The Scoop: 8.30.22

"Our next guests (we mean updates) need no introduction," we quietly tell ourselves as we race into the holiday weekend. 😉 So long, summer!

Trying to Be Authentic Is Literally Not Authentic: The Case of the Crying CEO

If you’re on LinkedIn, you likely saw the “Crying CEO” LinkedIn post – or a parody of it. As digital engagement practitioners, we often preach authenticity over all else to encourage interactions with/on content and increased audience views. Emotion and authenticity go hand in hand, but it’s a fine line and it must be carefully drawn. For reference, actions on social are perceived as truth, especially when it comes to individuals. In this instance, the CEO had two choices – quietly help his employees or post how laying off workers made HIM feel – and the internet backlash was swift. Instead of scaring CEOs and executives away from expressing emotion and leadership style posts on their social platforms, this should instead realign to what truly matters to your audience. Social audiences want to see vulnerability, but want to relate to it versus feeling anger toward someone else’s experience being centered on them.

Sources: The Guardian, Braden Wallake LinkedIn, Washington Post

Why Aren’t You On YouTube and Tiktok?

A recent survey among teenagers in the U.S. showed that YouTube is their most used platform, with 95% of teens reporting they use it, followed by TikTok (67%), Instagram (62%) and Snapchat (59%) – which is mirrored in the UK. Since the survey was last conducted in 2014/15, TikTok launched and Facebook saw a significant drop in popularity among teens, decreasing from 71% to 32%. This signifies that legacy social networks are losing their appeal [see our last edition of The Scoop for more on this] among younger audiences as quicker content consumption style of TikTok is evolving user expectations and behaviors, putting pressure on them to compete. YouTube appears to be thriving under the pressure, with short-form videos seeing considerable growth of 135% in Q2 2022 vs. Q2 2021, and a thriving community of individual creators that account for 95% of short-form content on the platform. On the other hand, Instagram recently came under criticism from users for “copying” TikTok. But it isn’t necessarily that apps are copying these platforms, they’re simply trying to keep up with changing behaviors. As we look ahead, it isn’t just social networks that are affected. With young people turning to TikTok and Instagram to search for information, could Google be next in the firing line?

Sources: Pew Research Center, Social Media Today, Tubular

Don’t 💩💩 MoviePass Just Yet

MoviePass co-founder Stacy Spikes announced that MoviePass is back, expected to relaunch around Labor Day. We’re applauding its bold move to relaunch as a Web3 application where users earn credits to go to the movies by watching ads. The use of artificial intelligence [we❤️ you AI] would make sure you’re actually watching those ads via facial recognition and eye tracking tech in phones. 🤯. (Yikes, now is it 1984?) No mentions of Web3 are on the MoviePass FAQ, so we may have to sign up for the waitlist with other eager moviegoers to find out what advantages are actually in store.

Sources: Business Insider, New York Times, Vice

They Are At It Again. Let’s Call It Flattery, Shall We?

Time and time again, we’ve seen legacy social media companies find inspiration in other platforms. Most recently, we reported that French startup BeReal, an app that leverages no-frills, authentic content, is taking hold with Gen Z, driving 7.67 million downloads this year alone. As expected, other social platform companies have taken notice. While Instagram makes a play to win-back screen time from video-content competitor TikTok, it has also set its sights on BeReal. Instagram’s recently launched “Dual” camera mode is testing a location-based feature called “Snapshot” – two features that are very reminiscent of BeReal’s unique UI. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, time will tell whether BeReal will feel the same flattery as Snapchat Stories and Clubhouse’s audio-only chatrooms.

Sources: The Scoop, Social Media Today

And In Other News…

Like we said above, it’s not that apps are copying each other, they’re simply trying to keep up with changing behavior. 😉TikTok’s experimental third feed has been spotted out in the wild.

Current obsession, virtual influencers – but don’t do this. Capitol drops ‘virtual rapper’ FN Meka after backlash over stereotypes.

Contributing Writers and Editors: Nick Cardillo, Ricki Kahn, Lauren Fernández Meihls, Jennie Szink, Nia Roberts and Bre Thomlison

Real Chemistry’s The Scoop is brought to you by an editorial collective, featuring industry updates and insights from subject matter experts across social media, digital and influencer activation teams.

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