Instagram, Facebook and TikTok in late 2025: what changed and what brands in Thailand and Southeast Asia should do
Social platforms continue to evolve quickly, and the last few months have brought a wave of updates that change how posts are ranked, shared, and discovered. For businesses in Thailand and across Southeast Asia, where short-form video has become the main channel for awareness and conversion, these shifts can make a measurable difference to reach, engagement, and sales.
Here’s a clear summary of what’s new on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and how brands can adapt right now.
Instagram: originality and “friend activity” are the new signals
Instagram now prioritises original content: photos, Reels, and carousels created by the brand itself rather than reposts or recycled material. It has also introduced Reposts and a new Friends view in Reels, showing what people’s contacts are engaging with. When a post sparks conversation between friends, it reaches further.
Safety and moderation updates also matter. Stricter community rules, especially for younger users, mean that active comment management now helps maintain both brand trust and visibility.
For brands, the takeaway is clear: focus on content that feels genuine, local, and made for the platform. Our social media management services follow these same principles, prioritising original storytelling and community-led engagement.
Publish original, first-party material: real footage, voices, and moments from your own team or customers.
If you join a trend, adapt it with your own story or point of view so it stands out.
Keep conversations going early; quick, authentic replies in the first hour can influence reach.
Review your community settings and filters to stay compliant with new safety guidelines.
Example: A restaurant could post a short “behind-the-kitchen” Reel showing how a seasonal dish is prepared, or a beauty brand might show a quick before-and-after filmed on a phone. Simple, authentic clips often outperform polished or forced ads.
Facebook: every video is a Reel now
Meta has unified its video formats so that all uploads are treated as Reels. The platform focuses heavily on watch time, especially in the first few seconds, so the opening hook matters more than production value.
Start with the result (“See how this design came together” or “Here’s step 1 of 3 to fix …”). Add subtitles since most users watch without sound. If you cross-post from Instagram, tweak the cover image and caption so it feels natural in Facebook’s feed; native uploads still perform best.
Our online advertising campaigns team also recommends turning strong organic videos into small, boosted tests. You’ll quickly see which creative hooks hold attention before scaling through paid media.
Example: A retail brand could start a clip by revealing the finished display before showing how it was set up. Viewers stay longer when they know the payoff early.
TikTok: topics and keywords now shape discovery
TikTok’s new Manage Topics feature lets users choose what they want to see more or less of, while the algorithm increasingly relies on keywords in captions and on-screen text to identify relevant videos.
For brands, this means thinking of TikTok as part entertainment, part search engine. Use clear language in captions that matches what your audience actually searches for, keep clips concise (7–20 seconds for tips, up to 45 seconds for stories), and focus on specific interests rather than broad themes.
When creators are part of your strategy, our influencer marketing services team can help you collaborate with local voices who already speak to your niche audience and secure usage rights so their content can be reused in ads.
Example: A fitness studio could post “Three quick exercises to do after work,” while an education consultant might share “How to pick the right course for 2026.” Precise topics outperform general ones.
What this means for brands
Across all three platforms, the direction is clear:
Original over recycled. Local, first-party content consistently earns more reach.
Short-form first. Reels and TikToks are now the default discovery format.
Engagement quality matters. Saves, shares, and thoughtful comments drive ranking more than likes.
Creators amplify results. Partnering with micro-influencers or customers for authentic clips provides new material you can reuse or promote through ads.
If you only change three things this quarter:
Audit your feed for originality and replace reposts with your own clips.
Re-edit your best videos with stronger openings and subtitles.
Build a keyword list for upcoming TikToks to align with real search intent.
How Adfinity can help
We help brands across Southeast Asia stay ahead of platform changes by planning monthly content calendars, sourcing creators, and converting high-performing posts into measurable ad campaigns. If you’d like a short audit of your last 30 days of posts, contact us and we can highlight quick wins and outline a simple content plan your team can implement immediately.
Sources
Instagram: Reposts & Friends tab update (Meta Newsroom, Aug 2025)
Facebook: “All videos shared as Reels” rollout (Meta Newsroom, Jun 2025)
TikTok: “Manage Topics” and feed-control features (TikTok Newsroom, Jun 2025)
Meta/Instagram: Teen Account & safety protections (Help Center, Jul 2025)