A US-only version of TikTok is coming

X is getting rid of Community Notes written by the community and our first Creator of the Week

Author

Mackenzie Taylor
July 08, 2025

Weekly social roundup

Hold my drink, it’s a wild one this week.

Most weeks, I think to myself, “There can’t possibly be enough social media news to talk about in a whole newsletter!” And … I’m always shocked by how much I end up finding and writing.

While it’s a bit of a lighter week overall, some major WTF (!!) moments have been announced. Mainly from TikTok. Definitely from TikTok.

So I won’t waste your time up top, and we’re just going to dive deep into it today. Let’s GO!

So long, Americans!

TikTok is creating a US-only version of the app 😮

TikTok’s Reportedly Developing a US-Only Version of the App

The updated app could help TikTok remain in the U.S. 

www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-us-only-version-sell-off-china/752285

YUP! Well, maybe. Possibly? Could this happen? 

According to some reports and murmurs around the internet, TikTok is working on a US-only version of the app ahead of the new ban deadline in September. 

Internally known as M2, Americans will be required to download the new app if they want to keep using TikTok, and they will have until March 2026 to download it. 

How this new app will work? No one knows.

Will other countries be able to download the app? Will Americans be completely separated from other content on the platform from users in other countries? Will the Americans be on their own little TikTok/M2 island? Will TikTok have to give up its algorithm or create a new one? 

No one knows! Again, this is a report that was leaked, and it comes right after President Trump announced he had a buyer for TikTok in the US. 

Will someone in the US buy TikTok? Or will TikTok go ahead and separate the US from the rest of the world? I guess we shall see.

Join the discussion over in our Facebook Group, The Social Hub!

Have your say!

Do you think TikTok should sell its US portion or do you like the idea of a US-only TikTok?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

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Extra, extra! Read all about it!

Top social media highlights from the week 🗞️

Meta

TikTok

YouTube

Did yours get deleted?!

Community Notes are turning into AI Notes on X 😬

Everything that could go wrong with X’s new AI-written community notes

X says AI can supercharge community notes, but that comes with obvious risks.

arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/07/everything-that-could-go-wrong-with-xs-new-ai-written-community-notes

So long, Community Notes. You were fun while you lasted. 

X has announced that the platform will now allow AI to write community notes. Now, X acknowledges that this might lose trust with users, but it believes this is the best way forward. 

How it should work is that the AI will be quicker and more effective at adding community notes to incorrect posts, which will make fact-checking quicker and easier than ever. Each note will be rated by a human on the platform, and they can even add feedback to the notes. 

The AI community notes will be starting this month and will only be added to posts where users request a note. However, after the initial testing of the AI notes, it’ll soon be added everywhere to “stop misinformation from spreading.”

Hmm. 

Extras!!

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What is your lore?

A Very Meme-orable Week

All over my X timeline this week has been the question: “Share a piece of lore about yourself.”

And my goodness, the stories are WILD.

I’m obsessed. I love it. I want to know so much more about all of these humans.

A curated list of fun things to read

My favorite reads of the week

To Tap Into 'Dark Social,' Act Like a Community Member

Gen Z has a strong radar for inauthenticity—but it’s cool to talk about the things we love.

www.adweek.com/social-marketing/tap-into-dark-social-brands-community-members

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it a million times: Comment as your brand! If you want to resonate with your audience, being part of the online community is paramount, and this article explains why in detail. With more and more people not wanting to be advertised to, the marketing landscape is changing rapidly, and you need to adapt.

Other reads I really loved and have been thinking quite a bit about:

Consumers Distrust Influencer Marketing More Than Advertising

A new report from the National Advertising Division reveals this gap.

www.adweek.com/commerce/consumers-distrust-influencer-marketing-more-than-advertising

Consumers distrust influencer marketing more than advertising. My, my, have the turns-tabled. It seems like online users are not trusting influencers when they are getting paid to promote. Which … fair! I get that. While we all want to get our bag, so to speak, it’s hard to know who is being truthful with what they are selling vs. trying to make a quick buck. 

AI virtual personality YouTubers, or 'VTubers,' are earning millions

www.cnbc.com/2025/07/02/ai-virtual-personality-youtubers-or-vtubers-are-earning-millions.html

AI YouTubers, VTubers, are taking over … and earning a heck of a lot of money!! While VTubers have been around since 2010, AI is making it easier than ever for people to create their own virtual personalities. 

Creator of the Week

Kait Park (@k8prk)

@k8prk

god I love a fish taco also let’s pretend it didn’t rain and we didn’t have to eat around my tiny coffee table 🙂‍↔️ #londonvlog

I love food, fits, and fun, and that’s exactly what Kait Park provides on her Instagram and TikTok!

Between lime biking around London and enjoying delicious food and drinks, she shows off her life in the city, creates delicious little meals and recipes, and has some of the best video editing I have seen in a vlogger.

Time to start recording

Trending audio of the week 🕺

This clever trend uses a looping footstep sound with a fake “press and hold” feature. It invites viewers to press and hold the screen, and make the person in the video move faster.

How it works: Overlay the video with a prompt like “Press and hold the circle to make them bring the coffee faster.” Add a walking person holding the item, and a circle graphic in the corner.

Examples:

  • “Press and hold to make the barista bring your drink faster.”

  • “Press to speed up the server with your order.”

Great for: Restaurants, cafes, creators with humor, or retail content

Want 20+ trends broken down for you every single week? Sign up for Social Sound Report, a weekly newsletter bringing you all the current trending audio and how to tailor it to your brand and niche!

Annnnd, that’s it for this week.

Thanks for reading. I love you all, and can’t thank you enough for the support.

@talksocialtome_

TikTok is creating a US-only version of the app?! #socialmedianews #socialmediamarketing

We’ve recently launched a new TikTok account, so if you want updates over there as well, give us a follow! It means the world. 🫶

See you next week!

Mackenzie

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