Social Media Breakfast Austin

10/29/2020

Senators spent three hours on Wednesday grilling the CEOs of Facebook, Google, and Twitter about what people can and can't say on their platforms. Some would argue that this is time they could have spent working on a new coronavirus relief bill. Others might say that there are more pressing issues, given the fact that one of the most consequential elections in modern United States history is just days away. But no, Sen. Ted Cruz and many of his colleagues wanted to yell about censorship of conservative voices on social media.

It turns out, conservative voices thrive on social media. Data shows that posts shared by right-leaning websites and commentators like Ben Shapiro regularly appear among the most shared content on Facebook and other platforms. Meanwhile, there is no evidence that left-leaning employees at social media companies are waging a coordinated war against conservatives, as some Republicans have argued.

Recode's Shirin Ghaffary takes a closer look at what senators said about anti-conservative bias in social media and other topics in this round of fact-checks.

We took a closer look at the unproven claims lawmakers made about Facebook, Google, and Twitter.

09/18/2020

TikTok and WeChat are officially banned from the U.S.

The administration issued new rules Friday morning that would cripple the operation of these two popular Chinese-owned apps in the United States.

The Trump administration issued new rules Friday morning that will cripple the operation of two popular Chinese-owned apps in the United States.

08/13/2020

Tik Tok: Should you be worried? You may be wondering how an app for sharing viral lip-syncing videos poses a national security threat. This article outlines what you should know.

You may be wondering how an app for sharing viral lip-syncing videos poses a national security threat.

08/12/2020

You can now limit who is allowed to respond to your tweets, which Twitter says is helping reduce harassment.

FINALLY. It's a start. Have you tried the new feature yet? What do you think? Share your comment here.

You can now limit who is allowed to respond to your tweets, which Twitter says is helping reduce harassment.

07/07/2020

The streaming platform raised $1.75 billion and secured a roster of A-list talent, but it can’t get audiences to notice.

11/20/2019

This isn't a social media topic, but it is related per se.

Ageism and job seeking. It's very real, unfortunately. If you're in that position currently, this article may provide some helpful guidance and tips to leverage to your advantage.

If you are "older" and recently landed a new position, and didn't face age discrimination--would love to hear your experience in the comments to share with others.

Age bias is real. Here’s why, and how you can work to combat it.

10/21/2019

Facebook has created Build to Break, an online resource for marketers planning digital strategies. The hub features a variety of components, including in-depth guides such as its State of Disruption report, a playbook that details online marketing considerations, along with resources and case studies for a variety of business sectors.

Facebook has launched a new resource hub for high growth online companies which outlines how they're seeing growth and boosting performance.

10/17/2019

Instagram is giving you a little more power over your data that it owns. Instagram knows a lot about you and gives you the option to share that data with third-party apps. Soon, you’ll have the option to know more about what Instagram knows about you and shares with these services, The Verge reports. You will also get the power to revoke these apps’ access to your data from one centralized place in your Instagram app. The company announced that it will push out this feature over the next six months.

See who has your data at a glance.

09/30/2019

Instagram’s behind-the-scenes advertising economy is bad for Facebook. Instagram has expanded to 1 billion monthly users in less than a decade, and it accounts for 22 percent of Facebook’s total ad revenue. But now, Instagram has “grown so big, so fast and [has become] so commercial that it risks losing the stylish and intimate aesthetic that made it wildly popular,” the Wall Street Journal writes. Instagram’s popularity has generated a behind-the-scenes industry that uses viral content and follower counts to sell sponsored posts. And meme factories, accounts filled with posts designed to go viral, “are reshaping how Instagram content is made.”

The problem for Facebook: As Facebook tries to capitalize on Instagram’s brand (Facebook announced last month it would rename the app, “Instagram from Facebook”), it poses a risk: “alienating users who suspect the content and personalities aren’t genuine."

The draw of 1 billion monthly users has spawned an aggressive behind-the-scenes advertising economy that threatens the site’s originality and appeal, and the bottom line for its parent company.

08/26/2019

Curious on how to manage brand risk when using GIFs?

Pizza Hut recently sparked brief consumer backlash by repurposing a viral video from a TikTok creator as a GIF on Twitter. This article offers legal advice regarding the use of GIFs on social, recommending that brands only use GIFs made publicly available by social platforms or Giphy, but, to be absolutely safe, marketers should seek permission from the GIF creator, anyone featured in the footage and the copyright holder of any underlying content.

After Pizza Hut was called out by a content creator, a lawyer shares some guidelines for marketers.

07/10/2019

Content creators will have more opportunities to use Facebook to monetize ads and branded content with an expanded Ad Break product that functions in pre-roll and mid-roll videos, and a non-interruptive image ad that shows below the video. Facebook is also expanding metrics for its Brand Collabs Manager and Creator Studio, launching a subscription revenue option and has organized a New Product Experimentation team to create apps designed for community building.

The new updates aim to help creators earn more and enable advertisers to collaborate on branded content more easily.