face videos or voiceovers.
📖 Google Notebook LM – Google's Notebook LM is a free study companion from Google Labs. Upload documents or provide a link, and the AI will analyze the information and teach it back to you. 🔗 Try it here
🎨 Maneken App – This browser-based AI tool can generate mockups and other brand visualizations.Browser-based mockup generator. 🔗 Explore here
That’s all for this week, Digital Insiders!
I’m currently editing my first Strat Chat of 2025 with the effervescent Cindy from Book of Cinz, a Caribbean-based book club. She shares insights on her strategy to build brand visibility across multiple social media.
Also, don’t forget to check Events for upcoming webinars, workshops, and meetups! Bye for now 👋🏾
The DM scheduling is so useless because the time it takes to schedule a DM you could just send it to the person the same time