Due to the widespread use of social media, competition among people has greatly increased during the last ten years. Call them Creators, Influencers, Streamers, or Vloggers, these powerful social media personalities command unmatched power in the ...

Top 10 Creators In the World 2023 with Earnings and Followers

The world’s biggest YouTuber, MrBeast, has received a mixed response after asking his followers to tidy up grocery store shelves if they see his products are in disarray. On March 3, MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson,

MrBeast asks fans to tidy Walmart shelves of Feastables, sparks debate – Insider

The line between what’s real or not in Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson’s videos got a little hazy this week after 14.5 million subscriber YouTuber Rosanna Pansino accused Donaldson on Thursday of deceptive editing in his 2021 “Creator Games” video ...

The latest MrBeast debate proves you should always question what you watch

YouTuber Mr Beast has more than 200 million followers, with tweens and teens among his most fervent fans. MyBroadband did a taste test of his Feastable chocolate slabs.

US YouTuber brings chocolate brand to SA, prepare for kids' demands!

The innovative entertainment venue, which is also owned by MSG, will have its logo featured on the Knicks' jerseys.

New York Knicks land Sphere as jersey patch partner

The National Basketball Association’s ( NBA) Washington Wizards have announced financial services platform Robinhood as their new jersey patch partner. Multi-year deal for home and away jerseys to run until end of 2025/26 NBA season

Washington Wizards net Robinhood jersey patch partnership

Cash back rewards provider Ibotta has inked a deal with the defending NBA champion Nuggets as the team's official jersey patch sponsor. The Denver-based company's brand logo "will be seen on all editions of the Nuggets' game and practice jerseys for the next three seasons.

Nuggets ink jersey patch deal ahead of opener

An iOS App Store title by the name of “ Sweets Bonanza ”, posing under the guise of a dietary app designed to stop you from eating sugar, is actually just a front for a casino gambling app that’s being advertised using a MrBeast deepfake on Instagram.

Apple's App Store hosting 'Sweets Bonanza' casino scam advertised with MrBeast deepfake

Feastables chocolate slabs taste great, although they definitely aren’t worth R50 each and people who don’t enjoy dark chocolate should stay away. That was MyBroadband’s finding after tasting each of the four flavours Massmart started selling in South Africa last week — Milk Chocolate, Deez Nuts, Crunch, and Original Chocolate.

We tasted Mr Beast’s R50 chocolates to see if they are any good

Fans were perplexed by YouTube star MrBeast donning full Tampa Bay Buccaneers gear during the team's crucial NFC South showdown.

