We Need To Do Better
We were so sorry to hear of the passing of Chadwick Boseman. He was loved by so many, and so it's no surprise that this tweet is now the most liked tweet ever. #WakandaForever
In today's newsletter — Facebook admits it made a mistake. Online shopping on social media is getting even easier. And TikTok loses its CEO after only about 100 days. Read on ⬇️
*Next week, watch for our e-newsletter on Tuesday instead of Monday. Happy Labour Day weekend!
Come on, Facebook
Social media is at the centre of a Black Lives Matter protest, and this time it's because Facebook has admitted it effed up. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told a companywide meeting last Thursday "an operational mistake" was the reason that a militia page advocating for people to bring weapons to a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, wasn't taken down. However, a BuzzFeed News investigation suggested the event associated with the Kenosha Guard Facebook page was flagged at least 455 times. It was also cleared by four Facebook moderators. A 17-year-old suspect was arrested and charged in connection with the shooting deaths of two protesters last Tuesday. The page was taken down hours after the shooting.
The background The protests in Kenosha were sparked by (yet another) police shooting of a black man. Jacob Blake, 29, was shot at least seven times in the back by police, who were reportedly responding to a domestic incident call. The shooting was caught on video by a bystander, and went viral on social media. Blake is currently in hospital, and is reportedly paralyzed. His family told CNN that he's being handcuffed to his bed.
Sports on strike
In protest of the Jacob Blake shooting, several sports teams took to social media last week to announce they wouldn't play. This included NBA teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, WNBA teams like the Atlanta Dream, as well as MLB teams like the Miami Marlins. These decisions prompted some backlash on Twitter, which stepped in to stop a serious case of "copy pasta" (copy pasta is when people repeatedly post the same comment over and over again, like this).
What's next
U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Kenosha on Tuesday. We can only imagine what he might tweet.
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ICYMI
Checking out
There are less than four months until Christmas, and Facebook's elves are busy trying to roll out features to get businesses (and consumers) ready for a COVID-style holiday season. Facebook-owned Instagram is rolling out an in-app checkout feature to businesses and Creators in the U.S. who have created a Shop. "We launched Shops in May, and in the coming weeks, we’re making it available to any eligible business and adding customization features, messaging and new insights to help businesses measure results," Facebook said in a blog post, as it announced its own Facebook Shop for U.S. audiences. Stay tuned for global roll-outs...
In with the new
Congrats to TikTok General Manager Vanessa Pappas for being named the interim head of global operations. Pappas takes over for newly resigned CEO Kevin Mayer, who had only been in the role about four months after leaving an executive job at Disney. In an email to employees announcing his resignation, Mayer said "as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for." Guess this wasn't it. Meanwhile, Bloomberg is reporting that TikTok rival Triller and a London-based global investment firm (Centricus) could make a bid for the company's U.S. operations. Walmart also recently announced it's joining Microsoft's bid for TikTok, vying against Oracle. As for the TikTok lawsuit and U.S. executive orders against TikTok parent company ByteDance, if this video tells us anything, it's that Pappas can take this on.
NEWS-LIKE
🔴 What if Facebook is The Real 'Silent Majority'? [New York Times]
🔴 Snapchat is Quietly Building an Impressive Video Business [The Motley Fool]
🔴 Twitter Experiments With Adding "Quotes" Count to Tweets [The Verge]
🔴 Canada Leads Per Capita App Spending Growth During COVID-19 [SensorTower]
🔴 Facebook Says Apple Ad-Blocking Settings Could Halve Revenue [BBC News]
🔴 The TikTok Ban Should Worry Every Company [Harvard Business Review]
"If the device is lasting in the pig, as it lasted in there for two months and going strong, then that's a good sign the device is robust for people."
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Elon Musk, talking about a working brain implant in pigs. Gertrude, one day we could be you. 😱
SEPTEMBER-LIKE
September is here, and there are a few things you might want to watch out for:
If you haven't made the switch yet to Facebook's new updated look, you're officially out of time. As of Sept. 1st, Facebook 'classic' dies — whether you like it or not.
On Sept. 9, watch for the global Netflix premiere of "The Social Dilemma." This documentary promises an in-depth look at how social media platforms and algorithms contribute to conspiracy theories, teenage mental health issues, political polarization and rampant misinformation. (Seems like this should be a horror film, no?)
The start of the month is such an exciting time in the life of a social media manager, because it means it's time to check the analytics! But just a heads up — when you open Instagram's Insights this month, you'll notice it has updated its metrics to provide both a snapshot and an in-depth look at your account's performance.
HAPPY-LIKE
We don't always watch videos right to the end, but we definitely did this time. If kids are doing wheelies in your driveway, why not try something fun — and sweet — like this.
Hey, congrats — you made it to the bottom of the e-newsletter!
If you really liked it, why not forward it to a friend. 💌