[CreatorIQ Connect with me, Ava Donaldson, Ali Miller and Toral Patel; photo Amanda Perelli]
Hi 👋🏼 this is your last chance to take the (short) ICYMI conference survey and tell me which conferences you went to this year, which one was your favorite and what made it special?! Responses can be anonymous and I’ll share the results in a couple of weeks!
I’m fresh off moderating a panel at CreatorIQ Connect conference where some of the recurring themes of the day were: creating opportunities for your brand’s super fans just as much as you do for influencers; a return to long-form video; and influencers continue to be a major source of product discovery for Gen Z and millennials. More to come.
⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY
Facebook announced a new Local tab, pulling the best of local content into one area
Adam Mosseri says they’re trying to get engagement bait under control on Threads but may have cranked the moderation dial too high
The White House joined Reddit this week after having joined LinkedIn this summer
Report: Gen Z spent 58% more time watching video podcasts this year
Google’s reportedly hosting a Creator Summit later this month
Resource: Higher Ed courses, clubs and degrees dedicated to the creator economy
Deep Dive: Influencers and the U.S. election — including Kamala Harris’ much publicized conversation with Call Her Daddy’s Alex Cooper!
💻 ROADMAP
📲 Meta Updates
Instagram and Threads moderation was in overdrive this week with accounts being suspended or downranked and posts removed. Adam Mosseri responded personally to several high profile accounts, telling them the team was looking into it. Earlier, Mosseri had said the Threads team noticed an increase in engagement-bait content and were “working to get it under control.”
Instagram released an advertiser’s guide to driving growth with Reels ads, including some creative tips.
RIP: Five years ago this week, Instagram retired the “Following” (aka snooping) tab that let you see what your friends were liking, commenting on, and following.
Facebook announced a new Local tab pulls together the best local content from across Reels, Marketplace, Groups, and Events, so people can find nearby activities, groups, and recommendations all in one place.
According to Meta, 60% of time spent on both Facebook and Instagram is now video. As such, Facebook says it's introducing a new, full-screen Video Tab for Reels, longer videos, and Live content.
Spotted: The ability to save customer details in Instagram DMs, allowing you to keep track of important customer information and interactions.
Spotted: Instagram is rolling out a new WhatsApp sticker for Stories. By adding the sticker, followers can start a chat with you directly if you’ve connected your WhatsApp Business number.
Spotted: Threads is working on a Communities feature called "Loop," according to hashtag inventor Chris Messina. The feature has been compared to Subreddits or Twitter Communities.
📲 Twitch Updates
Twitch instituted a dress code for VTubers — no nudity for humans and avatars alike
📲 Snapchat Updates
Snapchat launched new ad placements this week, including “Promoted Places” which highlights sponsored places of interest on Snap Map. The map seems to be an area of emphasis for Snapchat: Two weeks ago they introduced geo-based Footstep memories on Snap Map.
📲 Pinterest Updates
Pinterest released its 2024 Halloween Trend Report. Based on an increase in searches, expect to see Halloween “fits” based on pop icons Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo.
📲 LinkedIn Updates
LinkedIn is launching a new puzzle game called Tango, plus more game features such as achievements (find out if you’re smarter than a CEO) insights and streaks.
🦅 🇺🇸 DEEP DIVE: INFLUENCERS AND THE U.S. ELECTION
There seems to be a disagreement about how much influencers should share political views with their social audiences.
“Several of our clients have requested that we not use influencers who have posted about politics on their campaigns,” ICYMI friend (and my Art of Sway podcast co-host) Danielle Wiley shared this week on LinkedIn.
This comes on top of mainstream media’s disappointment with creators receiving top billing at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.
In response to Donald Trump’s livestream interview with Adin Ross and Kamala Harris’ guest spot on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy,” Axios media correspondent Sara Fischer told NPR’s “Up First” podcast that influencers don’t face the same type of standards and scrutiny that journalists do.
