ICYMI: TikTok vs Reels, Who Wins?
Here's what happened on social media this week, February 11
💻 ROADMAP
❤️ Help could be at hand for people locked out of their Instagram accounts. Just this week the company announced, “To help people who have lost access to their accounts, we’re testing a way for people to ask their friends to confirm their identity and regain access to their account.” Until then, remember to turn on 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) because the alternative is risky and pricey.
As part of Safer Internet Day, Instagram also announced a new experience feature called Your Activity, where users can bulk delete or archive their content including Stories, posts, IGTV and Reels along with their interactions such as likes, comments and Story sticker reactions.
⏳ TikTok is rolling out the ability to post five minute videos to more users, according to journalist Chris Stokel-Walker, who points out that TikTok is slowly nudging our attention span upwards. “The average suggested video length on TikTok basically doubled to around 21-34 seconds in late 2021 from 11-17 in 2020.”
👆🏻 CLICK THRU
🌍 Facebook and Instagram aren’t pulling out of Europe. Earlier this week a Meta report noted it would “likely be unable to offer a number of our most significant products and services, including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe” because of transatlantic data transfer dispute (this is a deeper explanation).
“OK, see ya,” said pretty much everyone. Which led to a hasty press release announcing Facebook isn’t breaking up with Europe. It’s just that running a global empire is hard, y’all.
🥇 Despite TikTok’s shiny new thing status and headlines about Facebook’s demise, this Alex Kantrowitz post was an interesting reminder that it’s still too early to call who’s going to win people’s hearts, minds and browsing habits. Some of the key factors in Reels’ favor:
Instagram’s 2 Billion Users vs. TikTok’s 1 Billion
Facebook’s Cash Reserves
India’s TikTok Ban
The Inertia of Social Ad Buyers
⛸ Comedian and former SNL star Leslie Jones has been live tweeting the Olympics for years and even contributed official coverage in 2016 and 2018. But a lack of appreciation and NBC blocking videos she tried to share led her to quit tweeting on Tuesday. The network claims the videos were a “third-party error” and gushed “we are super fans of her” but it looks like the damage has been done. Leslie hasn’t tweeted about the Olympics or anything else since then. Takeaway: Don’t be like NBC.
📲 Everybody’s talking about the 7-second video hack to get more views on your TikToks or Reels as creators post looping short videos and static images with text to increase engagement.
Here’s why it works (for now): Turning a photo into a short video taps into Instagram’s video obsession since the app’s algorithm still seems to be prioritizing videos over still images, according to The Information’s Kaya Yurieff. Meanwhile, TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes for video loops, which is based on the number of times people replay your video. As with any hack, it’ll work until it doesn’t.
🎭 One of my former UCLA students is blowing up on TikTok and Instagram, going viral for the celebrity twin filter she’s created. People have been confusing Emma Sofija with actress Margot Robbie. Rumors the Harley Quinn star had a secret TikTok account fueled use of the filter and led to a bunch of press coverage. I take absolutely no credit for any of this, I’m just thrilled Emma Sofija is getting the recognition she deserves and happy to connect her if anyone needs an AR filter creator.
👹 Mascots might be the key to a successful TikTok strategy for brands. Morning Brew might have over simplified things a little in this piece. But there’s no denying TikTok users want a more genuine, unfiltered and personable experience than most brands can deliver. Enter the video friendly mascot, whether it’s Duolingo’s owl or Sour Patch Kids’ red giant. But it’s important to note that the strategy doesn’t translate to other platforms before you invest in an anthropomorphic costume for your next video.
🛍 The quote of the week comes from this NBC News piece on TikTok’s shoppable livestreams, which are being predicted as the future of online shopping:
“If anyone can figure out live commerce, it won’t be Amazon, Walmart or any other incumbent, but instead platforms like TikTok that already have the attention of users… It is more likely that TikTok will learn how to add shopping than Amazon will learn how to become social.”
In related news, Instagram is hosting a live shopping event on Valentine’s Day hosted by Summer House’s Paige DeSorbo.
😂 Tears of Joy emoji has replaced 😭 Loudly Crying emoji as Twitter’s top emoji by a slim margin. This is more due to the Loudly Crying face experiencing a huge drop in popularity this month, instead of the 😂 face with Tears of Joy experiencing a 2022 surge. Frankly, this tracks.
🌼 🌼 Adidas wanted to sell more sports bras, so naturally they tweeted a collage of… naked boobs? The campaign gets high marks for making an impact, sparking a conversation about different body shapes and sizes and providing a counterpoint to this dude. But as multiple critics asked: where are the bras?
❗️Someone pointed out that Ye (formerly Kanye West) treats his Instagram feed like a Close Friends story and the description stuck in my head. This isn’t really the forum for treating the Kanye headlines (arguing on Insta with Kim / arguing on Insta with Billie Eilish) with the nuance and sensitivity they require because of the mental health implications but a social detox probably wouldn’t hurt.
📖 ALSO ON MY READING LIST…
Why Everyone’s Instagram Looks Ugly Now - Vice
North Korea Hacked Him. So He Took Down Its Internet - Wired
Hype House and the failed promise of creator collectives - Dazed
Reselling gig work is TikTok’s newest side hustle - The Verge
Which skin color emoji should you use? The answer can be more complex than you think - NPR