What the Buc? Why MrBeast Donned the Full Tampa Bay Buccaneers Uniform

Feastables

feastables

2023 Review of Social Media Trends There continues to be a and private communities wherein users are sharing in DMs or closed communities such as Slack, Discord, WhatsApp, Messenger group chats, etc. as opposed to posting to their public-facing timelines. userbase shift to “Dark Social” The lack of safety and moderation tools provided by platforms means that end users are having a very poor experience. They are fed up with bots and dogpiling. People have found that it is safer to share an opinion in a community that knows them and doesn’t seek to misinterpret their intentions. If you happen to misspeak or try out a hot take to clarify your own thoughts on the matter, the people in your closed circle know you well enough to know your intentions and can challenge you without it escaping your sphere of influence and becoming a larger cancellation. This shift to Dark Social can frustrate marketers because there could be bumps in sales that current analytics tools may not be able to explain. Sharing within closed communities can lead to strong word-of-mouth gains for some. There has been with the advent of X Premium/Twitter Blue, Meta Verified and Ad Free options, and Snapchat+. This will continue across all platforms. movement towards paid subscriptions As For You Pages, timelines, and feeds become increasingly clogged with paid content placement, users might be willing to pay for an ad-free experience or for paid-exclusive premium features. ? The Death of Twitter/X There has been so much speculation about the big changes at leading to the death of the platform, but the situation has not been as dire as the “doom and gloomers” had initially forecasted. It is true that CEO Elon Musk’s behavior has been erratic, and there has not been good follow-through on publicly-stated plans, which has driven away brands and prompted advertisers to pull their funds from X and re-invest on other platforms. Twitter/X The changeover to the x.com domain broke back-end analytics so marketers and social media managers have been “flying blind” without access to the data they had previously relied upon to fine-tune their content strategies. There is ample publicly-available data to support claims that bot activity has increased on the platform and that users have not been spending as much time on the app or have abandoned it altogether. Additionally, X currently has no data security team. Giving X access to any form of payment information is ill-advised at this time. Threads, T2, Bluesky, Mastodon, etc. have not lived up to the promise of being a full . Twitter replacement The widely-anticipated launch of Threads has been viewed by some to be a failure due to the sharp drop in active users after an initially impressive uptake. The platform, at launch, lacked many basic features and had geographically-restricted access which put a damper on adoption rates. Mastodon has seen widespread adoption among tech workers, but non-tech consumers found the setup process to be too intimidating and complicated. Bluesky has struggled with individual users not being able to find their niche communities. ByteDance launched a fulfillment service called to compete with Amazon and Meta Commerce, but it struggled. TikTok Shops Software glitches in the rollout of TikTok Shops negatively impacted the small businesses that were early adopters leading to a poor experience for both sellers and buyers. This led sellers to send up the alarm in their communities prompting others to halt their plans to use the feature for direct sales. It was a huge stumble out of the starting gate and uptake has been slow ever since. TikTok broke trust with the creators they were relying on to make the launch of the tool a success, and they are struggling to recover. HarperCollins and WH Smith launched a test program in partnership with TikTok Shop UK in 2022 to allow users to order books directly from videos without leaving the app in an attempt to capitalize on the impact that has had on the sale of certain titles. Since the initial press coverage of the launch of this partnership, things have gone quiet, so the assumption is that publishers have still not been successful in using the platform’s commerce tools for direct-to-consumer fulfillment. On the flip side of that coin, record labels have been effectively using Meta Commerce to boost both physical and digital album sales. Booktok launches have been the biggest social media marketing success stories of 2023 Creator-led consumer goods Prime from Logan Paul, Skims from Kim Kardashian, and Feastibles from Mr. Beast were giant successes because of the trust that influencers have built up over time with their audiences. Similarly, in publishing, titles like by B. Dylan Hollis, a by Danny Freeman, by Mercury Stardust, the Trans Handy Ma’am, etc. have been topping bestseller lists. Baking Yesteryear Danny Loves Past Safe and Sound continues to be the most engaged-with form of content across all platforms. Live video Live video can have a huge barrier to entry for many would-be creators, but there are so many creative workarounds for people who prefer not to have their faces on camera. Creators have been using voice-over only, blocking their faces with large microphones, using sock puppets or paper cutouts of an avatar of themselves, etc., to avoid doing a full “face reveal” and protect their identities while still building audiences on social media through both streaming platforms and on short-form video platforms that have live video features. 