Social Media Portal: Tick-Tock TikTok ???

[***record scratch***] Wait, wait, wait, Zack. Didn't we just cover this? It's true . Wasn't there TikTok ban legislation that stalled in the Senate? Yep . Have there been any changes in the way of addressing the constitutional red flags raised by the initial bill, particularly as it relates to the First Amendment? Nope . What about new guardrails that would effectively keep users' data safe and secure? Nope . Well, surely new evidence has come to light that definitively shows that TikTok's Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, has shared U.S. user data with the Chinese government? Nope . So…

So, what changed is that House Republicans made the decision to include TikTok as part of a larger $95 billion foreign aid package , a priority for President Biden with broad congressional support for Ukraine and Israel. And now here we are — perhaps less than 9 months away from 170 million Americans (and 7 million businesses) no longer being able to access the app that has undeniably revolutionized the way bite-sized video is shared and consumed digitally. Smash the nearest panic button? Let's press pause, instead, and all take a collective breath.

For starters, we'd be remiss to gloss over the legislative fine print. The original standalone bill stipulated that ByteDance divest its stake within 180 days, or lose access to app stores and web-hosting services in the U.S. The modified version now has a sale deadline of nine months, with a possible additional three months if a sale is in progress. While the Chinese government's blessing of any American suitor is highly unlikely particularly because of its first-in-class algorithm , it extends the earliest expiration date of the app to January 2025 and the amount of time brands and organizations can dedicate to mapping out a thoughtful exit strategy.

Regardless of the divestiture timeline, ByteDance is going to fight the bill in the courts with both First Amendment protections and recent precedent on its side. In November, a federal judge blocked a Montana law that sought to prohibit the use of TikTok across the state, saying that the legislation "oversteps state power" and "likely violates First Amendment rights." In 2020, another federal judge put the kibosh on an executive order issued by then-President Trump to ban TikTok nationwide after the company sued on the grounds that the order violated free speech and due process rights.

When Northeastern University assistant professor of law and computer science Elettra Bietti joined the Portal last month, she was quick to point out that an ongoing NetChoice litigation case currently being reviewed in front of the Supreme Court may clarify the First Amendment protections of a social media platform like TikTok. That case centers around the constitutionality of state laws passed in Florida and Texas that limit the ability of social media companies such as Facebook, X and YouTube to moderate content on their platforms. A decision is expected by late June .

Bietti: "[The Supreme Court] may rule that speech platforms are comparable to media publishers and thus have special autonomy and special protections against government interference under the First Amendment. This means that TikTok itself has First Amendment rights which it could claim the government breached by passing this bill."

All of this — the lawsuits , the congressional hearings , the media attention and scrutiny — underscores a tectonic shift in a social media landscape that has largely been unregulated for the past two decades. Will it lead to the complete Ctrl+Alt+Delete of one of the era's brightest supernovas? Impossible to say how the proverbial Magic 8 Ball will shake out. I don't pretend to have that answer. But I think it's very reasonable to expect that government oversight will undoubtedly impact the apps that you frequent both professionally and personally sooner rather than later. If we haven't already entered Social 2.0, we are on the front steps and ringing the doorbell.

With that volatility and potential red tape in mind, be as ready as you can be for the moment:

• TikTok's future is in flux, but I'd be shocked if the short-form vertical video craze it ushered in is going to crater overnight. 1080x1920 is here to stay IMHO. Plan accordingly. Creating a scrappy video production workflow that allows you to quickly and easily repurpose SFVV across multiple platforms (IG and Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts, etc. ) both leverages the in-vogue content format algorithms and users are clamoring for, and provides you with a bulletproof vest in the event of a doomsday RIP scenario.
• Give your audience every opportunity to follow you on all platforms where you actively disseminate content. P.S. This doesn't need to be a promotional tactic that you deploy on the eve of an app's downfall or shutdown. Putting a newsletter subscribe link in your "link in bio," or pre-scheduling some posts encouraging newsletter signups can never hurt. The followers you've spent years building and engaging with don't need to go the way of fairy dust if and when the clock strikes midnight on TikTok (or any platform, for that matter).
• Brands and organizations should always be periodically re-evaluating the time and resources they dedicate to every social media platform, TikTok included, based on data-driven insights. Take a look at the metrics and how they support your team's goals and objectives (such as audience growth/reach, video viewership, engagement, etc.) If you're consistently failing to reach and engage with an audience in one particular digital space, is it possible to reallocate a few eggs to another basket where you are seeing gains and wins?
• Don't stop experimenting. Lest we forget, it's been less than six years since TikTok really put its imprint on the cultural zeitgeist and became the most downloaded app in the U.S. There's no telling how quickly hundreds of millions of digital savvy users might flock to another envelope-pushing app in the next half decade. Here's to hoping the quick-hitting, fast-paced video editing and creative storytelling chops that we have cultivated in order to make hay on TikTok will translate elsewhere , regardless of its ultimate fate. I, for one, am optimistic they will.
• Reduce your exposure on the platform . Protect yourself by not giving TikTok access to your contacts and blocking TikTok's ability to track you outside of its app. Export and save all of your video content, too!?

