Hear that? The Pulse is back! 💗 This week - year-end insights & trend reports begin to roll out, Twitter & Meta continue ch-ch-changes, and we dig up gems, insights, and inspo from around the industry. 🔌 Take a quick 10, and tap in!
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- Musk's second "Twitter Files" claims "secret blacklists" - Link: Outside journalists working with Twitter owner Elon Musk posted a new batch of internal communications from the company Thursday night with what they said was evidence the firm's employees "build blacklists, prevent disfavored tweets from trending, and actively limit the visibility of entire accounts."
- Elon Musk’s ‘Twitter Files’ ignite divisions, but haven’t changed minds - Link: The company’s new chief executive detailed Twitter’s decision-making around a controversial story.
- Twitter Removes the Option to Create Moments, Effectively Shutting Down the Feature - Link: “Not all moments last. As of today we’re removing the option to create Moments for most users as we focus on improving other experiences.”
- Twitter’s Developing a New ‘Human’ Test for Accounts to Combat Bots in the App - Link: How do you test for ‘human-ness’ in social media activity, and is there actually a way that you can do so without it being gamed by scammers? It seems that Twitter believes it can, with this new message discovered in the back-end code of the app.
- Twitter Will Start Displaying Tweet Reach Metrics Up-Front on Tweets - Link: “Twitter will start showing view count for all tweets, just as view count is shown for all videos. The system is far more alive than it would seem.” - Elon Musk
- Instagram’s Testing New DM Labels to Help Manage Customer Interactions in the App - Link: Instagram’s developing a new set of message labels for business accounts, which would make it easier to manage customer interactions in your DMs.
- Instagram Updates Account Status with New Insight into ‘Shadowbans’ - Link: Instagram’s looking to provide more transparency for creators with a new update to its in-app Account Status dashboard that will indicate whether your content is eligible to be recommended by its various systems, and will also provide pointers on how to rectify any issues on this front.
- Meta Threatens to Ban News Publishers Amid Debate Over New Revenue Share Proposal - Link: Meta has made this much clear, by ending its content deals with publishers, cutting its investment into news initiatives like its dedicated News Tab, Instant Articles and newsletters, and even directly noting that it’s de-prioritizing political news in-stream.
- Meta Adds More Avatar Usage Options as it Looks to Guide Users Towards the Metaverse Shift - Link: Meta’s added some new ways to use your 3D avatar within Facebook and Instagram, as it works to further align users with these cartoonish versions of themselves as a new way to connect.
- Meta’s Oversight Board Criticizes the Company’s More Lenient Moderation Approach for Celebrities - Link: Meta’s Oversight Board has criticized the company’s differentiated moderation system for high-profile users - the comments are part of the Oversight Board’s review of Meta’s ‘Cross Check’ system, which adds an additional layer of moderation for high-profile users.
- New Report Finds that 62% of Facebook Users Encounter Scams in the App Every Week [Infographic] - Link: According to new data from cybersecurity firm Lookout, around 62% of Facebook users encounter scams every week, while scam activity ramps up in the holidays.
- Snapchat Announces Paid Add Ons for AR Lenses, New AR Initiatives at Lens Fest 2022 - Link: Snap is holding its annual Lens Fest event today, where it’s already provided a range of new insights into key AR advances, and how Snapchat is aligning with the next digital connectivity shift.
💡 Industry News & Highlights:
- TikTok Announces the Top European TikTok Ads of 2022 - Link: TikTok has crowned the first-ever winner of its TikTok Ad Awards for Europe at a gala ceremony in Amsterdam, where TikTok bestowed the moniker of the ‘Greatest ad for TikTok Europe’.
- BuzzFeed Inc. Lays Off 12% of Staff, Citing Advertising Slowdown - Link: BuzzFeed will lay off 12% of its workforce, prompted by slumping ad demand and shifts in social media traffic.
- An industry in motion: the greatest forces shaping marketing in 2022 - Link: After another tumultuous year, Marketing Dive has gathered the stories that key into the biggest industry developments, whether related to emerging channels or striking the right tone.
- Ad revenue forecast shrinks for 2023 amid economic uncertainty, Magna says - Link: Advertising revenue for media owners is projected to hit $833 billion in 2023, up 5% from 2022’s $795 billion, according to research shared with Marketing Dive by Magna. The expected growth rate next year is 1.5 percentage points lower compared to Magna’s June forecast
- Visual Podcasting Is Now a Thing and Here’s What Advertisers Should Know - Link: It’s a good time to be a podcaster. Along with an ever-increasing number of creators, listenership is rising, and every media platform is looking to get into the distribution game—including visual media.
