Every week I keep tabs on what’s trending, new technology and consumer habits that impact the social web. These are summed up in a round-up called Social Pulse. Sign up to get this in your inbox every Friday here.
Google Search 2020 Video is a Must-Watch: Google’s annual search year in review is especially poignant and meaningful this year – the year we all asked, “Why?” Watch the video here. Top searches included: coronavirus, election results, Kobe Bryant, Zoom, Google Classroom, WAP, Tiger King, dalgona coffee and sourdough bread. See the trend breakdown here.
What’s your Top Nine on Instagram this year? Are you team #BestNine or #TopNine? Either way, it’s time to crunch your Insta posts from the year and see which ones were the most popular. Top Nine crunches the data quickly your browser but includes post #’s. BestNine takes a LONG time but supposedly results in a cleaner pic. I’ve been waiting an hour, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
This Instagram Account Features 30 Second TV Spots Slowed Down to 60: It’s called @kult.of.stinkor, with favorites including Hi-C, Nesquik, Smurf Berry Crunch, Doublemint Gum, Snuggle and Friskies. Warning: some of these may haunt your dreams.
iMessage Hacks: iOS 14 brought some significant changes in Apple iMessage group chats you may not be using yet. Threads! You can press and hold on a text previously in a group conversation and start a thread. Tagging! If you write someone’s name it will turn blue for you to tag it. That way if they’ve muted your conversation they’ll get notified. Customization! You can rename the Group Chat name and even assign it an icon by clicking the “info” option at the top of your chain.
Reddit’s 2020 Year in Review: Watch this video! And here are all the YOY #’s, including things like 4 of the 5 top relationship communities in 2020 were focused on sharing advice. 50.2M+ mentions of COVID, COVID-19 or coronavirus. 9972.4% YoY activity increase in r/blacklivesmatter. James Charles was the #1 most-discussed influencer this year. The most popular picture was a photo of Rick Astley he posted himself.
Tinder’s Year in Swipe: Available in 190 countries and 40+ languages, Tinder has been downloaded more than 400 million times and led to 55 billion matches. Tinder has 6.6 million subscribers and is the highest grossing non-gaming app globally. What trended in 2020? Pandemic pick-up lines. Yep. Watch the video.
Patents of the Week: Although patent filings aren’t a guarantee that new technology will come to fruition, they give us a hint of where we may be headed. Amazon is thinking about using facial recognition to try to determine a person’s mood and them tailoring content to fit it. Apple’s looking at nesting batteries inside the watch band. Microsoft is exploring taking someone’s digital content and creating a digital clone of their mannerisms and speech via chatbot. Meanwhile, Ford is thinking about how smart traffic control systems can financially reward drivers in exchange for minor inconveniences. For example, if a traffic light changes prematurely to accommodate a city bus, this could entitle all vehicles with a certain distance of the light to light to a certain payment.
How Marketers’ Opinions Differ From Consumers: Kantar’s inaugural Media Reactions 2020 study is out, featuring takeaways within three categories: the divides between online and offline channels and brands; the divide between consumers and marketers, and the divide between brand and ad equity. Download it here for the price of an email address.
Business Reads of the Week: People who are rarely bored seem to have an easier time sticking to social distancing behaviors; The 3 new executive roles that define 2020; Where Did the Commute Time Go?
Quick hits:
- Twitter is launching native Snapchat integration, so you can share tweets directly to Snap.
- Google released an AR-friendly update for its Street View app so Android users with ARCore can contribute their own images to Street View.
- Facebook’s is testing an Instagram Content Calendar in its Creator Studio Tool.
- Twitter Wants to use Wikipedia to determine who gets a Blue verified checkmark.
- Google’s “Look to Speak” lets users pick phrases with their eyes.
- OnlyFans continue to earn buzz about non-adult category growth (this link is safe for work).
- Parler’s post-election bump is over.
- President Trump signed an executive order that directs federal agencies to consider 9 principles when developing, acquiring, and using AI.
- FTC and multiple states are suing Facebook, could force it to divest Instagram and WhatsApp.
- Cat-Focused Twitter Accounts Worth Following: @catshouldn’t and @catvibesto
- TikToks of the Week: opening those tubes of dough can be scary and a surprise teacher video that will make you cry
GREG SWAN 