The Weekly Roundup (week of 4.17)

Big theme this week is change.

1. The Future of Social Media is a lot less Social

This is an interesting article that points out the gradual transition from social media being a place to connect with friends or family and share candid moments of your life to a place where people mainly go to be entertained and/or sold to.

“Social media is, in many ways, becoming less social. The kinds of posts where people update friends and family about their lives have become harder to see over the years as the biggest sites have become increasingly ‘corporatized.’ Instead of seeing messages and photos from friends and relatives about their holidays or fancy dinners, users of Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and Snapchat now often view professionalized content from brands, influencers and others that pay for placement.”

It’s something to keep an eye on as people start to transition away from larger apps to more focused micro-communities like Discord in which they feel comfortable being themselves. Read more here.

2. People are Sick and Tired of their Subscriptions

Not much of a surprise here as many companies have started to transition to selling subscription packages. Kind of awkward considering I’m trying to shill my own subscription service onto people, however! Mine is worth it. Don’t even think about unsubscribing from me. Read more here.

3. Brace for Impact

This is a really well written article that details the pernicious incentive structures that can taint newsrooms. The internet has had really profound changes in journalism and this piece dives into the dark side of the industry as more and more newsrooms have to rely on philanthropic donations to fund their work. Read more here.

4. The New Tiffany, Unboxed

The Arnaults continue to snatch up every brand in existence. I guess it’s natural in this world for conglomerates to keep acquiring and growing their portfolio but I am interested to see how they evolve the brand, if at all. Read more here.