Making a list
Managing Social Media is Hard Enough — Staying Up to Date Shouldn't Be.
Twitter was, well, all in a twitter last week after co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey announced his resignation. He explained it all in this tweet. As Dorsey's time comes to an end, it only feels right to revisit his first-ever tweet — on March 21, 2006, as the company launched: "just setting up my twttr". But don't worry about Dorsey; he still has his other company, Square Inc. (which has now been renamed Block).
Here are today's top stories:
Top trends: We see you, we hear you, we support you, we don't support you
YouTube releases its Best of 2021 List
Word of the day: Yassification
And the most frequently used emoji in 2021 was...
Read on ⬇️
Sometimes All I Think About Is You, 2022
Well, it's been another crazy year in social media. And now it's time to think about what's coming next. While none of us has a crystal ball, there are always clues. Based on news and updates I've seen play out every week when I sit down to write this newsletter, as well as research from companies like Hootsuite, there are at least a few trends you might want to watch for in 2022. Here's a short list, including:
We See You: Platforms Go All In On Video
We Hear You: Audio Gives Video a Run for Its Money
We Support You: Boosting Creators and Businesses
We Don't Support You: Getting Strategic About Platforms
We See You
Did anyone else feel that crack in the Earth earlier this year when Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said that Instagram was "no longer a square photo-sharing app"? Citing competition from TikTok and YouTube specifically, Mosseri said Instagram needs to deliver more entertaining content. And when you consider that Meta is very concerned that younger audiences are migrating away from Instagram and Facebook, it's safe to assume that Instagram Reels (and perhaps Facebook Reels) will become an even bigger focus in 2022. But it will be hard to catch up. Looping-video app TikTok pushed past 1 billion users in 2021, and is expected to hit 1.5 billion in 2022. Even YouTube enhanced its video options with a TikTok copycat called Shorts. And others are also jumping into the video game, such as music streaming app Spotify, which is experimenting with a TikTok-like feed for music videos. Either way, we can all expect more platforms to go all in on video.
We Hear You
While video has slowly been picking up steam over the last few years, in 2020 we saw a real push into audio, thanks in large part to the Clubhouse app. For more than a year it was the clear frontrunner when it came to listening on social media. But the app, launched during the pandemic, certainly seems to have lost some of its early explosive growth (Clubhouse co-founder Paul Davison talked to CNBC recently about the app's growing pains). But by no means is audio going away. In 2021, Twitter made its audio-focused featured, called Spaces, available to all. Facebook launched Live Audio Rooms and podcasts. Even music-streaming app Spotify has an audio feature, called Greenroom. If anything, Clubhouse helped spark a whole new way to connect on social — it's just too bad they didn't realize how much easier it is for established apps to just add a feature, instead of being the feature. But definitely expect to see audio give video a run for its money.
We Support You
Supporting businesses and creators was a major theme in 2021 — one that is only expected to continue. Thanks to COVID, online shopping took off during the pandemic, and specifically, shopping on social media. The platforms took notice, and responded with regular updates offering enhanced shopping/buying capabilities. Recently, Meta announced it was launching new ways to shop with "Groups, Creators and Friends." Live shopping is also becoming super trendy, at least according to platforms like Instagram and YouTube. Meanwhile, there are even more ways to support creators. For example, TikTok and Twitter both offer a Tips feature. Twitter went a step further and launched Ticketed Spaces (Spaces is the platform's audio-only feature), so that creators can now monetize their audio streams. And creator funds have become the norm. In 2022, expect more support for creators, and businesses.
We Don't Support You
Last week, cosmetics brand Lush announced it would stop posting on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat "until the platforms take action to provide a safer environment for users." But what's interesting is that the company is choosing to stay on Twitter and YouTube. Given all of the issues facing Meta (formerly known as Facebook), and other platforms, it would be too simple to jump to the conclusion that more companies will flee Facebook. I honestly don't think that's the case. But what might happen is that brands and individuals will get more strategic about where they choose to spend their time — similar to Lush. And really, wouldn't it be way better if brands didn't think they were obligated to be on all of the platforms?
Also, We Predict...
A few other trends that might continue in 2022, including:
Greater investment in gaming on social media platforms (TikTok just announced The Game Room, a monthly live series featuring celebrities playing games on the app)
Meta facing more pressure to clean up its apps in light of whistleblower testimony, as well as increased antitrust challenges (it's just been ordered to sell off Giphy by UK antitrust authorities)
A levelling up on the entertainment value of ads, like this one featuring Bill Nye the Science Guy selling Head and Shoulders anti-dandruff shampoo
And a focus on bringing more sensory experiences to the virtual world (such as Meta experimenting with its haptic glove project)
But it is social media, so anything could happen 😯
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ICYMI
🔴 Meta is taking new steps to detect and prevent the spread of revenge porn [Mashable]
🔴 TikTok shares ad-conversion tips [TikTok For Business Blog]
🔴 Reddit for iOS adds five new real-time features [9to5Mac]
🔴 Snapchat launches AR experiences "that bring cultural events and social issues to light" [Snapchat Blog]
🔴 LinkedIn launches in Hindi to boost access to opportunities for 600 million people [LinkedIn Blog]
YASSIFICATION
The NY Times recently wrote an article about the newly popular Twitter account @yassifybot, which is all about "yassification." According to the article: "To 'yassify' something, in the account’s parlance, is to apply several beauty filters to a picture using FaceApp, an A.I. photo-editing application, until its subject — be that a celebrity, a historical figure, a fictional character or a work of fine art — becomes almost unrecognizably made up." Basically, giving someone a 'glow up' through photo editing until they essentially become unrecognizable.
TREND-LIKE
YouTube's Best of List...
YouTube just released its list of top trending videos and creators for 2021 (FYI: that link goes to the U.S. version). If you want to know what was trending in Canada this year, go here instead. There's definitely some overlap between the two, also some very Canuck-like differences. Enjoy!
EMOJI-LIKE
All The Feels
Remember when Gen Z told Millennials to stop using the Tears of Joy emoji? Looks like the joke is on Gen Z, because the Unicode Consortium, a non-profit organization that maintains the standards for digital text, says it was the most frequently used emoji in 2021. "It accounts for 5% of all emoji use," according to a blog post by Jennifer Daniel, a Unicode Emoji Subcommittee Chair. In second place: ❤️. The list is essentially the same as it was in 2019, which was the last time this data was published. So, I guess this means we also don't have to throw out our skinny jeans and get rid of our side parts just yet? 😂
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