March 10-2025: A Recap of What Happened in The Digital Space Last Week

Hello there,

Welcome to this week’s edition of Digital Trends and Insights—your curated roundup of the latest tech breakthroughs and digital trends

Kenya now has 15.1M social media users and 27.4M internet users (Feb 2025). AI content labeling is expanding, with Pinterest joining Youtube , Meta, TikTok , and LinkedIn in marking AI-generated media.

Meanwhile, TikTok faces scrutiny in Kenya, Instagram is testing 'Blend' Reels, and Facebook now allows Reels scheduling. YouTube dominates TV viewing, and Google rolls out AI-powered shopping tools.

?? Big shift: Microsoft is retiring Skype by May 2025 as Teams takes over.

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Now, without further ado, click through the links to explore the stories in detail. Thanks for reading, and let's dive in!

Digital Overview in Kenya

Kenya has around 15.1M active social media users and 27.4M internet users as of Feb 2025 according to data by DataReportal

As of Jan 2024, potential ads reach was:

??Facebook: 13.05M

??TikTok: 10.60M

??YouTube: 9.79M

??LinkedIn: 4.3M

??Instagram: 3.05M

??X: 1.87M

Generative AI and Social Media Platforms??

Pinterest now labels generative AI content in Pins! Nearly all major social media platforms have adopted AI content labeling to enhance transparency:

? YouTube

? Meta (Facebook, Instagram)

? TikTok

? LinkedIn

? X (labels Grok’s images)

Why Label AI-Generated Content?

?? Transparency & Trust – Helps users distinguish between human and AI-created content.

?? Prevents Misinformation – Reduces the spread of AI-generated deepfakes or misleading content.

?? Regulatory Compliance – Aligns with evolving AI disclosure policies.

?? Authenticity & Accountability – Ensures creators take responsibility for AI-generated work.

?? User Awareness – Enables informed engagement with AI-enhanced media.

What do you think about AI labeling on social platforms?

TikTok

• #TikTok is profiting from sexual livestreams in Kenya performed by teens as young as 15 according to BBC report. Communications Authority of Kenya issued a statement regarding the BBC report directing TikTok to pull down the content and explain how the content the content bypassed the content moderation mechanisms.

• Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has joined billionaire Frank McCourt’s bid to acquire TikTok as a strategic adviser. Says he will call it "TikTok: Freedom Edition"if acquires it.
• TikTok projects that its popular livestreaming feature, TikTok Live, will generate $77 billion in sales globally by 2027, according to a newly unsealed lawsuit brought against the company in Washington. TikTok generated $1.7 billion globally in sales from TikTok Live in just one quarter in 2023, with more than $400 million of that coming from the US?

Tip: TikTok shares tips and key practices to tell Stories with Photos on TikTok

Meta, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads

• Facebook now allows creators to schedule their Reels.

• Instagram begins live testing of “Blend’ Reels” a new feature built into messaging that will enable you to view a co-operative feed of AI recommended Reels for you and a friend.
• Instagram is? adding some new views-related metrics to help Reels creators hone in on the right elements.
• Instagram now lets users share photos in the full original aspect ratio besides portrait and square aspect ratio.

• #Instagram is closer to launching its own video editing app to compete with TikTok's (Bytedance) Cap Cut video editing app. Instagram says it will have a couple of video editing tools & creator insights. Also Instagram is reported to be working on standalone app for Reels
• Mark Zuckerberg offered China full censorship control and user data access, says Meta whistleblower.
• # WhatsApp begins rolling out the ability to share your status on Instagram and Facebook stories.
• Threads now allows you to limit post replies to your followers only.

X

• You can now mention @grok at X comments and ask it whatever you want about the post and it will reply immediately.?
• X is adding more customization features for X communities that allows you to filter posts per what’s Trending, New, or Popular, or filter them to show only your posts and replies within the Community.

Google, YouTube

YouTube is the new TV? Here are some insights from Google?

—People watching their favorite creators, sports and other content on their TVs — over 1 billion hours daily.

—Online users are 98% more likely to trust the recommendations of creators on YouTube compared to other social platforms

— 谷歌 sees more than 5 trillion searches annually according to Google Internal Data, Jan 2025.

• YouTube expands Premium lite($7.99/mo) to US? that allows users to watch most videos ad-free? such as gaming, comedy, cooking or learning. For users who want ad-free music on YouTube and YouTube Music, plus offline and background play, we recommend the Premium plan($13.99/mo). YouTube Music and Premium currently? has over 125 million subscribers, including trials globally?

谷歌 is on to something with Google Shopping’s new AI tools starting US they include:

1. 1. AR beauty feature where you can virtually try on multiple makeup products at once, like blush, lipstick, and eyelashes to see how they look together in you. You just search for your fav beauty brand and click "try on". It will be rolling out in US this week.
2. A "vision match" feature helps shoppers find clothing that matches what they have in mind, even if they can't find an exact product online. Expanded to all Mobile Users in US.
3. Google has expanded its virtual try-on tool to help shoppers visualize how pants and skirts look on real models before making a purchase. They can now try on pants and skirts from hundreds of brands, in addition to tops and dresses.

Spotify

Spotify acknowledged an issue that caused some of its paid Premium subscribers to encounter ads when trying to play music.

ICYMI: RIP Skype

Microsoft confirmed it we will be retiring Skype in May 2025 to focus on Microsoft Teams (free)?

History of Skype

Skype was launched on August 29, 2003, by Niklas Zennstr?m and Janus Friis.It was acquired by eBay in 2005 for $2.6 billion, then sold to an investment group led by Silver Lake in 2009. Later, Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion?

Why Microsoft Acquired Skype & Why It Lost Its Dominance

In 2011, when Microsoft acquired Skype they wanted to boost its real-time communication presence, integrating it into Windows, Xbox, and other products.

At its peak, Skype had 300 million monthly users.

However, by 2023, Microsoft reported that Skype had dropped to just 36 million users—a massive decline.(TechCrunch)

So Why Did Skype Lose Dominance??

? The Covid-19 Pandemic Shift – Zoom, WhatsApp, and Teams stole the spotlight. Zoom made it effortless. Just click a link, no account needed.

? Microsoft’s Priorities – Instead of improving Skype, Microsoft pushed Teams, shifting focus away.

?Skype was originally designed for desktop use, and it struggled to adapt to the mobile-first era. Other apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime, and Messenger offered seamless mobile experiences with one-click video calls.

? Skype became slow, buggy, and data-hungry, while competitors delivered smoother, faster calls.

What’s next for Skype users??

1. Soon You can Move to Microsoft Teams for free using your Skype Credentials??

2. If you don't want to migrate, you can export your data which will be available until May 5, 2025

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