What would TikTok look like without the US?
Last Saturday, the US House of Representatives voted to ban TikTok if the app’s owner does not cut ties with China.
TikTok has catapulted into growth over the past eight years – creating an entire ecosystem of content creators, brand storytelling and unlocking new audiences for brands and small businesses who use the app to trade.
But the US is concerned about data sharing with Beijing and the soaring popularity of the app with the younger generation.
The Senate is expected to vote on the bill by the end of next week, and if this becomes law ByteDance will have nine months to sell its stake.
TikTok is already under pressure elsewhere in the West because of shared concerns over data, including members of the UK government.
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Are ads being displayed alongside harmful content on X?
X has reassured brands that its ad placement tools provide brand safety by protecting advertorial content from appearing alongside harmful content in the app. However, increasing numbers of companies are reporting concerns that the ‘freedom of speech’ approach on the platform will be harmful to their reputation.
Hyundai has announced that it will be halting ad spend on X following its findings that promotions were being displayed alongside pro-Nazi content. This announcement by Hyundai came out just days after NBC’s report that revealed at least 150 blue checkmark profiles in the app have posted or amplified pro-Nazi content.
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YouTube’s ‘Most Relevant’ tab test shows demand for tailored algorithms
YouTube’s new ‘Most Relevant’ display in the ‘Subscriptions’ tab will mimic the ‘For You Page’ on TikTok, presenting users with videos they will enjoy the most, rather than most recently posted.
YouTube, alongside other social platforms, has been steadily morphing towards a TikTok-style site over the last five years since the boom into a short-form video streaming platform. The move aligns with the efforts of social platforms to invest in ‘attention-hacking’, and keep users on the app for longer.
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Vine to return?
Elon Musk has hinted that Vine may face a comeback – in what could be an attempt to redirect the attention from layoffs at Tesla and complaints about neo-Nazi content on X.
Vine was shut down in 2017, and is considered the predecessor to TikTok. If Musk is really working to bring back Vine, this could be met with an enormous number of users flocking to the app to experience the nostalgic six-second videos that were such a hit. However, if Musk does bring the app back, it would lack the secret to TikTok’s success: its algorithm.
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TikTok partners with AXS ticket company
TikTok has partnered with ticket-selling company AXS, enabling users to purchase tickets to events in-stream. Not only does this provide more options for artists who are promoting their shows, but it boosts TikTok’s musical reputation following the recent disputes with Universal Music.
According to research, TikTok users are significantly more likely to discover and share new music content in the app, with 75% of users finding new artists via TikTok clips. This has made the platform a critical consideration for record labels looking to promote their latest songs and artists. Therefore, the capacity to promote and sell tickets in-stream will be a big bonus for artists and labels.
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Is Airchat going to be the next big thing?
A new social media platform has emerged, and it’s been generating some buzz. Instead of typing a post, users will speak to Airchat, which will transcribe the words and as followers scroll, they’ll hear voices alongside the transcriptions.
Whilst some are excited to experience this more intimate form of social media, Airchat is not predicted to be a big success. Whilst many people are comfortable using voice notes to communicate with one person on the receiving end, most users don’t want to have to use their voice to create content. Airchat is one to watch, but from afar.
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Whatsapp…..?
Finally, Whatsapp caused widespread outrage last week by capitalising the first letters of the ‘typing’ and ‘online’ status of users. Gen Z especially prefer to write in all lowercase, with some disabling the automatic capitalisation in their settings. These users have been expressing discomfort towards the new update, but it seems as though it’s here to stay.