LinkedIn began ranking comments to reduce AI spam, shifting how your replies reach prospects. We show what this means for your engagement and the move TikTok made with Disney that's reshaping fan content rules.
Two major social platform shifts in September 2026 are quietly reshaping how businesses gain visibility online. LinkedIn deployed algorithmic ranking for comments to fight AI spam, and TikTok signed its first-ever licensing deal with Disney, both moves that change the game for how your posts reach people and how fan content spreads.
LinkedIn started ranking comments algorithmically, meaning not every reply to your posts gets equal visibility anymore. The platform is surfacing high-engagement, relevant comments while burying low-quality and AI-generated replies. For business owners, this is a direct hit on engagement strategy: a generic "Great post!" comment from an account with no real followers will rank lower than a thoughtful, specific reply from someone in your industry.
Why did LinkedIn do this? A wave of AI-generated spam flooded the platform's comments, turning discussions into noise. Real professionals couldn't have meaningful conversations because bots and spam accounts were cluttering every thread. By ranking comments, LinkedIn is forcing authentic conversation and pushing spam down.
TikTok signed its first major licensing deal with Disney, creating a formal legal structure for how fan-created content involving Disney intellectual property can be distributed on the platform. This is significant because TikTok has historically been a Wild West for fan videos. Now there's a defined partnership between a major IP holder and the platform.
For brand owners, this deal signals a turning point. TikTok is moving from "anything goes" toward a more structured licensing model. If your business relies on fan content, trending audio, or licensed material, this is the beginning of how TikTok will handle copyright and distribution going forward. Other studios and brands will likely follow Disney's lead.
On LinkedIn, stop treating comments as a volume game. Your replies to posts now need to add real value or they'll be ranked lower. Answer questions, share specific insights, and engage with substance. Generic comments are now actively penalized.
On TikTok, monitor how the Disney licensing deal evolves. If your brand creates or shares fan content, stay alert for how licensing requirements might tighten. For now, focus on original content and community building, because the platform is moving toward formal IP partnerships that may eventually affect how freely creators can share fan-made material.
Both platforms are tightening their rules and algorithms. The winners will be businesses that adapt to each platform's new priorities, authentic engagement on LinkedIn and clear original content on TikTok.
How WebKing runs this
We track these platform moves in real time and adjust how we build your social presence to match what actually drives visibility. When LinkedIn started ranking comments, we shifted client reply strategy away from volume and toward substance, because LinkedIn now surfaces only the highest-ranked replies. On TikTok, we're helping clients understand how the Disney licensing model affects fan content distribution and whether your brand benefits from that partnership structure or needs a different approach.
LinkedIn now uses an algorithm to rank which comments appear most prominently under your posts, similar to how it ranks the posts themselves. This means a thoughtful reply from a relevant prospect will reach more people, while spam or low-engagement comments get buried. If you run a business, your replies to prospects' comments now compete for visibility instead of showing in order.
LinkedIn was flooded with automated AI-generated comments that added no real value, cluttering conversations and making the platform less useful for professionals. By ranking comments, LinkedIn aims to surface human-written, relevant replies and push spam and generic AI content down, making discussions more genuine and useful for business conversations.
TikTok reached its first major licensing agreement with Disney, which means fan-created content involving Disney characters or properties now has a defined legal path to be distributed on TikTok. If your brand creates or shares fan content, this deal signals TikTok is moving toward more formal licensing arrangements, which could change how freely you can use licensed material in your videos.
Not immediately, but watch it. The Disney deal shows TikTok is tightening its relationship with major intellectual-property holders. If your brand relies on fan content or licensed material, this is a signal that TikTok is evolving how it handles copyright and distribution. Stay tuned for how this licensing model expands to other studios or brands.
Sources
The Lab is original analysis by WebKing. We summarize and interpret developments from the sources above for industrial, commercial, and small business owners. Figures are reported as published by their sources.
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