#43 The End of Free Social Media

Is social media about to start costing us? As digital ad spending dwindles and privacy changes take effect, major platforms like Snap, Meta, and Twitter are introducing monthly subscription options that offer benefits like verified badges, early access to new features, and reduced ads. These paid options may sound enticing, but the move towards a paid model may also worsen the free versions of these apps, limiting the visibility and access of non-subscribers . It remains to be seen if users will be willing to shell out extra cash for these perks or if social media's move towards a paid model will alienate more users.

IN FOCUS

In a world where climate issues are at the forefront of people's minds, journalism has a crucial role to play in reporting on them. The?EBU's latest News Report ?provides?case studies and guidance on how to deliver climate-related journalism?that resonates with audiences and ensures transversal coverage across all genres.?

Related:Journalists from all countries working on the climate crisis can?apply for the CCNow* Journalism Awards.?The entry deadline is March 15, 2023. ?(*CCNow is a coalition of 500+ news and media partners supporting the development of climate journalism)

AUDIENCES

A new report by SmartOcto & Dmitry Shishkin takes?a closer look at how different newsrooms use a 'user needs' model?to better serve the different news needs of readers, proposing a next step in its evolution:?user needs model 2.0.

Coincidence does not exist. Just at this time, DRIVE, a collaboration of regional titles in Germany, is also releasing a first analysis of the user-needs model. This shows that especially inspire me pieces provide the most value for them.

DISTRIBUTION

Echobox has released an interesting set of social media benchmarks for 2023 . A new report offers publishers valuable insights on how they measure up against their competitors, providing an opportunity to improve their social media strategies and achieve better results.?

In The Audiencers, Andy Griffiths, the founder of Champion Newsletters, outlines a roadmap for local newsrooms to develop and expand profitable email newsletters. The article provides practical guidance and numerous illustrations , making it valuable to anyone who operates a newsletter.

AI

An important group of media companies, including OpenAI, TikTok, Adobe and the BBC , have signed up to a new set of guidelines on how to build, create, and share AI-generated content responsibly. Here is the framework.

German media group Axel Springer says journalists could be replaced by AI , as the company seeks to boost revenue and transition to becoming a purely digital media company.?

And soon any app will be an AI-app.?OpenAI has announced anyone can now integrate ChatGPT and Whisper models into their apps and products through their API.

Meanwhile companies are already scrambling to put generative AI in their products.

• AI-powered Bing has been launched on Windows 11 taskbar.
• YouTube is developing generative AI tools for content creators .
• Snapchat has released an in-app ChatGPT-powered chatbot called My AI.
• Meta is revamping its AI unit to integrate generative tech into its products.
• Meta has released a new AI language model.

+ A workshop: Using AI tools to improve your local news operations.

AUDIO

Audio is becoming an increasingly important part of the media landscape, and platforms are scrambling to develop new tools and features to keep up with the demand. YouTube Music recently introduced a new radio experience that lets users create their own custom stations, while Spotify plans to launch a vertically swiped homepage designed to improve discovery and attract a younger demographic.?

Meanwhile, Rogers Sports & Media is beta testing "RadioGPT" , a radio station that runs completely on AI voice technology.

And Radio3, Spain's public radio for young people, launched "Hiperia," a first audiovisual show created entirely with AI , including the script, content, image, and sound.

MORE AI

In 2014, the Associated Press (AP) was one of the first news organizations to adopt AI. What can other media companies learn from AP’s expertise with this tech? Aimee Rinehart, program manager for The Associated Press’s Local News AI initiative, shares some of the lessons their work has yielded.

WIRED has detailed how it will use generative AI. The magazine's ground rules for using generative AI tools include not publishing stories with text generated by AI, not publishing text edited by AI, acknowledging the sources used by AI tools, and not using AI-generated images or video.

Emily Bell, director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, has been mapping the impact of social media on news media and journalism for years. Now she warns that as an industry we risk making the same mistakes with the introduction of generative AI. Naive use of a technology that we don not control and whose impact we underestimate.

MISCELLANEOUS

Can you come up with 100 visualizations from one simple dataset? This site showcases the diversity and complexity of data visualization and how you can tell different stories using limited visual properties and assets.

A new app renders 2D photo’s in 3D information so you can make memories immersives.

And animation is about to change radically. Here's a look at the future.

IN MEMORIAM

As I wrap up this newsletter, I want to take a moment to honor the legacy of Mandy Jenkins, who passed away at just 42 years old . Her passing is particularly meaningful to me, as I had the pleasure of sharing a stage with her on multiple occasions. Jenkins was a true trailblazer and a passionate advocate for forward-looking journalism. Her impact on the industry will be felt for years to come, and her commitment to pushing boundaries serves as an inspiration to all of us.

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Ezra Eeman, Change Director, News - Editorial