influencers
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Instagram creators can now lock photos and Reels behind a paywall
They can offer subscribers exclusive group chats, Stories and livestreams too.
TikTok joins Instagram in testing creator subscriptions
Creators will be able to charge for access to their content.
Instagram starts testing creator subscriptions
A small number of influencers can now paywall stories and livestreams.
Pinterest is giving creators ways to make money on the platform
Influencers can tag Idea Pins with products and disclose paid partnerships more easily.
Netflix recruits the Hype House's TikTok megastars for a reality show
Imagine 'The Real World' with social media influencers who already know each other.
Twitter teases new features for groups, tipping and ‘super follows’
Twitter plans to start testing several new features that could dramatically change how its users interact on its platform, including groups and paid features like tipping.
Pinterest lures lifestyle influencers with its own version of Stories
Pinterest is stepping up its efforts to lure influencers to its platform with a new set of Instagram-like features.
Riot Games adds to its world of virtual influencers who promote 'League of Legends'
“Seraphine” first appeared on social media in late June, posting selfies to Instagram and tweeting about her desire to “share music and hopefully connect with people.” For another, she’s dropped League of Legends easter eggs in her posts that have sparked rumors about her association with it. Now, Riot Games has confirmed that she’s a “virtual influencer,” not unlike the other virtual bands created by the company: True Damage and K/DA.
Shoploop gives influencers a new platform to demo and sell products
Google has launched Shoploop, a site where brands and influencers can create short videos showcasing a product and provide a direct link to buy it. The idea for Shoploop came when Lax Poojary, founder of Google’s experimental workshop Area 120, was riding the New York City subway and saw a woman switching between apps on her phone, Poojary wrote in a Google 120 blog post. Turns out, the woman had seen a social media post about a makeup product, looked up a review for it on YouTube and then had to navigate to an online shop.
The influencers of pandemic gardening
To the untrained eye, Kevin Espiritu’s garden is an overflowing hodgepodge of containers: stackable planters growing beans, herbs in traditionally narrow windowsill planters and a variety of trellises inside canvas grow bags. The front yard is packed tightly with raised vegetable beds made from sheets of corrugated metal, and a loquat tree sits in the corner, heavy with fruit. Getting a personal tour via Zoom feels like a treat after watching hours of Espiritu’s gardening tutorials, where he rarely features his front yard in its entirety.
Twitter ‘super-spreaders’ shared bogus COVID-19 info with 3 million users
A new report by NewsGuard says a handful of COVID-19 misinformation “super-spreaders” have shared bogus information with more than three million Twitter users.
Recommended Reading: Inside the PlayStation 5 with Mark Cerny
PlayStation 5 uncovered: The Mark Cerny tech deep dive Richard Leadbetter, Eurogamer If you're craving even more explanation on the PlayStation 5 than lead architect Mark Cerny shared during his in-depth chat a couple weeks ago, get comfy. Eurogamer shared part two of its chat with Cerny this week, and while there weren't any new revelations per se, there was more detail on the things we'd already heard about.
UK government enlists influencers to battle coronavirus misinformation
You've probably seen posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter that say you can self-test for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, by holding your breath for 10 seconds. According to medical experts the Associated Press interviewed, those posts aren't accurate. And it's precisely that type of misinformation the UK government hopes to combat by turning to some of the same people who help spread them: social media influencers.
Facebook: Creators must disclose paid partnerships with political campaigns
Mike Bloomberg's ploy to reach voters through bad Instagram memes may be tacky, but it is not violating any Facebook or Instagram rules, as long as creators disclose paid partnerships. "After hearing from multiple campaigns, we agree that there's a place for branded content in political discussion on our platforms," Facebook said in a statement provided to Engadget.
Mike Bloomberg is paying Instagram influencers to hype his campaign
Before this week, social media networks like Instagram were one of the few places where you could escape the advertising reach of billionaire presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg. Not so anymore. According to The New York Times, Bloomberg is working with a company called Meme 2020 to try and reach out to young voters. But rather than convincing them to vote for him based on his policies, Bloomberg is instead attempting to secure votes by going viral.
Spotify tests Stories for influencer playlists
Spotify is testing a new feature that lets influencers share Stories alongside their public playlists, TechCrunch reports. Spotify's version will allow select users to share video clips that contain snippets of songs and album art. As you'd imagine, it looks a lot like the Stories you've seen on Snapchat, Instagram, Tinder and YouTube.
Facebook, Instagram ban influencers from promoting guns and vaping
Facebook and Instagram already ban ads for guns and e-cigarettes, but now they're shutting down a loophole that let merchants pitch the products regardless. The social networks have announced that they're banning "branded content" (read: influencer posting) that promotes weapons, tobacco and vaping. You'll also see "special restrictions" on posts that market products like alcohol and diet supplements.
The FTC is reportedly investigating Juul's teen marketing tactics
Juul is facing yet another investigation. This time, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is looking into the company's marketing practices. It will decide whether Juul used deceptive marketing, including targeting minors and using social media influences, sources familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. The FTC may seek monetary damages.
Facebook gives creators more ways to make money
As VidCon gets ready to take place between July 10th and 13th in Anaheim, California, Facebook has news to share with its creator community. The company has announced that it is introducing more ways for them to earn money on its site, starting by giving them the ability to choose better placement for ads in their videos. Facebook says that, in order to better support videos that may not have "a natural break for ads," creators will now have the choice to include non-interruptive advertising formats, such as pre-roll or image-based ads. This could come in handy on videos that are particularly short, for instance.
YouTube uses AR to let you try on makeup during tutorials
There's no question YouTube's beauty bloggers have some of the largest followings, and the platform has become an important place for even the biggest makeup brands to debut their products. Now, Google's AR Beauty Try-On feature will let YouTube users virtually try on makeup while watching tutorials and reviews.
