What's Trending: May 17-18, 2023 Edition

Sprout publishes a guide on social media best practices, Netflix’s ad-supported tier draws almost 5 million global monthly active users and Nicolas Cage makes a surprising video game debut in this roundup of topics dominating our feeds courtesy of Ayzenberg Senior Social Analyst Kelsey Waldrep and Media Analyst Melanie Sauve .

Sprout Publishes Best Practices Guide

This week, Sprout published a guide outlining the best times and days of the week in which to post content on social media, using data gathered from 400,000 social profiles across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok to determine how to maximize audience reach. There are a few topline takeaways to keep in mind:

1) Posts scheduled to go out between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. on weekdays see higher levels of fan interactions.

2) TikTok is the exception to this general rule, as content posted from 2-5 p.m. see more success.

3) Limit weekend content, especially on Sundays, as users are less active across platforms on these days.

Elon Musk Trends Alongside ‘The Princess Bride’

In his annual exclusive interview with CNBC, Elon Musk claimed his freedom to say whatever he wants to on the platform is more important than the potential loss in profits generated by disgruntled brands leaving Twitter. “Offer me money, offer me power, I don’t care,” he said, quoting Inigo Montoya from “The Princess Bride” to support his sentiment.

The public had a very mixed reaction to his use of the quote; some thought it misconstrued the original sentiment, whereas others appreciated Musk's “boldness” in being unapologetically himself.

Nic Cage is coming to Dead by Daylight.?

Nicolas Cage will be in Dead by Daylight 2. Not as a voice actor for a character, but as himself. A more formal announcement will be made on July 5, but the tease has fans buzzing on Twitter.

Netflix Ad Tier Reaches “Nearly 5 Million” Active Monthly Users Since November Launch

During a presentation yesterday, Netflix leaders told audiences that the ad-supported tier of the service has “nearly five million” global monthly active users, with a median age of 34. In addition, they announced “Squid Game: The Challenge” will debut in November along with a number of returning titles and new movies and series.

Google Plans To Use AI To Help Companies Create Ads

Google wants to use its new PaLM 2 AI language model to help advertisers generate assets that they can use in their ads. Google is also looking to leverage its AI model to provide video ideas to YouTubers. It could also integrate an AI chatbot within the Play Store, Gmail and Maps to provide customer support.

Angelina Jolie Announces New Fashion Venture

Atelier Jolie will offer an exclusive online resource connecting customers with garment makers using only vintage materials, giving customers the opportunity to repair or upcycle pieces from their closets.

“I am building a place for creative people to collaborate with a skilled and diverse family of expert tailors, pattern makers and artisans from around the world. A place to have fun. To create your own designs with freedom. To discover yourself,” Jolie said on her website.