ICYMI: Instagram Drops + TikTok Stumbles

Here's what happened on social media this week, December 16

Dec 16, 2022

Thanks for reading. ICYMI is news and trends for and about creators. I’ll be on a break for the next two weeks and see you again in 2023!

💻 ROADMAP

📲Instagram Updates

Instagram dropped a bunch of updates before its holiday code freeze (when the elves temporarily shut down the workshop). The one launch and four tests seem designed to take the focus off Feed and Reels and back onto your close connections.

Notes: Like AIM Away Messages, Notes are 60-character updates that are displayed to your followers or Close Friends at the top of their Inbox. (Here’s a suggestion to go goblin mode before anyone figures out what this feature is really for from BuzzFeed News)
Add Yours nominations: This allows you to invite friends to participate in Add Yours moments
Candid Stories: Aka BeReal for Meta, this is Instagram’s dupe for sharing candid moments that are only visible to others who share their own candid moments
⭐️ Group Profiles: ⭐️ People will be able to create group profiles to share posts and Stories with friends versus the Feed. This is the new feature I think will likely be the most interesting for brands and creators. There’s potential to use this space for internal and external comms, to create VIP follower groups, engagement pods, collect UGC from brand ambassadors and so much more. It’s currently being tested in select countries so it’ll be interesting to see how the early adopters use this space.
Collab Collections: Users will be able to save posts to a collaborative collection in their group or through 1:1 DMs.

Instagram launched a new portal to help hacked accounts regain access. Instagram.com/hacked is a support page for users to report and resolve account access issues, whether you’ve been hacked or just forgotten your password.

Meta is shutting down Super, the live-event app it launched for creators in 2020. It’s part of a pattern The Information’s Kaya Yurieff has been tracking of Meta cutting creator initiatives lately, including Bulletin, Affiliate, Live Shopping and Podcasts.

📲YouTube Updates

YouTube is testing new emoji reactions during livestreams. If you’re in this experiment, you’ll see options to react on a stream with the ❤️, 😀, 🎉, 😯, and 💯reactions. Viewer reactions are anonymous and other viewers in the chat won’t be able to see who used what reactions.

📲TikTok Updates

TikTok is testing a new horizontal full screen mode. Yes, the app that forced every other platform to pivot to short-form vertical video is now testing a a horizontal full screen mode. Google data already confirms that Gen Z wants to watch longer versions of short form videos so it makes a lot of sense for TikTok to try and muscle in on YouTube and become a full service destination for any type of content people want to consume.

Telon Chusk @tanyachen

i've been trying to use the new IG notes like i did as a teen: when i woke up today, i wrote "just woke up"; then "eating breakfast"; now "RisE n GrinD" it's actually way more tedious to do and not as fun now that i am shacked to a full time job and have taxes to pay

👆🏻 CLICK THRU

🇺🇸 A New Bill Would Ban TikTok In The US
A bipartisan bill was introduced Tuesday to ban TikTok citing national security concerns. Then on Wednesday, the Senate passed legislation to ban TikTok from US government devices. This follows news that seven states, including Texas, Maryland and Alabama, have prohibited TikTok on state government devices and computer networks while the US military, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security have deemed the app not approved for government furnished equipment.

So, does this mean TikTok could get banned in the United States? An app spokesperson gave BuzzFeed News a statement stressing how people use the platform to grow their business, which is a good line of defense as we potentially head into a recession. At the same time, the bill has bipartisan support so politically it could be good optics if both parties collaborated on this.

Either way, it goes to show how important it is as a creator to diversify where you post. If you were all in on TikTok, start uploading those clips to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts asap.

🥦 What helps a #FoodTok trend go viral

Ingredient affordability and availability
Simple and foolproof recipes
Recipes and food trends that lean into seasonality and cultural moments

Along with these insights, Instacart created a really cool data visualization of which recipes led to actual grocery orders (baked feta pasta!) and which foods trended on TikTok but didn’t actually get made at home (butter boards, RIP).

🚫 Musk suspends journalists from Twitter, claims ‘assassination’ danger
Elon Musk went on a rampage Thursday night, suspending journalists at outlets such as CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post. The journos were banned from Twitter for allegedly doxing him — though no actual proof was offered and the journalists deny the charge. Reminder: If you suffer from impostor syndrome, this man took on billions in debt to waste his time playing whac-a-mole moderator of an internet forum and tweeting petty grievances.

📣 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Do you sell it? Do you just have this growing weird closet? It's a weird space.”

-All Influence Collective founder Harley Jordan weighing in on this Insider piece about the trend of reselling items that brands send for free. “Some industry insiders say reselling might be vital for creators who struggle to get paid deals,” writes Marta Blino. Think of the Revolve influencers who are only paid in product. “But others warn that it may ruin a creator's relationship with brands and with their audience.”

So what’s your verdict?

🧮 DATA OF THE WEEK

Snapchatters have viewed the Crying Lens more than 9.7 billion times since launch

-Snapchat’s Top 2022 Trends

💡 WHY IT WORKS

Tubefilter reports: “Streamers love Times Square billboards. Thanks to Spotify, it’s Pokimane’s turn in the spotlight. “

Billboards might seem like an antiquated marketing solution but besides being an effective part of the marketing mix (out of home advertising is growing), it’s a really smart way to amplify a creator-brand partnership.

For brands, it’s an opportunity to get their message on a physical canvas without having to worry about ad blockers or algorithms.
For brands and creators, there's geographical clout to New York’s Times Square, which is the most expensive billboard location in the U.S. followed by Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
For creators, it signifies that a brand is willing to make a major investment in the partnership
The limited placement — only one ad can be featured at a time — is more prestigious than the limitless sponsored posts or banner ads you see online.

👩🏽‍🤝‍👨🏻 PEOPLE

10 of the top-earning YouTubers of all time—and what we can learn from them -Passionfruit
How Did These Beauty Influencers Suddenly Go Broke? -Refinery29
YouTube and TikTok stars are getting in on owning restaurants -Eater
Jimmy Fallon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Justin Bieber Sued Over Bored Ape NFT Endorsements -THR
SEC Charges Eight Social Media Influencers in $100 Million Stock Manipulation Scheme Promoted on Discord and Twitter -SEC
tWitch’s legacy of kindness makes his loss all the more tragic -CNN
*If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You’re not alone and there are resources that can help.

📖 ALSO ON MY RADAR…

What You Need to Know About TikTok SEO -Buffer
What's Next TikTok 2023 Trend Report -TikTok
TikTok’s influence dominates Google’s top trending beauty searches for 2022 -Glossy
The Biggest Instagram Marketing Trends for 2023 -Later

Thanks again for reading. Please share ICYMI if you like it! And wishing you health, happiness and time with people you love this holiday season.