By Lara Graulich, Account Executive, Social & Content
Put on those sunnies! Is it the eclipse? No… It’s our RED HOT social headlines, burning bright as ever! Now that we’ve got the obligatory eclipse reference out of the way, let’s get to those new social updates.
This week, we cover TikTok’s rumored upcoming photo app, what Meta is doing to address deepfakes in an election year, Elon Musk’s fight with the Brazilian government on regulating X accounts and X’s latest efforts to convince advertisers it’s safe for brands.
TikTok’s Photo App Moves a Step Closer to Reality
TikTok may be close to launching a new dedicated photo app called “TikTok Notes,” a direct competitor to Meta’s Instagram.
Key Details:
TikTok Notes would basically be a clone of Instagram – a reverse of what usually happens where the latter copies popular features of other apps and makes them its own.
In the lead up to the release of Notes, TikTok has been encouraging users to post still images on the TikTok app, sharing that these uploads will soon be viewable on “TikTok Notes” as well.
With a potential TikTok ban looming in the U.S., its possible owner, ByteDance, is experimenting with new potential features to encourage a popularity boost.
Key Takeaways: What remains to be seen is if users will bite on TikTok’s new photo app. ByteDance has already released an eCommerce platform, Lemon8, in Western regions which received a lot of hype that quickly died out. Will this be the same with TikTok Notes?
Meta’s New AI Deepfake Playbook: More Labels, Fewer Takedowns
In the midst of a huge election year (worldwide and in the U.S.) and user worries about being deceived by hyper-realistic AI content on social media, Meta has announced it will be including a “made with AI” badge to deepfakes.
Key Details:
Meta is only applying labels where the content in question has “industry standard AI image indicators,” or where the uploader has disclosed AI-generated content.
There is a chance, despite these changes, that a large amount of AI-generated content and manipulated media will remain on Meta’s platforms since the policy would not remove manipulated media, given associated risks to free speech.
When Meta rates content as “False or Altered,” they will respond by applying algorithm changes that reduce the content’s reach.
Key Takeaways: If brands are sharing AI images/videos, it will be important that these pieces of content do not contain false or misleading visual information, otherwise they risk lower reach on their content and larger reputation issues.
‘We have reached the limit.’ Clash with Elon Musk Prompts Calls for Social Media Controls in Brazil
Elon Musk has threatened to disobey a court order by Brazil to regulate certain X accounts, which may lead to the social company losing all revenue in the country.
Key Details:
Musk, a self-declared “free speech absolutionist,” has relaxed X’s content moderation policies and reinstated several previously blocked accounts after buying the company.
Brazil’s Supreme Court described Musk’s defiance against its court order as a “flagrant” obstruction of justice and said heshould be investigated by the police.
The accounts that the Brazilian government ordered to be blocked were targeted in its investigations into “digital militias” that were believed to be complicit in the spread of misinformation and incitement of crime.
Key Takeaways: Musk threatening to disobey these court orders by Brazil may point to a future trend of him doing the same in other nations, making the future of the social app even more tenuous.
Inside X’s Latest Efforts to Make Advertisers Believe It’s a Platform That’s Safe for Brands
X is once again looking to reinstate confidence from its advertisers in terms of brand safety with new hires in its safety department and its plans to renew its brand safety certifications.
Key Details:
A new head of brand safety has been announced at X. Kylie McRoberts is the fifth person to hold the role since Musk took over Twitter in 2022.
Though X showed earlier indifference, it has confirmed it will recertify under the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), a global initiative fighting criminal activity and working to increase trust and transparency in digital advertising
X’s accreditation from the Media Rating Council (MRC), a not-for-profit industry self-regulatory body that audits and accredits media measurement products and data sources across digital, out-of-home, print, radio, television, and cross-media products, has been delayed. However, the council is open to re-engaging with the app, though no official moves to re-accreditation by X have yet been made.
Key Takeaways: Though X is making efforts to rebuild its reputation among advertisers, we would not take this as a sure move toward total stability. Since Musk’s takeover of X, the platform has been on shaky ground when it comes to brand safety, and we recommend that brands still approach X with caution when it comes to paid spend.
