Human? Say, Hello to Humanoid!
Ankur Mehra
Empowering Digital Growth | Shaping the Future of Creator Economy, EdTech & Social Media | Strategic Advisor & Consultant | Public Speaker & Author
AI is taking over, and the creator economy is changing fast! This week, we're diving into the latest developments in robotics and AI, as well as the exciting world of influencer marketing and social media. Let's see what's shaking up the digital landscape.
Spotlight Story
Influencer Marketing: It's All About the Numbers Now
Influencer marketing is getting mainstream! Brands are ditching the guesswork and demanding cold, hard data. According to a recently surfaced State of Influencer Marketing 2023 report by Linqia, metrics are becoming the new currency in the influencer world. It's a win for everyone—brands get to see real results, creators get to prove their worth, and the audience gets great content. Do dive into the report and see how this shift is changing the game.
Around the Globe: Creators Making Waves
Influencers turning Politicians! The New Normal?
The lines between politics and social media are blurring, especially in the Philippines. With popular YouTuber Raffy Tulfo potentially running for President’s office, we're seeing a new breed of politicians emerge. It's a fascinating shift in how we view political leadership.
Factory Owners and TikTok // Chalk and Cheese.. or is it?
Who would've thought TikTok could be a B2B sales powerhouse? Chinese factory owners are turning heads (and attracting new clients) with their creative content. It's a testament to the platform's reach and the power of storytelling. With one business inquiry for every 1,000 views on TikTok, and about 3% to 10% of inquiries are converted into orders.
Korean Netflix Content - Here it comes again!
Get ready for a new reality show that's about to break the internet! A whopping 77 influencers are battling it out on Netflix for the ultimate influencer crown. The reality show with 77 influencers collectively have 120Mn + followers, and NMV of 400 billion Won (Approx 300 million USD) on NETFLIX for 16 episodes.
Creators: More Than Just Entertainment!
‘With Great power comes great responsibility’ profound words were spoken by errr… Spiderman (or Uncle Ben?)
On a serious note though, Influencers with their large, loyal following, must have a far more responsible role to play in society. They can bring about change for good because of the power of popularity that they wield. A case in point, is an incident in India where students feel betrayed by the lack of support from Youtubers who enjoy near-cult popularity. I feel in these changing times, Creators have an opportunity to make a real-world difference. It is not about milking your audiences, but also standing up for them at the right time and for the right reasons.
Industry Updates
“Just Give Me My Money": TikTok's newest Viral Trend
The latest trend, "Just Give Me My Money," is a hilarious new trend! TBH, I find this one really funny! If you haven’t already pranked an unsuspecting mate of yours, this one is highly recommended!
Snapchat Snapping Back?
Snapchat is getting back in the game slowly, but strongly with their latest Q2 earnings report!
Some of the key highlights for me were
While these are all great indicators, Snap missed revenue projections in the second quarter, and that depressed the share price by a whopping 25%!
As for me, I am bullish on Snap in the long run. They are the underdogs. This company innovates, second-to-none and has recently invested in hiring top talent, I am sure this will be an interesting H2 for Snap.
Recommended by LinkedIn
YouTube: Less Ads, More Stream
YouTube is listening to its users! They're testing out a new ad format that won't completely interrupt your livestreams. Picture-in-picture ads could be a game-changer for viewers and a smarter way for advertisers to reach their audience. Let's hope this becomes a permanent feature. I find this to be a great way to keep the live audiences glued, while monetising the feed on the side.
AI X Creator Economy
Figure 02: The Next-Gen Robot
Get ready to meet your new robot overlord (dystopian much?)! Figure02, backed by tech giants like Microsoft, Intel, OpenAI Startup Fund, NVIDIA, Jeff Bezos' personal investment fund, and others, is set to redefine what robots can do. This humanoid is more than just a machine; it's a potential game-changer for industries from manufacturing to healthcare. And don't forget, there are other humanoid cousins in the making too with Tesla Optimus, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, and Oxford Dynamics.
Celebrity Voices, AI Style
Meta is bringing a touch of star-power to your AI assistant. By incorporating celebrity voices, they're aiming to make AI interactions
This follows Meta's recent discontinuation of a celebrity AI chatbot feature that it introduced at last year’s Connect, and following OpenAI’s Scarlett voice fiasco.
What might make it even more interesting is a tiny hologram or avatar at the point of chat of the celeb too...?
My Corner
The past week has been truly fulfilling. I finally closed my book deal with a leading international publisher (more on this exciting update soon!), Got invited to be a jury member at Bharat Leadership Awards later in the month and also got invited as a guest on a podcast (coming soon)!
But apart from the excitement of these personal, direct, tangible and positive developments during the week, it was the impersonal, indirect and intangible developments that got me thinking the most - the trailer launch of Figure2 humanoid and this headline from Shira Lazar's newsletter, were my triggers.
The reality of us humans co-existing with robots has become very realistic. While the lab test videos of Boston Dynamics or the keynotes by Elon Musk have been reminders of the world to which we are headed—the trailer of the launch of Figure2 Humanoid really brought things into a realistic perspective for me.
We are entering the 'Human-Humanoid' world and I think this decade will be pivotal not only for AI or technical advancements...but for humankind as a whole.
Thats a Wrap
In closing, I'd love to know what you think about living in the 'Human-Humanoid' world? Are you excited or worried or indifferent to where we are headed in the next 3-5 years, do share your thoughts in the comments below!
More on this as a separate post.
How could we not have the Dad Joke of the week!
You don't need a parachute to go skydiving. You need one to go skydiving twice. 🫣
Hope you like this free newsletter? I’m still learning and this newsletter is still evolving. Would love your candid feedback. Anything you’d like to see more of, less of or least of! 😀
I have held leadership roles in MediaTech sales & partnerships across India, Asia Pacific-Japan, North America, and Latin America. I’m a seasoned entrepreneur (EdTech) and a military veteran. I am a business author on the evolving Content and Creator Economy and a LinkedIn Top Voice on Team Management and Creator Economy. I also serve on the Advisory Boards for several growth stage companies in the Web3 and MediaTech sectors.
Join our community for a midweek insight into the pulse of the global Creator Economy, delivered straight to your inbox. For any business enquiries, please Email me at mehrankur@gmail.com or swing by www.MetaCogX.me (under construction).
Stay curious, keep exploring!
Carbon the new black gold….
4moThe world of visibility has changed Earlier it was door to door Handouts Mick based ricks Gatherings Radio Tv The world is now in the hands on a device that now is the world So the medium too has changed Today the liesure time is on the media which is data in your phone on your hand Consume it day and night. So people now relate to what you feed and would like you to represent them in a certain. Today the identiy is a mirror of these media inputs devoid of application of thought and logic.