What a difference a year makes
After years of legal action against social media platforms, here's something a little bit different. A former U.S. high school cheerleader who posted an expletive-laced Snap after not being promoted to the varsity team has been exonerated by the U.S. Supreme Court. Turns out that her post, which featured several f-bombs, was ok because she made the Snap off campus, and the content wasn't considered harassing, bullying or disruptive. It also didn't name the school. Note: Precedent is being set.
In today's news:
The Facebook ad boycott: One year later
YouTube targets older Unlisted videos
Instagram tests desktop uploads
And a joyful content creator gets a shout-out — from YouTube
Read on ⬇️
The FB Ad Boycott: One Year Later
It was about one year ago that a group of over 1,000 companies participated in a Facebook ad boycott. The #StopHateForProfit campaign urged companies to halt advertising for the month of July 2020 in protest of the hateful content and misinformation being posted on the platform. Here's what's happened since then...
The Background
In the summer of 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement spread across the U.S. (and globally) in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, who was killed by now-convicted former police officer Derek Chauvin. In reaction to the protests, former U.S. President Donald Trump posted this statement on social media: "When the looting starts, the shooting starts." Facebook refused to remove it (Twitter flagged the statement, but did not remove the tweet). Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the statement didn't violate the company's policies and that it was better to "have this discussion out in the open." The #StopHateForProfit campaign, organized by a coalition of civil-rights groups, sprang into action and asked advertisers to pause all activity on Facebook and Instagram for the month of July, to encourage tech leaders to address racism on the platforms.
What happened
More than 1,000 companies signed up to participate, including large brands, such as Ben & Jerry's, Best Buy, Patagonia, and Unilever. Many other companies, such as Wal-Mart and Geico, curtailed their spending, but didn't join the official campaign. And many shifted their spend to other platforms. In fact, Snapchat and Pinterest both saw a bump in 2020 ad spend as a result. As for Facebook, the lost ad revenue didn't do significant damage to Facebook's bottom line. And in the end, many of the companies resumed their advertising efforts at some point in 2020.
But the damage to Facebook's reputation has been significant. For example, the co-president of Facebook's ad agency, Colleen DeCourcy of Wieden+Kennedy, told Time magazine in October 2020 that she wasn't sure if Facebook would be a client in 2021. "If I was a betting person? I wouldn’t put too many of my dollars on that space." The only thing that saved the account in 2020 was the good work being done in Facebook Groups regarding COVID, she said. Facebook's daily active usage also stalled in the U.S. in 2020.
The Impact
What happened last year impacted social media managers everywhere, and still does. And in some ways, the impact has been very positive. In fact, a friend and former colleague wrote a great article about his experiment in pivoting away from Facebook. Read it now: Hybrid or Hummer? Our pivot away from Facebook.
Having a "value-based" social media strategy will hopefully become the norm moving forward. And in fact, Millennials and Gen Z demand it. In a 2018 DoSomething Study of Young People and Social Change, 76% of those surveyed said they have or would consider purchasing from a brand to show support for issues the brand supported. And 67% have stopped purchasing or would consider doing so if the brand didn't align with their values.
So if you're planning to work on your social media strategy this summer, consider those stats. And in the meantime, we can all hope for stronger policies and features to battle issues of racism, homophobia, misinformation — and many others — plaguing the platforms.
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SOCIAL SNACKS
Alert: Unlisted YT videos may soon become Private
When you upload a video to YouTube, you have three publish options: Public (publicly searchable), Unlisted (only people with the link can view), and Private (which can be seen by you and people you choose). But in a recent blog post, YouTube now says that any video uploaded before 2017 that is marked as Unlisted will soon be changed to Private starting July 23, 2021. Why? YouTube says it added security enhancements to Unlisted videos in 2017 that haven't been applied to the older videos. Your options? Let the videos switch to Private, change your Unlisted video to Public, or re-upload the video as Unlisted. You can also opt out using this form.
Instagram testing desktop uploads
Ever since Instagram launched in October 2010, uploading content, messaging and other activities have been strictly app-only. But there are reports that the platform is testing the ability to upload content directly from the desktop. A select group of users, like social media expert Matt Navarra, reported seeing a "+" sign in the navigation, that when clicked on allows users to upload photos and videos directly from a computer's hard drive. So far it looks like this only applies to Grid posts, but you never quite know what may else may be coming. Stay tuned...
ICYMI
🔴 Twitter is looking for users in the U.S. to test Ticketed Spaces and Super Follows [Twitter Blog]
🔴 Facebook officially launches Live Audio Rooms and Podcasts in the U.S. [TechCrunch]
🔴 LinkedIn publishes a rundown of new marketing features [LinkedIn Blog]
🔴 TikTok will let creators add mini apps to videos [The Verge]
🔴 Snapchat expands its music library with Universal Music Group [Snap Blog]
🔴 YouTube provides key tips on how to build your channel audience [Social Media Today]
🔴 Pinterest suggests five personas to guide your post-pandemic strategy [Pinterest Business Blog]
RESEARCH-LIKE
Many of us are deeply concerned and upset about climate change. But a new Pew Research Center survey suggests that Gen Z and Millennial adults are more likely to engage with climate-related social media content than older generations. Younger generations are also more likely to express anxiety and anger about the future of the planet.
HAPPY-LIKE
What we needed in 2020: Connection
Last week, I mentioned a Canadian model breaking TikTok. This week, I want to highlight another content creator close to home who's bringing it — this time on YouTube. Gurdeep Pandher, a Canadian living in the Yukon, is known for spreading joy and positivity with videos featuring traditional Bhangra dancing. In fact, he was mentioned several times by Kevin Allocca, the head of Culture and Trends for YouTube.
In YouTube's Global Report for 2020 (aptly released in an 18:59-minute video), Allocca lists a number of notable videos and creators in 2020. Who can forget lawyer cat, or the one-take drone footage inside a bowling alley? And while these were fun to watch, he said what really stood out in the culture and trends of 2020 was our desire for deeper connection and joy. And that's what Pandher's videos bring to the world. Enjoy the joy. 😊
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