The best of social media in 2020
It's not often that you get a fun exchange on Twitter, and definitely not between two platforms. So when YouTube replied to Twitter with one word that best describes 2020, the reaction from users was perfect.
But please don't do what YouTube says, because we have so much great content for you this week! Here are some of the top stories:
YouTube, TikTok and Twitter release their "Best of 2020" lists
How platforms plans to fight hateful content
TikTok experiments with longer videos
And this match made in hell is viral heaven
This and more in today's e-newsletter. Read on ⬇️
And the award for best content goes to...
It's that time of year when "best of" lists start to pop up, and that was definitely the case this past week when several platforms released their picks for top social media content and creators in 2020. What you'll notice is a mix of posts reflecting the pandemic and the #BlackLivesMatter movement, as well as lighthearted and heartwarming content (which I talk more about further down). Here are the highlights.
YouTube
Entertaining and educating ourselves with video content was definitely a priority in 2020. But we also care deeply about the racial injustices sweeping the U.S. (and the world), and watched in horror as George Floyd, who was killed by police, struggled to breathe for eight minutes and 46 seconds. So it's not surprising that Dave Chapelle's "8:46" special took the top spot in YouTube's list of Top Trending Videos (U.S.). Also in the top 10 was Mark Rober and his video on Building the Perfect Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder, top YouTuber MrBeast with I Bought the World's Largest Firework, and Some Good News with John Krasinski - Ep. 1. You can find this list and others on YouTube's blog.
TikTok
The short-looping video app that hit two billion downloads in April 2020 (and still isn't banned in the U.S.) definitely featured some viral and interesting content this year. And some of these videos from TikTok's Top 100 List may be familiar. You likely heard about Nathan Apodaca and his Ocean Spray skateboard sesh set to Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams." But this video actually came in second in the viral video category. In the No. 1 spot was "M to the B" by Bella Porch. In the top content creators list, you might have guessed that Charli D'Amelio was No. 1 (after hitting 100 million followers, btw). And the top song? "Savage Love" by Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo (Derulo also beat Kylie Jenner for the top spot on the celebrity list). Check out TikTok's blog for these lists, and more.
Twitter
Twitter Marketing released its list of top brand tweets in 2020. I'm going to jump to the "Speaking Up and Speaking Out" category, because this is actually my pick for one of the best brands on social media right now. With a bio that reads "Peace, Love and Ice Cream," Ben and Jerry's used their social media platforms and digital channels in 2020 to speak out against racial injustices, and the gender pay gap. Other brands sent out COVID-related content, like Uber, which asked us to stay home with this tweet. And sports fans deprived of live content for most of the year were more than happy to watch a stream of Game 6 of the 1998 NBA finals on Twitter (courtesy of Gatorade and the NBA). You can find Twitter's full list here.
And if I could put in my own vote for best brand posts of 2020, these tweets from Blockbuster would be pretty high on the list.
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ICYMI
Hate is so 2020 (let's hope)
Curbing hate speech and misinformation has always been a challenge for social media platforms, but 2020 really highlighted how important this is. Recently, several companies announced changes they say will help them do better.
Twitter announced it is expanding its rules against hateful content "to prohibit language that dehumanizes people on the basis of race, ethnicity, or national origin." These type of posts will be removed when they are reported or detected, and repeat offenders will have their accounts suspended or banned.
Facebook is going to prioritize policing anti-Black hate speech over anti-White comments, according to a report in The Washington Post. Documents obtained by the newspaper say the company is overhauling algorithms that detect hate speech to target the "worst of the worst" types of posts, which include slurs directed at Blacks, Muslims, people of more than one race, the LGBTQ community and Jews.
YouTube announced three new initiatives to help make the platform more inclusive, including: launching a new feature that will force users to take a pause before posting potentially offensive comments, investing in systems that better detect and remove hateful comments, and trying to remove potential bias in the growth of channels by content creators by analyzing "possible patterns of hate, harassment, and discrimination that may affect some communities more than others."
From 60 to 180 seconds
TikTok is known for short videos, but reports suggest that it's experimenting with offering creators the ability to upload videos of up to three minutes in length. The update was first reported by social media expert Matt Navarra, who tweeted about a notice he received on TikTok providing early access to the feature. Currently, creators can upload videos of up to one minute in length. But no matter what length you choose, you have to make sure you get a good watch time, according to TikTok. "On TikTok, watch time factors into how a video gets recommended. Our recommendation system takes watch time as a signal that users are enjoying your content, so capturing your audience's attention early and maintaining it is super important!," TikTok tweeted.
NEWS-LIKE
🔴 The Year's Best Apps, 2020's Biggest Downloads [TechCrunch]
🔴 Google Researcher Says She Was Fired Over Paper Highlighting Bias in AI [NY Times]
🔴 The U.S. Government Will Let TikTok Run Out The Clock and 'Overlook' its Own Deadline [The Verge]
🔴 Quibi: Why Did the Video App Go So Wrong? [BBC News]
🔴 Facebook to Pay UK Media Millions to License News Stories [The Guardian]
🔴 The Best Canadian TikTok Music Moments of 2020 [CBC News]
TREND-LIKE
When the @TwitterMktg account recently asked people to submit the best brand moment of 2020, reading the replies was enough to make me a little bit teary. That’s because many of the ones that people mentioned were heartwarming, emotional, and provided a light in the darkness that was 2020.
As we head into a new year, with new unknowns, we'll likely still seek out content that is heartwarming, happy, and light. Until then, take a look back at some of the posts that made us smile, laugh and cry in 2020, as well as key takeaways.
APP-LIKE
For the first time in a long time, TikTok was not the most downloaded app of the month. In November 2020, that honour went to messaging giant WhatsApp, according to mobile app analytics firm SensorTower. WhatsApp had close to 58 million downloads — mainly in India and Nigeria. TikTok came in second, with 55 million installs, followed by Facebook, Weather and Radar USA, and Instagram. Zoom dropped a few spots in November compared to October. But even if it did drop a few spots last month, Zoom still managed to snag Apple's Top iPad App of the Year honour.
VIRAL-LIKE
"Please, call me 2020"
If the year 2020 was a person, who would it date? Ryan Reynolds and his production company, Maximum Effort, have an answer with yet another viral ad — this time for Match.com — that features Satan "matching" with 2020. Part 1, posted on Reynolds' Twitter account (at 6.7 million views) shows Satan getting a notification of a match. The two meet in Central Park and it's love at first sight. "Hi, 2-0-2-0?" Satan says. "Please, call me 2020," the woman replies breathlessly. Their dates include sitting on the turf in an empty stadium, working out in a vacant gym, stealing toilet paper, and posing for a selfie in front of a dumpster fire. Part 2 is right out of "When Harry Met Sally." This campaign comes just one year after Reynolds' Aviation Gin ad, The Gift That Doesn't Give Back, went viral. It featured the actress from a controversial Peloton ad drinking away her sorrows. Nothing sad about all this viral content.
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