Meta seized a prime opportunity when TikTok, a leading competitor, announced it would temporarily shut down across the United States due to a new national security law on January 19. As millions of users looked for alternatives in the lead-up to the ban, Meta actively sought to promote Instagram and Facebook as ideal substitutes. The company implemented numerous design adjustments, introduced new functionalities, and launched advertising campaigns that prominently showcased its platforms, particularly the video feature Reels, as direct challengers to TikTok.
Although Instagram had begun to reduce its in-app shopping functionalities in recent years, Meta recently unveiled a new feature that closely resembles TikTok Shop, the e-commerce service of TikTok that has garnered significant success. In a promotional clip, two shopping influencers affiliated with Meta discussed how creators can now “more prominently display” the products they endorse within Reels. Instead of placing a link to Amazon or Walmart in the comments, they can now include a banner at the bottom of their videos guiding viewers to click on the featured items—mirroring the functionality of TikTok Shop.
Meta’s other strategies were similarly calculated. Just before TikTok went offline for approximately 14 hours on Saturday, some users noted that among the final posts they encountered on the platform were sponsored advertisements for Instagram. “Unsurprisingly, as TikTok goes down tonight, Meta is flooding my FYP with ads for Instagram,” remarked one user on Bluesky, referring to TikTok’s AI-driven For You Page feature. “In my last hour of TikTok, I saw ads for Instagram,” another user commented on Threads.
TikTok’s Ad Library, which serves as a transparency mechanism allowing users to view active paid campaigns, indicates that Meta launched numerous sponsored videos promoting Instagram and Reels during January, collectively attracting millions of views. However, this tool encompasses data from only select countries—mainly in Europe—and does not reflect what ads U.S. TikTok users may have encountered. Meta has yet to issue a response to inquiries for comments.
On Facebook, a variety of users reported spotting a different promotional message in their news feeds the previous week, inviting them to connect their TikTok accounts to their Facebook profiles. “Increase your social presence across platforms by showcasing your TikTok profile link and follower count on your Facebook Page,” read one iteration of the message.
Considering the context, one user remarked on X, “this feels a bit underhanded,” as they shared a screenshot of the advertisement. “Facebook is amusingly suggesting we link our TikTok accounts to our Facebook pages,” quipped another user.
This prompt appears to be linked to a feature Meta introduced last month, which enables users to display their handles and follower counts from YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram on their Facebook profiles. However, the recent banner visible to users specifically mentioned TikTok by name. The feature aims to facilitate easier cross-platform discovery for creators’ followers looking to connect with them on Facebook.
