The Latest Social Media Feature Drops

YouTube: From Premium perks to Playables

YouTube decided to make Premium a little more premium. Here’s what’s new:

• Faster playback speeds – You can now crank videos up to 4x speed. Perfect for those “three-hour case study videos” that you only have ten minutes to get through.
   
• Better audio quality – Music-labeled videos now get a 256 kbps upgrade. The difference? Imagine going from radio static to something Spotify would approve of.
   
• Smart downloads for Shorts – The app now quietly downloads recommended Shorts for you. Like a clingy friend who shows up before you even ask.
   
• AI highlight reels in Live – Livestreams can now spit out Shorts highlights automatically. Which means your brand’s long webinar might actually get watched… in 30-second doses.
   
• Playables – Yes, you can now play games on YouTube. Which sounds like a distraction until you realise the possibilities for brands to gamify engagement. 

And for India specifically, YouTube Premium Lite has dropped at ₹89/month. It gives you ad-free viewing without the whole bundle. Good news if your attention span collapses every time a detergent ad hijacks your music.

LinkedIn: Networking, but make it nerdier

LinkedIn has quietly turned into a serious content platform while we were all making memes about corporate selfies. Here’s what’s new:

• Newsletters for everyone – Not just for thought leaders with five-figure followers. If you’ve got an opinion, you can now newsletter your heart out.
   
• New metrics: Saves and Sends – Beyond likes and comments, you now know how many people saved your post for later, or slid it into someone’s DMs. Consider it the new gold standard of relevance.
   
• CapCut integration – Vertical videos, polished edits, straight to LinkedIn. Basically, they want you to look cool at work without needing a studio.
   
• Hiring Assistant (AI-powered) – LinkedIn is now writing your job descriptions for you. If only it could also conduct interviews and deal with salary negotiations.
   
• Premium Business Suite – Still in testing, but aimed at SMEs. More tools to manage brand presence, analytics, and maybe finally understand why your competitor’s boring post went viral.

If you’re a brand manager, keep an eye on the “saves and sends” metric. It tells you if your content is actually useful, not just polite-clap-worthy.

Instagram: Reels, Reels, and more Reels

Instagram’s strategy right now is simple: more Reels, fewer excuses. And they’re doubling down.

• Reels as the home tab – In some markets (hello India), Instagram is testing a Reels-first home screen. If you thought scrolling was already addictive, now it’s unavoidable.
   
• Topic tuning – Instagram wants you to edit the topics it thinks you like. Finally, a way to stop “dog groomer ASMR” from hijacking your Explore feed.
   
• Trial Reels – Test your Reels on a limited audience before going big. Think of it as soft-launching your flop before it flops in public.
   
• Secret / locked Reels – Some creators are testing Reels hidden behind codes. Exclusive content, gated access, and maybe a chance for brands to build “club-like” communities.
   
• PiP for Reels – Picture-in-picture mode means you can keep watching while using other apps. Basically, no escape for your audience.
   
• Reels insights with performance notes – Instagram may soon tell you why your Reel is tanking. Brutal honesty, courtesy of the algorithm.

The message is loud and clear: if your brand still treats Reels as “experimental,” you’re probably a year late.

So, what should you do with all this?

• On YouTube – Think beyond long-form. Slice your lives, embrace Shorts, and maybe explore Playables if you’re adventurous.
   
• On LinkedIn – Don’t chase vanity likes. Watch “saves and sends.” It’s where intent hides.
   
• On Instagram – Reels aren’t optional anymore. The platform is literally restructuring itself around them.

The pace of change is dizzying, but here’s the upside: every new feature is a fresh chance to stand out, often before your competitors even notice.

So brand managers, the choice is yours. Either ride the feature wave or explain to your boss why your engagement graph looks like a flatline.