I'm not a legal scholar nor a filmmaker but, in what is very clearly already a Netflix docuseries in the making, I have a feeling that we are much closer to the premiere than we are to the finale. More plot twists, character arc turns, and courtroom scenes are almost certainly in the queue. In the meantime, on to the headlines…

Social Media Headlines

• TikTok is now banned. Well, sort of. (NPR ) Here's what could happen next. (CNN )

• Meanwhile… TikTok is currently testing a new Instagram-meets-Pinterest app for photo posts called TikTok Notes in select countries. Users' existing photo posts will be shared on the app unless they opt out of the auto-share feature. "As part of our continued commitment to innovating the TikTok experience, we're exploring ways to empower our community to create and share their creativity with photos and text in a dedicated space for those formats." —?TikTok (TechCrunch )???

Portal note: In general, TikTok is already pushing creators towards photo posts trumpeting that Carousels get "2.9x more comments," "1.9x more likes" and "2.6x more shares on average" than video posts. (Modern Retail )

Portal note Pt. 2: This is NOT a sell-or-ban workaround. The "Peace through Strength Act" ?restricts any app that is owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by a foreign adversary that is "determined by the President to present a significant threat to the national security of the United States." (ICYMI by Lia Haberman )

• Kansas Reflector, a non-profit newspaper, published a column that was critical of Facebook and accused the platform of suppressing posts related to climate change. All links to the article were then subsequently labeled as a cybersecurity threat and blocked on Meta's platforms. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone is simply calling it a "security error" bug. (CNN Business )
• Back in 2012, Meta paid $1 billion for Instagram, then a revenue-free photo-sharing startup with a handful of employees. Thanks to recent court filings, we now know that IG generated $32.4 billion in ad revenue in 2021, exceeding that of YouTube ($28.8 billion) and making up 27% of Meta's total revenue. (Business Insider )?
• X has launched a new YouTube-inspired video app, with key features including a trending video algorithm, AI-powered trending topics and cross-device compatibility, so users can start watching on their phone and continue watching on TV. (Hollywood Reporter )?

Portal note: Interestingly enough, Elon Musk had recently asked X users whether or not Vine should be brought back. Nearly 70% of 2.3 million respondents voted "YES" on the poll Q. (Forbes )

• 10 months post-launch, Threads is already outpacing X in total number of daily active users in the U.S. market, according to Apptopia. (Social Media Today )
• It pays to be kind. If creators use the #GoodVibesOnThreads hashtag in conjunction with posts related to "positivity" for 10 consecutive days, they could be eligible to win up to $500. (The Information )

April's Biggest Platform Updates

• Meta's large language model "Llama" is now integrated into Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger with the platforms' search bars now doubling as AI chatbot prompt windows so you can get real-time web results in-app. The eager-to-chat AI-powered assistant also appears among DMs, under Facebook posts and has its own dedicated website. While Meta claims you can't disable the new AI feature entirely, users can still search for query results how they normally would. (NBC News )
• TikTok is testing out the ability to attach links to organic videos, according to three separate publishers. (Digiday )

Portal note: As social referral traffic continues to swan dive on Facebook and X, it remains to be seen if platforms like TikTok and Instagram can make up that deficit and move the needle beyond audience reach and brand awareness. (Digiday )

• TikTok for work? LinkedIn is experimenting with a short-form vertical video feed, which lives in the app's navigation bar in a new "Video" tab. Once users enter the feed, they can quickly swipe through and like a video, leave a comment or share it with others. LinkedIn says videos are becoming one of its users' desired formats for learning from professionals and experts. The feature is still in early testing, so most people won't have access to it just yet. (TechCrunch )
• LinkedIn is now letting Premium-level newsletter creators add a custom "Subscribe to newsletter" button in their profile. The CTA shows up in LinkedIn search, on your profile, and in the header of your LinkedIn posts. (Matt Navarra )
• Threads is working on adding the post composer to the top of the feed. (Alessandro Paluzzi )
• Reddit is doubling down on comments as a point of emphasis in the mobile app version of the platform. (The Verge )?
• Previously turned on by default for its premium subscription users, Snapchat's "Solar System" friends-ranking feature will now have to be proactively turned on following complaints from parents about the possible social anxieties it may cause. (Axios )

