ICYMI: TikTok's Mapping Your Neighborhood
Here's what happened on social media this week, August 26
Thanks for reading my newsletter for and about creators. This is a recap of the week’s most impactful news to help you make informed decisions around content creation, partnerships and business development.
💻 ROADMAP
Instagram Updates:
In completely unshocking news, Instagram Reels were shown to generate the most reach and likes in a new report. Interestingly, image posts still generated more comments, according to this study.
Instagram is testing a new feature called Candid Challenges, a two-minute countdown functionality ripped from BeReal. Tech media is undecided whether this means the end for BeReal or if we’re all missing the point. Either way, think about what a front-back camera strategy might look like for you.
Twitch Update:
Twitch removed an exclusivity clause to allow streamers to stream on other platforms, as long as they’re not simulcasting to rival platforms such as YouTube and Facebook Gaming — a move some say doesn’t actually improve things for creators.
TikTok Updates:
TikTok is testing a Nearby Feed to display local content to users. The LFYP (local-for-you-page) feed is being tested alongside a feature that gives creators the ability to add location tags to their videos. It’s a powerful and personalized extension of the FYP page, serving up location-based recommendations along with algorithmically curated content.
Between this Nearby option, Snap’s Map and Instagram’s new Map feature, this is a great time for local businesses to brand themselves and for creators to post from their favorite locations and become the go-to source for local recommendations.
It’s also a sign that while TikTok has consistently positioned itself as an entertainment platform, it’s definitely much more than that, tweeted fellow marketer Brendan Gahan. “It's bundling local, social, and commerce at a speed that is shocking.”However, it’s important to note TikTok ranks at the bottom of the list of tech platforms US consumers trust with their personal information. The company will need to improve user trust to enable location tracking, among other things, if it hopes to launch a location-based feature that can compete with Yelp or Google Maps and appeal to advertisers eager to run geo-targeted campaigns.
👆🏻 CLICK THRU
iOS privacy changes mean less paid ads, more influencer marketing
”Many influencer marketers think that Apple’s privacy changes have given influencer marketing a leg up, and that the industry’s growing focus on privacy may have helped to spur the sector’s recent growth.”
5 key takeaways from the Twitter whistleblower
If you’re not on Twitter you might have missed the drama as the company’s former security chief, Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, filed an 84-page whistleblower complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week. There’s a lot to unpack here but this seemed notable given the amount of highly visible government accounts on the platform: “Twitter is vulnerable to foreign exploitation and may even now have foreign spies on its payroll.”
Why Fortnite, not Meta, is winning the metaverse
“Right now, Meta’s idea of working and socializing in VR is losing to a goofy video game where you can play as Goku, team up with Iron Man and engage in a high-octane gunfight with Ariana Grande.” Sounds about right.
📣 QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“We typically see brands enter the influencer space from an awareness perspective, but now we’re seeing influencers being leveraged for more mid- and lower-funnel campaigns… Instagram has a stronghold on the lower funnel, especially from a shoppable perspective”
- Lindsey Lehmann, director of influencer and branded content at digital agency PMG quoted in the Influencer Marketing 2022 report from Insider Intelligence.
Related: “‘Brands are already changing their strategies’: Experts weigh in on TikTok influencer marketing spend,” Digiday
🧮 DATA OF THE WEEK
59% of Gen Z watch longer versions of videos that they discover on short-form video apps
- “We've seen a consistent rise over the last three years of people searching for video essays on YouTube,” said Nicolas Szmidt, a Google expert in YouTube culture quoted in this consumer insights trend piece: Long attention spans for long-form videos
Related: “The ‘unhinged’ longform videos taking over YouTube,” The Guardian
👩🏽🤝👨🏻 PEOPLE
Cops Called to TikTok Star Gabbie Hanna's Home After Series of Bizarre Posts -TMZ
Andrew Tate banned from YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram -NBCNews
Will Smith Teases Return to Social Media Since Oscars -The Hollywood Reporter
An influencer is being investigated by Chinese authorities after followers accused her of eating a great white shark in a video -Insider
Paris Hilton To Sell Billboards In The Metaverse -OOH Today
Finnish PM apologizes for picture of topless influencers partying at official residence -NBCNews
📖 ALSO ON MY READING LIST…
1 in 4 Gen Z-ers plan to become social media influencers -TheHill
Using Snapchat to Rob Influencers -Vice
Niche internet micro celebrities are taking over the internet -The Washington Post
Creators hosted a "Shark Tank"-inspired investment event -Insider
An infinite loop of shoppertainment: TikTok's e-commerce path to purchase -TikTok
Why the Photo Dump Trend Is Here to Stay -Later
Dystopian Influencer Farms Are Fueling China’s Live Shopping Industry -Surface