2024 Social Media Trends Forecast The future of is still bright. text-based “micro-blogging” platforms The launch of Threads in the EU will be a big boost to the platform. The addition of accessibility features and a continuous improvement of user experience will be big determining factors in userbase growth over time. Given how unpredictable the CEO of X is and the somewhat dire forecasts for the future of the platform’s revenue sources, shifting away from investing too much energy into growing your audience on X makes sense. Elon Musk’s behavior Text-based micro-blogging platforms still lead image-based platforms in driving traffic to “owned media” sites due to robust support of links. Even when links are de-emphasized by the algorithm, users still see better traffic statistics from text-based platforms like X and Facebook than from short-form video platforms and image-based platforms like Snapchat and Instagram. The major challenge for brands on social media will continue to be moving towards using platforms for instead of strictly for raising brand awareness. conversion This is why we’re seeing so many commerce tools come online and why companies like Meta have shifted their focus away from communities with huge layoffs in the Facebook Groups teams. Social media, however, is not a storefront. It was built for having conversations and sharing ideas, not for making purchases, so it’s trying to be something it’s not and was never intended to be in service of market pressures. Expert Matt Navarro thinks TikTok will have an easier time trying to become Amazon than Amazon will have trying to become TikTok but having an existing logistics infrastructure in place may mean his prediction is incorrect. has been gaining a lot of traction in Asia on all platforms that support live video (mostly Instagram and TikTok), but there is still low market penetration in the US. Live Shopping Multi-level marketing schemes were early adopters of live shopping in the US when Facebook Live came online in 2016, so that may have left US consumers with a poor impression of social commerce. Amazon is trying to tap into social commerce by partnering with Meta and Snapchat to add  features to their e-commerce platform that mimic social media platforms. These changes are geared towards bringing more live shopping to the Amazon app. Similarly, LinkInBio is implementing tools that will facilitate direct sales. Expect TikTok Shops to continue to be pushed heavily in the For You Page algorithm, and watch for ByteDance’s foray into publishing as they’re expected to launch their own imprint and begin direct book sales on the app. is coming to multiple platforms utilizing location data to customize your feed in real-time. Nearby Feed This was one of the main strengths of Snapchat circa 2018, but expect data privacy challenges to slow integration into more platforms. - Influencer marketing has outpaced ad spend and will continue to take a larger share of advertising budgets, but still, only 4% of creators make six figures. The Creator Economy New subscription tools on LinkedIn, YouTube, and X are trying to give content creators more ways to charge for access, but many still rely on third-party platforms such as Patreon, Substack, OnlyFans, and others such as Five.Me. Many content creators will likely try to diversify their income streams through publishing contracts and product launches in 2024. is the Wild West. Short Form Video Monetization YouTube has suffered three straight quarters of ad revenue declines (NOT LOSSES, just declining growth). Per analysis from Logically Answered, this is largely an effect of YouTube Shorts not being able to be monetized as effectively as long-form video and a shift towards short-form video taking away market share from long-form content. YouTube continues to be the most stable platform for creators to monetize their output. The TikTok Creator Fund did not live up to its promise and is being replaced with The Creativity Program. Monetization on the Reels Play program is still invitation-only, and creators have very little insight into the analytics behind their payouts, but this program is expected to expand, and Meta should bring more reporting features online in the future. will allow creators to automate and streamline processes like copywriting so they’re able to publish content more frequently. AI-powered large language model tools Generative AI tools are making some tasks