Busting Instagram Myths: This week Instagram leaders tried to squash urban myths about the platform: there’s no limit to hashtags, shadow-banning isn’t a thing, “paid partnership” tags do not reduce engagement on posts, and editing a caption in the first 15 minutes (or even the first hour!) will not get you less likes.
Which Voice A.I. Assistant is the Best? A study asked four voice assistants more than 4,000 questions about brands, ranging from “What is the longest-lasting lipstick?” to “How do I contact JetBlue?” The findings: Google Assistant on a phone offered correct results for 92% of queries, while Google Assistant on a smart speaker hit 81%. Amazon’s Alexa was 34%, Samsung’s Bixby 32%, and Apple’s Siri was 28%.
1st Amendment Social Media Rights: This week the United States Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that the First Amendment prohibits an official who uses a social media account for government purposes (like @RealDonaldTrump) from excluding people from an “otherwise open online dialogue” because they say things that the official finds objectionable. Unblock!
Black Friday in July: Amazon’s Prime Day is a two-day only global shopping event that is coming up next Monday and Tuesday. The popularity of Prime Day has inspired Walmart, Target, Macy’s and even eBay to run online sales of their own, setting up next week as one of the biggest online shopping periods in history. Key deals this year include: Ring Doorbell Pro + Echo Dot, Fire TV DVR Recast, and $25 Echo Dots.
Halfway Through 2019 Mobile Stats: Mobile Marketer released a wealth of mobile usage stats including: more than half of weekly Pinterest users use the app while shopping in stores; 1 in 5 consumers have shopped via voice assistant; U.S. adults this year will spend more time on mobile devices than TV; the average time using mobile devices will grow 3.7% this year to 3 hours 43 minutes a day. See the full report here.
Twitterer of the Week: Move over Merriam-Webster, @NYT_first_said tracks the first time The New York Times uses a word, including colorful slang like “thiccc,” “hypebeasts” and “shooketh.”
GREG SWAN 