2025, you’re already oh so chaotic.

January has been packed full of more drama than an episode of Desperate Housewives.

The one thing on everybody’s minds, mouths and feeds is the all-consuming TikTok ban. And, just like in pretty much every episode of Desperate Housewives, I have a feeling the drama is far from over.

In today's newsletter:

• TikTok gets banned…then reinstated 12 hours later…

• Severance cast appears at Grand Central Station

• Trend plug - One more secret

• Ask the Editor - What’s the best way to grow my IG audience as a small business owner?

-Sophie, Writer

This week is giving me a case of political whiplash.

The lead up to the ban had us all nervous, unsure of what the future held.

Then, as reality drew closer and the sun began to set on everybody’s beloved platform, a string of heartfelt goodbyes, first-ever unposted drafts, wild confessions, and most viral moments flooded the app.

I could almost hear "The Last Post" play as I watched the stories appear on Instagram displaying screenshots of the message displayed in the app,

“Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”

Let’s recap some notable moments in the last few days as we wait for the dust to settle:

1. 12 hours after the app was suspended, many users have reported that they can access the app again.

"Welcome back!” a popup message from TikTok reads. “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.”—though TikTok still does not appear to be available on Apple’s app store.

Girl, my neck is sore.

TikTok then tweeted they are in the “process of restoring service” and thanked Trump “for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”

Not surprisingly, this is leading some people to believe this was all a ploy for the president-elect's “I saved the day” moment.

Where will this wild ride go next? We don’t know. But I have my popcorn at the ready.

We know TikTok users are the most dramatic.

2. In the midst of all this happening, many “TikTok Refugees” (yes, I’m so fr) fled to Chinese app Xiaohongshu (RedNote)

The photo and video sharing platform has been the most downloaded free app on Apple's app store in the U.S. since last Tuesday.

Videos including a use of the "TikTok refugee" term on RedNote have racked up millions of views and impressions this week as our little drama queens rushed over to share their experience.

The platform's downloads in the U.S. having increased 200% year-on-year, seeing a 194% uptick since last week.

What will the future hold here? We also don’t know. But due to it being another Chinese-owned app, I’d say it runs at a high risk of facing the same restrictions as TikTok, if not divested.

3. And finally, on a lighter note, Instagram Reels can now be 3-minutes long.

This doubles the 90-seond limit the platform previously had. Why? Well according to Adam Mosseri, Instagram boss, 90-seonds is “just too short.”

We love a king that cuts out the BS and tells us exactly how it is.

Is it connected to TikTok going dark? Highly likely, but hey, I’m not complaining.

Anyway, stay tuned. The next few days are bound to be full of surprises.

-Sophie, Writer

Severance Cast Appears in Grand Central Station

Imagine it:

You're heading to catch the train home.

You've been at work all day and are slowly shaking off the professional 'You' and turning into the 'You' that exists away from the office desk.

You know, the one on the couch streaming shows or sitting around the dinner table with your family.

But at the train station, there's a large glass box. And inside it are the characters from your favourite Apple TV show: Severance.

In case you haven't seen it, Severance is a dystopian show about workers who decide to completely separate their work brains from their home brains.

When at home, they don't know what they're working on. And when they're at the office, they have no idea what goes on in their life outside it. These people are under constant surveillance from their employer, "Lumon Industries."

Enter the January 15 stunt at Grand Central Station.

Inside the glass box at the train station, the Severance cast were hard at work in an office that was a perfect recreation of the show’s set.

And, even though the walls were glass, the characters appeared to have no idea they were being watched.

The stunt went viral.

[Keep reading]

-Maggie, Copywriter

Trend Plug - One More Secret

There's no better line to encapsulate how we were all feeling with TikTok going dark in the States than a line from Family Guy.

The line goes, "Since we're all going to die, there's one more secret I feel I have to share with you" (S4 E27 for those wanting to give it a watch).

The now-iconic line has been used as some sort of confessional anthem. Every TikToker and their mom has been revealing secrets and plot twists that we just never saw coming.

One of the most popular ones was Charli D'Amelio admitting it wasn't an anxiety pen (people were going crazy when they saw a video of her holding a vape lmao) and the DUOLINGO MASCOT REVEAL?!?! HELLO??

How you can jump on this trend:

Using the sound, get real. Admit something you've held so close to your heart for a long time.

This doesn't necessarily have to be a dark secret that you've let people buy the hype on. It could even be a hot take about something that a lot of people like, such as despising a fan fave show.

A few ideas to get you started:

• "Since we're all going to die, there's one more secret I feel I have to share with you... I still use Comic Sans in my personal projects."

• "Since we're all going to die, there's one more secret I feel I have to share with you... That viral campaign? We had no idea it would work."

• "Since we're all going to die, there's one more secret I feel I have to share with you... No one actually knows what they’re doing."

-Abdel, Social Media Coordinator

Today on the YAP podcast…

Want even more ‘YAP’ing? Check out the full podcast here.

Ask the Editor

Q - I run a hair salon and am trying to grow my following on IG. What's the best way to do that? - Karys

Hey Karys!

One really good way to build your audience, especially for a local business like yours, is to use micro-influencers. Micro-influencers tend to have a smaller but very engaged audience, so partnering with them can be super effective.

Look for influencers who align with your business, so ones who are in the lifestyle or beauty space would work well for you. Then, reach out to a few and get to know them. You want to make sure it's a good fit before you have them represent your brand!

Once you've found who you want to work with, create a campaign together. This could involve creating content around live demonstrations or giveaways. Ideally, you'll find a few you can collaborate with on an ongoing basis as you build your audience.

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

For the group chat

😲WTF: Wait TikTok is back?!
❤How wholesome: Raccoons are so cute!
😊Soooo satisfying: Candles vs. Hydraulic Press?!
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Greek bowls

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