It’s a busy week on socials.
December 11, 2023
Press
Today’s tea comes from the hot water TikTok has found itself in, after its employees were caught spying on American journalists.
But let’s go back first, because this cuppa has been brewing for a while.
For the past 3 years, TikTok has been trying to assure the US government that the personal data of its citizens cannot be accessed by China’s Communist party. Or any entity under Beijing’s influence, for that matter. Over that time, it has also been blocked on a number government-affiliated accounts, with top security personnel calling for full ban on the app.
That assurance has manifested in a security agreement that would require the app to unveil a host of protective measures, including hiring consultants that would be responsible for implementing the deal, in order to maintain access to the US market.
It was in the process of hiring said consultants before Christmas, as well as securing the final sign off the deal, when reports emerged that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, had been spying on several American journalists via TikTok, over fears they had gained access to commercially sensitive information.
The new reports of alleged spying have undermined all of TikTok’s assurances to US officials and caused the government to hit pause on any potential deal.
Which could mean sanctions, restrictions, or even a full ban, are back on the agenda.
Sip, sip.
Self-development must truly be in the air this month because Elon Musk is doing something beneficial for Twitter.
The platform is developing a new approach to the bookmarks display, after Musk decided it was too obscure.
The new UI would bring the functionality upfront, putting a new bookmark option in the top right of the tweet display, making it easier for users to access.
Will it have any significant impact on engagement? Who knows. It could end up becoming a useful tool for advertisers and businesses, if Twitter pushes into ecommerce and includes product listings within tweets. Making it easier to save items to a private list could well see increased product engagement from shoppers.
At the very least, it’s a nice addition to the platform experience, which is more than users can hope for at the moment.
As per Elon’s tweets, throughout January, Twitter will be adding:
Reddit has launched a new Reddit For Business website to provide additional guidance to ad buyers and marketers.
The site includes best practices, formulas, stats, case studies and educational resources, compiled by the platform to give marketers the very best chances of success.
“90% of users trust Reddit to learn about new products and brands. For context, that’s higher than Google, Amazon, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. The communities’ trust turns into action. Redditors tend to be more informed consumers, more valuable buyers, and they go hard for their favourite brands,” it writes.
Over the past few years, Reddit has been stepping up its efforts to build an advertising business around the platform. It’s new website is just one of the ways it has been inviting brands to target its highly engaged and loyal communities, even if their famously edgy discussions are not where such companies would traditionally engage.
“Reddit’s ad platform enables advertisers to reach their audiences in moments when opinions are formed and decisions are made, providing unique opportunities for a broad range of advertisers,” it explains.
And it’s not wrong.