Best Practices

• FOCUS MORE ON ENGAGEMENT, LESS ON FOLLOWING. Or so says the Head of Instagram. Adam Mosseri: "I understand why people focus so much on follower counts; they're prominent and they're easy to find. But if you actually want to get a sense for how relevant an account is, look at how many likes they get per post and how many views per reel instead." (Adam Mosseri )
• CONVERSATION, NOT CONTENT, IS KING? In a Meta world where political content isn't getting the red carpet algorithm treatment on platforms like Instagram and Threads, digital diplomacy author, scholar and creator Andreas Sandre believes that generating conversations around issues people care about is one way for content creators in the political news space to still remain relevant and get discovered. (ICYMI by Lia Haberman )
• SHORTER ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER. In the past, broadcast, cable, and radio channels used short-form platforms to drive viewers to longform content platforms. However, in 2024, traditionally short-form video platforms are now incorporating long-form content, making it easier for creators to adapt and optimize content for different social platforms. On TikTok, short-form videos below the 30-second mark were the most frequently uploaded video length for top publishers in 2023, but videos between 5-10 minutes actually won the highest average views per video. (Tubular )
• HOOK 'EM. Because Instagram only counts a view when the viewer has watched the first three seconds of a Reel, content creators need to give their audience a reason to stick around through the four-second mark. Front-load the "meat" of your video or promise a surprise/treat right at the top. It's one of 20 "can't-miss" tips to boost Reels views from Hootsuite. (Hootsuite )?
• HASHTAG IN MODERATION. There have long been different schools of thought when it comes to the implementation of #'s on Instagram. However, according to one Meta Media Expert actually employed by Zuck, 3-8 hashtags is the sweet spot and more than 8 hashtags won't help you. The hashtags should be in the post caption NOT the first comment, they should be related to the niche or audience you want, and random/viral/#ForYouPage-type hashtags aren't algorithmically-friendly. (Future Social )?
• CARE TO COMMENT? YOU SHOULD. LinkedIn claims that commenting once a week can triple your profile views. (LinkedIn )?

Research & Reports

• Over 1,500 industry pros contributed to the creation of HubSpot's 2024 Global Social Media Trends Report, a lineup of nod-inducing insights into how audiences engage across social media platforms both personally and professionally. (HubSpot ) TL;DR:

Top 10 Social Media Trends:?

1. Brands taking big creative swings are seeing the payoff, big time.
2. Social media marketers are using AI tools to create more effective content.?
3. Consumers have fully embraced social media shopping.
4. Consumers primarily do research via social media and video, not search engines.
5. Fostering active brand social media communities is driving engagement and loyalty.
6. Social media teams see the best ROI on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
7. Short-form video keeps on keepin' on delivering ROI and engagement.
8. Audiences are connecting with relatable, authentic content that shows brand values.
9. Memes and funny posts are outperforming highly-produced, product-focused spots.
10. A strong brand identity on social, and promoting creators' voices, is becoming more important.

• Sprout just recently refreshed its "Best Times to Post on Social Media" platform-by-platform breakdown based on the social media usage of more than 34,000 customers. (Sprout Social ) TL;DR:

Peak engagement times are generally from Tuesdays through Thursdays between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., varying slightly by platform.

Facebook remains the most used platform for marketers with peak engagement times primarily during mid-mornings on weekdays.

Instagram comes second with peak engagement times on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., with Tuesdays and Wednesdays extending to 4 p.m.

LinkedIn, a professional-focused platform, sees high engagement during midday on weekdays, especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and noon.

TikTok, the youngest platform, shows peak engagement on weekdays, particularly on Tuesdays and Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m., and mid-mornings from 9 to 11 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

• In an analysis of 26,000 news articles published between January 20 and February 20 of this year, Memo found that less than 1% of readers to news articles came from social media. Among the article categories studied, only three showed a tendency toward a low-end moderate correlation: Politics, Sports & Athletics, and Crises. (Search Engine Land )
• 88% of influencers' top concern is navigating the frequent changes in social media platforms' algorithms, according to URLGenius' latest Creator Day Lightning Survey. (Morningstar )

Read, Watch, Listen?

• ?? First Amendment protections will be a formidable obstacle for Congress to overcome when fighting the legal battle over its TikTok ban legislation. Proving the platform poses a legitimate threat to national security may be its best path to victory. (Platformer )
• ?? A TikTok to-do checklist. (ICYMI by Lia Haberman )
• ?? Why the TikTok ban is irrelevant. (Duolingo Senior Global Social Media Manager Zaria Parvez )
• ?? Keep on TikTokin’, brands. (Future Social )
• ?? This may be the beginning of the end for advertisers on TikTok. (The Big Tech CEO Alex Kantrowitz )
• ?? "Rest assured: we aren't going anywhere." — TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew (TikTok Newsroom )
• ?? TikTok on the clock. (Hard Fork )
• ?? Last but certainly not least… A shameless colleague plug! Cathleen Cusachs , social media manager for GBH Kids, joined the Elwood City Limits podcast for a wonderful kind of conversation RE: all things Arthur social! She hits on first coming to GBH, crafting voice for the accounts, finding creative inspo from the fandom, a recent collaboration with "book joy" librarian and influencer Mychal Threets, and more. (Elwood City Limits )

"With the shift from high polished product driven ads to entertaining scrappy short-form video, brands who continue to embrace adaptability will find success. Regardless of what happens to TikTok, the same mentality that has driven virality will stay the same despite where the content lives. This ban is a true test of your social team's ability to be early adopters to whatever comes next."

— Duolingo Senior Global Social Media Manager Zaria Parvez