But this backlash on influencers contributing to the political discourse comes as social media users look to content creators for political opinions. According to a recent survey of 2,000 influencers by IZEA, “52% of social media users believe that influencers have a responsibility to use their platforms for political advocacy.”
Ross’ livestream with Trump received more than half a million views in August, mostly male and under 35 years old, according to his Kick channel. Cooper’s podcast with Harris discussed women’s rights for the largest female podcast audience on Spotify.
The naysayers don’t seem to be making an impact on creators expressing their political opinions: the IZEA report also notes that “82% of influencers plan to share political views during the U.S. election.”
Related:
The 'typical U.S. adult' follows no politicians or journalists on TikTok
The social-media influencers reshaping how young Americans get their political news
👆🏻 CLICK THRU
📚 Social Studies: Look Who’s Teaching Advanced Influencer
Universities from Penn State and Duke to UCLA and the University of Alabama are introducing courses, clubs and entire programs catering to students who wants to work with creators and those who aspire to become creators themselves.
The Hollywood Reporter just released its first-ever Creators issue with articles like “LA’s Influencer In-Spots” and “The Most Influential Influencers,” plus the aforementioned Higher Ed rundown of the institutions responding to Gen Z and Alpha’s influencer aspirations (which I wrote!).
Get the full list and let the learning begin!
🧑🏽💻 The Data Driving Facebook's Efforts to Win Over Gen Z
The head of Facebook, Tom Alison, said this year’s strategy is being driven by Gen Z and AI. Some of the relevant numbers he shared at an Austin pop-up last week include:
More than 40 million young adults in the US and Canada use Facebook daily — the highest number it's been in more than three years.
Private sharing (or messaging) on Facebook has grown more than 100% year on year
Young adults say Facebook is their preferred destination to connect with communities over shared interests (aka Groups)
Young adults spend 60% of their time on Facebook on videos, and more than half watch Reels every day
📊 DATA DROP
2.9 billion
That’s the number of minutes Gen Z watched video podcasts in the first five months of 2024 – a 58% increase compared to last year during the same time period
-according to Spotify's Sixth Annual Culture Next Report
74 percent
The number of mentions that fashion brands earned on Instagram. The platform also saw a 63% increase in video views on fashion content. Overall, Instagram is the best performing platform for fashion content
-according to Traackr’s State of Influence: Fashion Trends 2024 Report
43 percent
The number of Reddit users who are millennials — the platform's dominant generation
-according to Business Insider’s article Reddit is super popular with millennials
👀 IN CASE YOU MISSED IT HEADLINES
Creators are mobilizing their audiences to report on Hurrican Helene’s devastation and raise money for relief efforts -Publish Press
Adobe is launching a new AI credit and creator attribution tool -Forbes
Glassdoor launched “Worklife Pros” — a Creator board of advisors sharing knowledge and perspectives on workforce -Glassdoor
Social media managers, here’s how your team stacks up to others -Me on LinkedIn
Roblox is accused of lying to investors about user numbers and and failing to adequately protect children -The Verge
States sue TikTok, saying the app is addictive and harms the mental health of children -PBS
A new campaign targeting Gen Z celebrates mall culture and invites people to be part of the experience -Social Media Today
How Gen Z is disrupting the industry of influence -Tumblr
LTK launched a new Gift Guide Experience for holiday shopping -LTK
Influencer marketers are moving away from campaigns with micro influencers and back to celebrities and and creators with millions of fans -Business Insider
UPCOMING EVENTS
Google’s reportedly hosting a Creator Summit later this month to give creators an opportunity to share thoughts, feedback, concerns with the Google Search team.
🗓️ Advertising Week, Oct. 7-10 | New York City
🗓️ Tech Week LA, Oct. 14-20 | Los Angeles
🗓️ Adobe Max, Oct. 14-16 | Miami, Florida
🗓️ SXSW Sydney, Oct. 14-20 | Sydney, Australia