that used to require the involvement of highly-skilled specialists more accessible to everyone, which could lead to an overall increase in output (and also an intensification of the squeeze on creators to do more and more with a finite time resource). Spammers will be early adopters and everyone else will be feeling the pressure to develop new skills like writing effective AI prompts and researching what the best options are amid the rapidly expanding suite of new tools. More bulk-created content will lead to a higher signal-to-noise ratio for thoughtful, long-form content to break through. Expect less overall reach on public posts across all platforms due to cluttered feeds. Improvements in will continue to drive customer service successes via social. Designing conversations will be a needed skill for digital marketers to learn. chatbots Generative AI images and video are improving at a rapid rate, with new tools expected to be released to the public in 2024. Tech giants, including Microsoft, Google, and Meta, are continuing to make huge investments in artificial intelligence. , but there are liability concerns surrounding the copyrights on the contents of the datasets that these machine-learning tools have been trained on. Expect more landmark lawsuits to be filed and the public to begin making  calls for an increase in the transparency of where training datasets have originated. For AI tools to be useful, users must be able to trust their output which requires high quality input. Platform integration of AI-driven tools will be a big growth sector Malicious making the rounds on social media will continue to be a big problem for free and fair elections and for prominent public figures’ reputation management. deepfakes AI avatar technology continues to improve and will allow more creators to begin using live video anonymously. Expect more augmented reality to infiltrate digital commerce sites like Warby Parker’s virtual try-on. Trends such as the “make it more” image prompts will continue to make waves on social networks. in Europe and elsewhere have had a big impact on platforms and will continue to be a major focus. Regulatory challenges Privacy concerns and data security compliance will need major investments from US-based entities if they want to continue to operate in jurisdictions that are investing in passing laws to protect their citizens’ rights. Rapid-Fire Platform Predictions for 2024: will continue to add functionality. Adding in-app scheduling will be a game-changer. An API is coming, which will mean third-party app integrations including off-platform scheduling. Improvements in accessibility tools like Alt Text and Voice Messaging have already made the app much more usable and this trend will continue. The addition of translations will be a big step forward. Threads doesn’t have much of an identity currently. It hasn’t distinguished itself with any unique features. Threads will try to woo back advertisers. There will be more focus on video on X and a shift toward payment systems, transaction management, and banking. There has been no indication that there will be new data security hiring. The prediction is that X usage will continue to flag, and the company will be less and less profitable in future. X will keep its focus on online commerce and expanding messaging services but will face more regulatory challenges in multiple jurisdictions. Keep an eye on The Creativity Program and improvements in search features as the platform continues to challenge Google as an information source. TikTok ’s universal inbox will be a model for all other platforms that are trying to capitalize on the shift to dark social. WhatsApp will continue to grow its user base and reap the benefits of the expanded features they’ve rolled out in recent years. They are planning to add AI-integrated features. LinkedIn is still hurting financially from the failure to launch of the Metaverse, but their Ad-Free subscription has seen decent uptake and their investments in messaging and acquisition of WhatsApp are paying off. Facebook is too noisy with bot activity and poorly targeted ads which is driving users away. Whether or not they have more to offer in 2024 than continuing to clone the popular features of other apps is yet to be seen. Instagram ’s robust content moderation has continued to serve it well in terms of attracting and retaining advertisers. It’s a place where brands feel safe, but the modes of moderation have had  the effect of stifling creativity. We’ve all seen the creators trying to have a serious conversation about certain topics who’ve had to dance around the issue by using euphemistic language to avoid de-monetization. This creates a poorer experience for the audience and hopefully YouTube will be able to build some nuance into their automated content moderation tools with improvements from machine learning tools. YouTube has put a huge investment into its augmented reality virtual try-on tool, but it’s not quite ready for primetime yet. Pinterest

