Is There a Real Kingmaker at TikTok - and did Facebook Drop the Ball on Dropping Likes?

Here’s what’s new and what caught my eye this week:

TikTok as Kingmaker: Is there a crazy wizard behind the curtain, pushing Bella Poarch and Megan Thee Stallion to the top? A new column from Insider reporter Kat Tenbarge implies that the platform finds and promotes "invasive mediocrity". And music industry expert Bob Lefsetz recently referenced "a highly managed curation process" that turns songs into hits. TikTok was the first programmed social video platform. The algorithm has an uncanny ability to keep serving things that will keep you watching. But I think these hits come from closely watching user data, not some secret top-down cabal. Trying to define TikTok with any precision is like blind men describing an elephant because the platform is so opaque and different for everyone, it's hard to ascribe global intent. However, that opacity engenders rampant speculation. Until there's more transparency, which I'm not even sure would be possible — we'll continue to see more conspiracy theories. I'm not buying any of them. Yet.

From the Brand Age to the Creator Age: Still wondering how to make sense of the Creator Economy, crypto, and how it all ties together — I know I am. If so, you’ll find this latest PDF about "The Great Decentralization" from merch/commerce company Spring helpful. It dives into how creators and fandoms create value together (NFTs) to the YOLO economy and how brands are giving way to commerce. A bit self-serving, given the company that created it, but still chock-full of insight, cleanly and clearly presented with examples.

She Likes Me, He Likes Me Not: What started as a shocking but welcome change for Instagram and Facebook has devolved into an opt in option. You and all your friends can now hide like counts on Facebook and Instagram. But making it optional won’t make social media healthier or friendlier. Why did they back away from a full-on ban? Because many top creators and influencers complained. Now it’s just one of many preferences, which means comparatively few uses will take advantage. To our global detriment, Big Blue remains lashed to likes. Better than nothing, but sadly an opportunity lost . 

NEW THIS WEEK!

Creator Funds: Last week we talked about Niel Robertson’s evaluation of creator funds and their unintended consequences. Well, THIS week we’ve got Niel on VidCon Now with Channelmeter CEO Eugene Lee to dive into the issues even further. Don’t miss this conversation streamed live for free at live.vidcon.com Tuesday June 1st at 12 PM (PT)! 

More on VidCon Now:

• THURSDAY: Join our QA session with Riley Hubatka here at 3 PM (PT).
• FRIDAY: Focus Friday with Plant Kween at 10 AM (PT) at live.vidcon.com.

Tip of The Week: This one comes from Matt Gielen, one of the smartest audience growth strategists in the business and CEO of Little Monster Media.

As YouTube becomes more and more feed based (see: Shorts, 50% of all users are mobile) it becomes much like other auto-playing social platforms. In the auto-play environment the traditional YouTube marketing elements of a title and thumbnail become less important (in the long run). Therefore, outside of paid, marketing on YouTube really becomes about what is in the content. Telling the audience who you are, what they can expect, when they can expect it, and why they should be excited about what's coming next is vital. It is the next phase of YouTube marketing, and it's also branding best practices. 

QUIBIS: 

• Thought provoking story on the search for THE NEXT BIG THING, inspired by Poparazzi.
• Let’s all move to Bitcoin Island! 
• A well written and depressing essay on the state of creator houses in LA.
• Brands are prioritizing TikTok over other platforms with new campaigns, but not every campaign works.
• It’s about time! Twitch adds Inclusive hashtags.
• Yes, I like Bella Poarch’s new single, but I’m still not adding this new SiriusXM channel to my favorites.
• Yet another micro-community to explore: The Study Web.

What We’re Watching: Alan Chikin Chow is coming to VidCon US 2021 in Anaheim this year — and we can’t stop watching his funny videos. Shameless plug — if you are considering investing in a creator or buying an NFT, watch my session last week on “Should You Invest in a Creator”. 

NEWSFLASH - PODCAST ALERT - If you like this newsletter, come join me and Cassie Roma every week on the new "Fireside Chat" app. Every Monday at 4p pacific time we'll break down the top stories in the creator economy. And each week we invite listeners to join us to share their thoughts, opinions and ideas.

Join us live every Monday at 4p Pacific at www.firesidechat.com/jimlouderback - or listen on demand there or subscribe via Anchor or on Spotify

If you want to be part of our studio audience, drop me or Cassie a note here in LinkedIn and we will try to get you in. Spaces are limited!

 This week we discuss whether Facebook and Instagram dropped the ball on dropping Likes, a look at whether TikTok really is focused on promoting blandness and we handicap the latest darling app Poparazzi.