Digest: Meta Tests Skippable Ads on Instagram Reels; AI and Social Media Disrupt Wikipedia Traffic

In today’s Digest, we discuss Meta testing skippable ads on Instagram Reels, AI and social media disrupting Wikipedia traffic, and Meta tightening AI chatbot controls for kids. Meta tests skippable ads on Instagram Reels Instagram is experimenting with skippable ads in its Reels feature, offering users the ability to bypass promotional content mid-scroll. Over the past month, ADWEEK observed three instances of this new format, which includes a countdown timer in the top-right corner of the screen followed by an ad equipped with a “skip” button.  Meta confirmed the test, stating it aims to evaluate whether the format enhances business discovery, though unlike YouTube, it does not intend to share ad revenue with creators. AI and Social Media disrupt Wikipedia traffic According to a recent blog post by Marshall Miller of the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia experienced an 8% year-over-year decline in human pageviews. This downturn was uncovered following an update to the platform’s bot detection systems, which revealed that a surge in traffic during May and June was largely driven by bots designed to bypass detection. Miller attributes the decline to shifting patterns in how people seek information, citing the growing influence of generative AI and social media platforms. As
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