BeReal: The app’s missed entertainment-fandom opportunity

Blog post by Ashleigh Millar

10 May 2023

BeReal

snapchat

instagram

By the end of 2022, the novelty of BeReal’s uniquely ‘authentic’ take on social media was spreading like wildfire across the internet. Consumers and the industry alike were watching closely to see...

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Why TikTok and the future of social is now on trial

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

5 Apr 2023

TikTok

social

twitter

The last two weeks have seen social platforms, especially TikTok, abuzz with clips of TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s hearing before the US congress, answering lawmakers’ questions about the social media...

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The Meta push for efficiency

Blog post by Ashleigh Millar

16 Mar 2023

Meta

instagram

facebook

This week (14th March), Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg released a memo for his employees entitled “ Update on Meta's Year of Efficiency ”, forewarning its upcoming strategy changes, organisational restructuring,...

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Are subscriptions the future of social apps?

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

22 Feb 2023

social

subscription

twitter

When Elon Musk took over Twitter, he was publicly faced with a seemingly impossible ask: make the iconic, culture-defining, long-standing social app (consistently) profitable. At the time of acquisition,...

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Blue ticks and adverts and meta (AI)!

Blog post by Ashleigh Millar

14 Feb 2023

AI

Media and Marketing

Marketing Strategy

Another Super Bowl Sunday (and half-time show) has left us as quickly as it arrived. [SPOILER] Chiefs won 38 to 35, Rihanna’s “surprise guest” was in fact her baby bump, and Fox Sports reported that...

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Is Mastodon the beginning of the social platform revolution?

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

9 Nov 2022

social media

social platform

mastodon

Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter last week has raised serious questions about the future of the app, and about the future of social platforms overall . As the likes of TikTok move social into the category...

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BeReal success: where is the popular app headed?

Blog post by Ashleigh Millar

15 Sep 2022

BeReal

instagram

snapchat

As of the end of August 2022 , BeReal was reported to have 10 million daily active users , not to mention that the app was number one in Apple’s App Store’s free app list in July (in Australia, the...

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Social media is the vessel to amplify the open podcasting ecosystem

Blog post by Annie Langston

1 Sep 2022

social media

twitter

YouTube

Live audio sparked in lockdowns and blurred the lines between social media and podcasts. Although Clubhouse kickstarted this craze, its success post lockdown has lagged , and other major platforms are...

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Andrew Tate, the manosphere and social media platform responsibility

Blog post by Ashleigh Millar

30 Aug 2022

andrew tate

hunter moore

manosphere

Millennials among us may remember Hunter Moore, a man that Rolling Stone aptly named “the most hated man on the internet” , and who is now the subject of Netflix’s recent documentary series of the...

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Podcast discovery is getting a TikTok facelift

Blog post by Annie Langston

18 Aug 2022

TikTok

Podcasts

Spotify

Podcast discoverability continues to be a core challenge for audience platforms, audio creators, and listeners. With the rise of the creator economy, more voices are entering the space, which increases...

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If the future of entertainment is niche, how does the Meta approach fit in?

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

3 Aug 2022

instagram

Kim Kardashian

Reels

The last week has undoubtedly been a hectic one for the developers of Instagram, which recently began trialling a TikTok-esque, video-first focus on its app to some users. The update was not well received,...

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Meta leans in to the creator economy

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

21 Jun 2022

Meta

creator economy

NFT

MIDiA has written much on the premise of the emerging ‘creator economy’ ; a dual-sided concept that highlights both the increasing opportunity for creators who already exist, from music to video to...

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Instagram is trying TikTok features on for size – but does the shoe fit?

Blog post by Ashleigh Millar

19 May 2022

TikTok

instagram

stories

Instagram has started testing its new TikTok-esque make-over. The platform, which originally started as a photo-first app, has revealed its plans to push forward in a more video-first direction. This is...

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Is the rising popularity of the BeReal app proof that raw authenticity is the social media trend of 2022?

Blog post by Ashleigh Millar

28 Apr 2022

TikTok

instagram

snapchat

‘Genuineness’ is trending on TikTok at the moment. Influencer celebrities have risen to fame because of their transparency and relatability, from the likes of Brittany Broski sharing candid, unfiltered...

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From Will Smith to cake: Why memes underpin (the volatility of) success in the creator economy

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

30 Mar 2022

meme

cake

netflix

This years’ Oscars were overshadowed by the onstage physical altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock, with any news of historical awards (Jane Campion was the third woman in history to take home...

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Why Instagram will introduce NFTs to the gig economy in a big way

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

16 Mar 2022

facebook

Meta

metaverse

In a conversation at SXSW, Mark Zuckerberg dropped that Instagram was going to be incorporating NFTs in the ‘near term’, pending some technological tweaks. While he was sparse on the detail, initial...

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Why the rise of a (former) political leader in the ranks of Meta spells regulatory compromise ahead

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

17 Feb 2022

facebook

metaverse

Meta

This Wednesday, Nick Clegg – former MP and deputy Prime Minister of the UK – was promoted to President of Global Affairs at Meta, reporting directly to Mark Zuckerberg himself. According to Zuckerberg,...

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Why Instagram is climbing aboard the subscription bandwagon

Blog post by Ashleigh Millar

21 Jan 2022

instagram

subscriptions

patreon

Meta has announced that, following the success that came from its ‘fan subscriptions’ (now called ‘Subscriptions’) trial in June 2020, it will be testing the subscription model on Instagram via...

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Major label revenue surged in 2021, but what does that mean?

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

7 Jan 2022

Major labels

streaming

music revenues

Major label revenue surged in 2021, but what does that mean? 2021 was an anomalous year for the recorded music market. Two of the majors did an IPO, the pandemic continued to disrupt the marketplace,...

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The social reckoning is nigh: The Haugen testimony and Facebook blackout hint at imminent regulatory changes

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

7 Oct 2021

social media

TikTok

facebook

The race between social media (and broader tech) innovation and governmental regulation has been a bit of a hare and the tortoise situation for the past decade-plus. However, the digital-first transition...

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