Is this the end of TikTok?
In case we have any celebrity subscribers, you may want to check out this study before your next COVID-related social post. 😬
#SaveTikTok
TikTok fights U.S. ban
“We’re not planning on going anywhere.” That was the message Saturday from TikTok's U.S. General Manager Vanessa Pappas, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he may ban the video-sharing social media app in the States. Trump made the statement Friday night aboard Air Force One (take it away, Sarah Cooper). News of a potential ban has rattled many U.S. TikTok Creators, some of whom have made a significant brand for themselves there, as well as many of its 800 million users who visit the app daily for lip-syncing, dancing and storytelling fun.
Why a ban?
TikTok is owned by China’s ByteDance, and officials in the U.S. have repeatedly cited concerns that the country may be able to access the personal information of Americans — something TikTok vows won’t happen. The company has taken several steps to prove that it’s committed to protecting its U.S. users. Former Disney executive Kevin Mayer was recently hired as CEO of TikTok and COO of ByteDance. And TikTok says it has already hired 1,000 U.S. employees and plans to hire 10,000 more. It also has many American investors, such as General Electric and SoftBank.
The potential U.S. ban is the latest in a series of challenges for TikTok. Earlier this year, it was among a number of Chinese-based apps banned by India (its biggest market). Members of Joe Biden's campaign staff and employees of Wells Fargo have been told to delete the app. It looked like Amazon might follow suit, but the company later retracted an email outlining a ban. Trump has faced his own challenges with the app. TikTok users are credited with keeping rally attendee numbers low by registering for tickets with no intention of showing up.
What’s next?
As we wait to hear how/when Trump plans to ban the app, Microsoft has confirmed it is currently in talks with ByteDance to purchase its American operations, and hopes to conclude negotiations by Sept. 15. In the meantime, some TikTok Creators are taking the time to let their followers know where else they can find them in case the app does disappears (see you on Instagram, I guess?)
NEWS-LIKE
Things are getting 'Reels'
While TikTok is busy fending off a potential U.S. ban, it’s facing another challenge in the social space — Facebook-owned Instagram announced it is getting ready to launch its TikTok competition (aka, copycat). “Reels” is expected to launch globally sometime in August. The app, which was tested in Brazil last year, allows you to create 15-second videos set to music or an audio clip of your choosing (just like TikTok). TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer issued a strong rebuke to Facebook, saying the copycat app is "disguised as patriotism and designed to put an end to our very presence in the U.S." (Ouch!)
Unlike Instagram Stories (also stolen, from Snapchat), users who create TikTok video clips are used to much more dynamic editing tools, such as being able to use timed captions to have text appear in certain sections of a video. Instagram is apparently working on including those editing options. But whether Instagram users will want to invest the time in using these new features is a big question mark. Also, TikTok is powered by AI that continually learns what you enjoy watching, and serves up more of the same. Traditionally, Instagram has been about what’s the most popular. Those two are not the same thing. Either way, Facebook is likely hoping Reels doesn’t go the way of TikTok copycat, Lasso, which was shut down in July after failing to gain momentum.
Twitter testing subscription model
An "undo send" button is among a number of features Twitter is exploring as part of a potential subscription model. The features under this model were reportedly outlined in a survey that Twitter sent to some users, including top social media consultant Matt Navarra.
In addition to the "undo send" button, potential functions include custom colours, video publishing, badges, auto responses, social listening, brand surveys, recruiting and education (not sure we would pay for any of these, tbh). According to Matt Navarra, they are also asking whether users would be willing to pay to not see ads. But don't get too excited about a potential edit function. Twitter says as long as we do this one thing, we can have an edit button — but we've got to be honest, it's going to be hard to get there.
Getting carried away
China's new national security law came into effect in Hong Kong on July 1st, and we're already starting to see some scary results. BBC News is reporting that four students have been arrested for "inciting secession" on social media. The four — three men and one woman between the ages of 16 and 21 — also had their computers, phones and other documents seized. One of the people detained is the former leader of a pro-democracy group, Tony Chung. Another prominent rights activist, Joshua Wong, said Chung was arrested after posting about "China's nationalism" on Facebook. In July, Facebook, Twitter and Google said they would not process requests from the Hong Kong government for information about users — at least for now. Meanwhile, Turkey is trying to take more control of social media. The government recently passed a bill ordering social media companies to open an office in Turkey. Failing to do so could mean stiff fines and/or slow bandwidth.
Social media is a "nuanced-destruction machine."
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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos describing social media when asked about 'cancel culture' by U.S. lawmakers during a historic antitrust hearing.
ICYMI
🔴 Instagram is rolling out a new Shopping page in the U.S.; Instagram's @shop account will feature curated collections
🔴 Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg saw earnings increase 11% in Q2, but we'll have to wait until fall to know how the July ad boycott affected the company in Q3
🔴 Twitter is trying to put its massive hack behind it, as the FBI announces the arrest of a teenage "mastermind" and two others
🔴 TikTok has launched a $200-million fund to finance Creators; meanwhile, some of their superstars are inking mega off-platform deals
🔴 Snapchat reported an increase in users and revenue in Q2; and it is taking steps to launch mini-apps within the platform, starting with a meditation app
🔴 LinkedIn — which is owned by Microsoft — recently announced that it would be cutting 900 jobs, as COVID undercuts recruitment efforts
🔴 YouTube is removing its community captions feature as of Sept. 28, saying it was rarely used and there were problems with spam and abuse, but deaf contributors aren't happy
Couple is cleaning up on Instagram
A Taiwanese couple in their 80s are Instagram's newest influencers. It all began when Chang Wan-ji and Hsu Sho-er, who own a laundromat, decided to post photos of themselves in clothes that had been left behind. Their grandson came up with the idea. The first post from their account, @wantshowasyoung, went out on June 27, and since then the account has amassed 609,000 followers (that's pretty good, I guess 😏)
And we honestly thought we couldn't love Ryan Reynolds any more than we already do, but after helping to rescue this bear, our relationship status has been upgraded to "serious." 🥰