Can Confirm, TikTok is Pushing Its Shop. Yeesh.
We can’t scroll past more than a handful of videos before seeing a TikTok shop placement. They’re mostly t-shirts, sweaters, and knickknacks (think online Cracker Barrel gift shop), but we must have seen thousands over the past few weeks. And honestly, the content promoting them is pretty engaging. The purchase experience is also very smooth. The big question is this: if you sell a product, would you sell it on TikTok? And why wouldn’t you? It’s becoming a go-to source for search AND news (spoiler).
2024 Predictions
You’ve seen a thousand of these by now. We get it. So have we. They all say the same thing in a different font: AI, AR, video, and shopping. There are no hot takes here—we agree that these will be big (just like last year and the year before). So, let’s have some fun. Check out these predictions. They’re a little silly, a little serious, and we’d love to hear what you think.
- X will go bankrupt in April, then save itself by exclusively streaming to much-anticipated Elon v. Zuck MMA fight. Neither will win. X will then pivot to live events and streaming, like if Twitch and Periscope had a baby.
- Threads will figure itself out and attract the depravity that has kept X afloat for the past year.
- TikTok will evolve to real estate and medical sales as search usage increases. Misinformation will flow freely and we won’t be able to do anything about it.
- Instagram will lean heavier into the Close Friends thing and usage will plummet because we’ll feel like we’re back in high school again.
- YouTube will actually be a huge winner and push Shorts from a fringe platform to a go-to for people who feel icky about TikTok.
- LinkedIn posts about Guys and Gals Doing Things won’t get any better. They’ll get worse. Longer even. And they’ll have more emojis. Like, so many emojis.
​This Social Media Today article is more thorough and in-depth than we’ll ever be about our predictions.
Serious Social News
- ​You can share post comments to your IG Stories now! This is a really cool way to let your engagement create even more content for you.
- This infographic is a little dated (there’s no mention of Gen Z), but it walks through the psychology of social sharing. This is cool to know, especially as sharing remains a top engagement variable on all platforms.
- ​Meta 🤝 Amazon: These guys are partnering to bring a new shopping experience to Facebook and Instagram. It makes things easy (and gives them a little more user data on each other’s platforms, but oh well).
- ​People are getting their news on TikTok. What could go wrong?
- ​Close Friends is expanding on Instagram. You can now share posts and Reels to this audience specifically. Does this make people feel more connected, or does it do a lot to exclude many?
Have a Laugh/Take a Break
- ​This is actually a Social Media Manager’s brain at 5pm on a Friday.
- ​Watch the entirety of Shrek in 9 minutes (sorta, just click it)
- ​Vine would have loved this one​
- ​Could watch macro videos all day​
- ​Is this boy dinner?