- Adidas, Snapchat partner for exclusive Bitmoji Fashion Drop - Link: Adidas and Snapchat have joined forces to launch a Bitmoji Fashion Drop allowing app users to dress their Bitmoji avatars in branded virtual merchandise.
- Miller High Life unveils leg lamp beer tower inspired by ‘A Christmas Story’ - Link: Miller High Life is paying tribute to “A Christmas Story” with the release of a leg lamp reminiscent of the fishnet-adorned decor from the holiday classic, according to a press release. The piece will be on sale for $120 starting Dec. 9 while supplies last.
- Los Angeles Rams kicks off live in-venue AR app sponsored by SoFi - Link: The Los Angeles Rams partnered with marketing company Stagwell for a live augmented reality (AR) experience, according to a press release. The experience is sponsored by digital finance company SoFi, who has naming rights to SoFi Stadium.
- Reading between the lines of YouTube’s best-performing ads for 2022 - Link: YouTube published its annual list of the ads that performed best on its platform this year, with tech companies and streamers landing in the top 10 at both the global and U.S. level.
- Amazon is adding a TikTok-like feed of shoppable content to its app - Link: A new scrollable feed called Inspire is coming to US app users. The short videos showcase products the retailer thinks you might be interested in.
- Starbucks launched its web3 loyalty program - Link: The move could radically change the perception of NFTs.
🌊 Social Trends & Insights:
- Year on TikTok: 2022, truly #ForYou - Link: TikTok releases it’s 2022 #ForYour - celebrating our global community and the popular trends that sparked joy and real-world impact
- Meta Publishes New Guide to the Key Factors Influencing Consumer Decisions - Link: According to a new report from Meta, created in partnership with Publicis Data Intelligence, and incorporating insight from over 1,000 consumers, the most influential factors are: video, social commerce and recommendations.
- Instagram Releases its Trend Predictions Report for 2023 - Link: Instagram has published its 2023 Trends Report, which aims to highlight the top, rising shifts for the coming year among Gen Z users, based on usage insights, survey data and more. PDF.
- Google Launches ‘Year in Search’ Overview for 2022 - Link: Google has launched its 2022 ‘Year in Search’ overview, which provides a snapshot of the key interests and trends throughout the year, based on Google Search activity.
- Pinterest Shares its 2023 Trend Predictions, Based on Pin Activity and Engagement - Link: Pinterest has published its annual ‘Pinterest Predicts’ overview, which looks at the latest, rising trends that are set to become even more significant over the next year.
😎 Content Creator Updates:
- TikTok Shares the Top Clips, Creators and Trends in the App for 2022 - Link: TikTok has published its fifth annual ‘Year on TikTok’ report, which provides an overview of all the creators, moments and trends that resonated the most in the app throughout the past 12 months.
- Meta Adds New Creator Monetization Options for the Holidays, with a Focus on Stars Donations - Link: Meta has announced a new set of creator monetization incentives and tools just in time for the holidays, which focus specifically on its Stars creator donation process.
- Pinterest is Hosting a Creative Tips and Insights Event This Week - Link: Pinterest is hosting a virtual event, in collaboration with Picsart, to explore the best ways to approach Pin creative, and how to make your content stand out in the app using new approaches and technologies.
- YouTube Shares the Top Creators, Clips and Ads of 2022 - Link: YouTube’s has published its listing of the top trending videos and creators of 2022, which provides an interesting overview of the year that was in online entertainment.
💜 Other Engaging Posts of the Week:
- Fox Sports’ US World Cup coverage is an unmissable abomination - Link: Broadcaster has offered up a feast of gaffes, stupidity, and unconquerable on-air awkwardness for US viewers to enjoy.
- Tech companies fueled the rise of Homeland Security and domestic surveillance, report finds - Link: Cities need funding for emergency response, but some researchers have pointed out how it can come with unpleasant strings attached.
- ChatGPT proves AI is finally mainstream — and things are only going to get weirder - Link: Researchers talk about the ‘capability overhang,’ or hidden skills and dangers, of artificial intelligence. As the technology goes mainstream, we’re going to discover a lot of new things about them.
- The Brilliance and Weirdness of ChatGPT - Link: A new chatbot from OpenAI is inspiring awe, fear, stunts and attempts to circumvent its guardrails.
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