ICYMI: De-Influencing Is Not What You Think It Is
Here's what happened on social media this week, February 3, 2023
Thanks for reading! If you're a brand or agency developing a new creator product and need a gut check, feel free to respond here! Let’s work together — nice people only.
💻 ROADMAP
📲 YouTube Updates:
YouTube Shorts’ ad rev sharing started February 1st for eligible creators who opted in to the terms and conditions.
YouTube is rolling out "Go Live Together," a new way to easily start a co-stream with a guest. Creators need 50+ subs to host co-streams, but anyone can be a guest.
📲 TikTok Updates:
TikTok is rolling out its own strike system for creators who violate its rules, including an "Account status" page where creators can easily view the standing of their account.
TikTok apologized to Australian creators after a recent test there left creators without access to music and sounds and wiped audio from back catalogues. It’s reportedly part of negotiations with record labels over the share of revenue they receive.
📲 New Platform Alert:
From the founders of Instagram, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger… Presenting: Artifact. Still in beta, it’s a personalized news feed that uses machine learning to understand your interests. It’s also being described as TikTok for text, Google Reader reborn as a mobile app, or a surprise attack on Twitter. Whatever you call it, you can join their waitlist here.
📲 Pinterest Updates:
Pinterest is partnering with Conde Nast Entertainment that will see Vogue and Architectural Digest produce over 160 exclusive videos for the platform.
📲 Twitter Updates:
Twitter is canceling its Co-Tweets feature.
Elon Musk says Twitter will launch a feature allowing creators be paid for their tweets next week.
Twitter is ending free access to its API, which could impact you if you’re using a third-party scheduling tool.
👆🏻 CLICK THRU
🛍️ De-influencing is TikTok’s response to overconsumption and inauthenticity
On the surface, de-influencing is exactly what it sounds like: influencers telling you what NOT to buy. And as of Thursday, the hashtag had 69M views on TikTok.
While traditional media outlets (including the Glossy headline above) have jumped on this and are suggesting the format is a rejection of consumer culture, I have another take.
De-influencing is not about authenticity or rejecting consumerism. It’s a content strategy. This isn’t about consuming less, it’s finding a new way to curate and recommend products.
A lot of the influencer videos are actually pushing alternative products for the items they’re recommending against. Sort of like a consumer version of Eat This, Not That. And several videos feature premium products as part of their GRWM (get ready with me) format, all while discouraging you from seven other products not to buy.
(Sure, some of the people who jumped on this early may actually be against over-consumption but this is not a return to YouTube’s anti-haul content back in the day.)
Remember when Doja Cat roasted Taco Bell about her contractual jingle? We’re in an era of faux-thenticity and de-influencing is just another part of a marketer’s bag of tricks. My hunch is we’ll soon see a brand lean boldly into an awkward collaboration with a seemingly dis-interested influencer, only to realize it’s all a marketing ploy.
👀 Is the TikTok Hype Over?
There have been several headlines and social posts recently wondering if TikTok’s absolute dominance over short-form video is coming to an end.
A couple of the issues at play include the introduction of YouTube Shorts’ ad revenue sharing and TikTok’s battles with the U.S. government — a potential ban could harm creator accounts and the ongoing battle could distract the company from growth and innovation.
While most of the people I spoke with agreed that it’s YouTube year, a couple of marketers offered different perspectives I thought were interesting to consider — namely that TikTok is better equipped to cater to top creators:
“While creators may flock to YouTube and be happy there at first, I’m sure issues will come up because of Google’s massive layoffs,” said marketer Rosemary Brennan earlier this week. “I think we’ll see ad dollars continue to go to creators on TikTok because advertisers have lost their contacts with Google sales depts.”
She continued: “There is just not the support to help the top creators in the ways they have grown accustomed to. With the loss of so many people at Google, YouTube won’t have meaningful reach out or even handle calendar events like they used to. For example, I’m sure TikTok has a massive plan in place for Black History Month, highlighting creators, various content hubs etc. while Google will have none of that.”
The winner of this tug of war for Gen Z eyeballs is still TBD.
*Fact check: TikTok did announce it’s celebrating Black History Month with Visionary Voices within the Black community. To its credit, Google does in fact have a hub celebrating Black History Month but it’s not creator-specific. And there’s nothing on the YouTube blog yet.
▶️ YouTube Stands Out as Gen Z’s Most-Used Platform
Just going to set this down here: YouTube is used by 88% of Gen Zers, significantly more than any other platform, while Instagram comes second, while TikTok and Snapchat tie for third, according to a Morning Consult survey of 1,000 Gen Zers.
🕹️ Meta’s Twitch Competitor Cuts Contracts With Gaming Creators
Just in time for Black History Month, The Information reports that Meta pulled the plug on a $10m investment in Black gamers. The Black Gaming Creators Program ended in December but according to participants, the program was problematic and seems to have struggled to increase Black gamer visibility.
👻 Snapchat+ Subscription Service Draws More Than 2 Million Users
There are more than 2M paying $3.99 a month for Snapchat+ options such as customizing their notification sound for each friend, changing the background in chats, and prioritizing DMs to celebrities. Who are you and why?
🔨 RESOURCES
How to Go Live on TikTok: The Definitive Guide -Later
5 Ways Brands are Winning (And Losing) With UGC -The Gen Z POV
ChatGPT Cheat Sheet -Neural Magic
The Vice Guide to Culture, 2023 -Vice
All About B2B Social Strategy -Link In Bio
Planning for 2023: What Social Media Marketers Need to Win -SocialMediaToday
🌟 this is an amazing resource the Social Media Today team pulled together and it’s free!
📖 ALSO ON MY RADAR…
Welcome to Geriatric Social Media: Social media isn’t dying; it’s changing -The Atlantic
TikTok CEO to testify before House panel in March about app’s security and ties to China -CNBC
Surgeon General says 13 is ‘too early’ to join social media -CNN
Why is everyone on TikTok obsessed with slideshows? -Mashable
The Wild West of Influencer Taxes -Dot.LA
The Gen Z shake -Embedded
The Dupe Mindset Has Turned Everything On TikTok Into A Replica -BuzzFeedNews
TikTokers who thought they'd never try YouTube are embracing it as it rolls out ad-revenue sharing on short videos -Insider