Social Media Trends: 
2023 Review & 2024 Forecasting

Architectural Designs

After successfully building a 100% remote working company with 500 members from 40 countries, we know what you need to ask to hire the top talent. At , we have managed to create something special. We have successfully built a community that is 100% remote. Indiez Our community covers 30+ countries in over 5 continents across the globe. We have successfully delivered on over 250 different projects for some major organizations including and . Uber Dominos Remote working is the of work. If you do not start hiring ‘digital nomads’, your company will die. future We have made the mistakes so you do not have to. We have conducted 4000+ interviews, we have hired 400+ members and we have had to fire 10. By following this interview guide, you will know what traits to look for to hire the world’s best talent. Your interview process has to be consistent and it has to be via video. You have the opportunity to hire the best talent worldwide and video chat is the only feasable way to allow for a personal touch. Don’t just do one stage. Famously, they say that interviewers know if they want to hire a candidate within the first 5 seconds, we do not believe this with regards to ‘digital nomads’. You have full control and we advise a minimum of a two stage interview process. Along with the video interviews, set a task. When a candidate is willing to prove their ability before receiving a job offer, you know that they are keen to work for you. You are also able to see the quality of their work and whether it is a correct fit for your business. At , we implemented tasks as part of the process for non-tech roles within our company. It allowed us to get a real feel for the candidates and whether they fit within our hard working culture. Indiez Giving an independent slightly vague task is easy to think of. For example, If you are hiring a content writer, just ask them to write a small blog on a topic interest and let them figure out the rest. What should I be looking for? #1 Self Starters Why is this important? Remote work is all about independence. It is therefore incredibly important that the right candidate is a self-starter. They will be async a lot of times and they have to be a doer and not a teller. There can be worries when creating a 100% remote work team and if you can see that the candidate has enough about them to motivate themselves, the rest of their team will have nothing to worry about. An element of incredible success with telecommuting comes from having managers who do not have the need to micromanage. Though this can come from our managers style, it works because their team can be trusted and we learnt it from the initial interview process. Indiez To decipher whether they have this quality, you need to find out whether they are capable of taking responsibility and whether they have the ability to finish something to the end. Ask Questions Such As: Give me an example of when you were responsible for the product and how it occurred from start to end. Give me an example of when you screwed up and needed to rectify things yourself. Then drill short questions from the answers given! Why did it happen? Who’s fault was it? A clever technique that I use, is reactive responses. You want to ask about a time they experienced an injustice, and then empathize with the unfairness. You say, ‘Are you kidding? That’s crazy. What a jerk.’ Owners will immediately respond with something like, ‘Yeah, but I recognized it wasn’t worth my time to complain about it.’ They won’t buy in and double down on venting or complaining,” #2 The Communicators Why is this important? When hiring remotely, communication is the factor. most important You will not be able to walk up to someone in an office and just discuss any issues in your working day so they need to communicate as effectively as you can. You also cannot just leave things open ended as then it will lead to confusion and because of asyncness and the person may not respond in time. You also will have deadlines that they need to meet and there is nothing worse when a deadline isn’t hit due to miscommunication. Communication is now so easy with remote work. We use loads of at including , , for instant messaging/video chats and and for communicating tasks and progress of tasks. I have phone calls with my team daily during the working week despite different time zones, this is perfectly easy in today’s world. tools Indiez Skype Slack Whatsapp AirTable Asana How do I find the best communicators for me? This is easy to check. How well are they writing? How well are they speaking? Are they being clear? Are they writing in detail? You will know what is right for you with regards to communication but we give extra bonuses to people who conduct themselves well when they interject, people who send thank you notes following a conversation, people who are graceful, efficient and using a few words to be whip-smart. Ask everyone you interview about something that they have recently learned, not only do you hear their communication skills but you may also get to learn something new too! #3 The Growth Mindset That Will Help Your Business Grow Why is this important? Remote workers have to learn independently and learn a lot at rapid speed. They are super learners and you cannot track what they are ! learning To make sure the right person is doing this, they need to be experts in the art of self mastery. You will need to check that they are able to learn difficult things in a limited time frame and they they are willing to expand their knowledge. Having someone who wants to grow their mind means that they will be generating enough to be a superstar within your business and will help your business grow. Ask Questions Such As: When was the last time you geeked about something? What are you reading now? Teach me something How’s your career progressed so far? What mistakes have you done in life? This also helps you find some common ground in their interests with yourself and you will be able to build a relationship on those traits. Self teachers are happy to develop more and more skills, you can create a workforce of experts within their departments and even some incredibly versatile talent. A true asset for any company. #4 People Who Can Get The Results! Why is this important? This speaks for itself. They need to hit your targets. You need to find out whether they have regularly hit KPI’s, what they expecting from their future KPI’s and in some cases you can request evidence on previous performance. What should I ask? You should ask your candidate to suggest how they think you should be measuring their performance at the interview stage. This gives you an idea of both yours and their expectations. How many targets have you hit in your last position? What did you do to ensure you hit your KPI’s? When have you ever failed to hit target and why? How did you handle hitting deadlines while working remotely? From here, you will be able to gage their previous results. You can even ask for backups and if you are happy to confirm this when getting references with their previous employer. Final Interview Points: A really true and brave candidate will ask you whether you have reservations about them at the end of the interview. Be honest and see how they respond to any objections or hesitations that you may in them. This could be impactful on your final decision. Always concentrate on punctuality/responsiveness. This links back to the communication and also whether you can rely on this person as an employee. If they are late to an interview, think strongly about how often they would be late in meetings. If they don’t respond fast, how badly do they want the job? YET AGAIN This is what we do and what we look for when recruiting a perfect remote workforce and our hiring process enables us to only . Once hired, we get out of their way and let them see their . 🚀 hire people who have a desire to create huge impact and change the world work as their own MISSION Use our 100% remote team and see how thanks to this interview technique, we are able to build you something special in record speeds. will be here for you when you need something building. Our remote community will help you on your way and build you a product very fast. We have the top 1% talent in the world and we will guarantee to hit your deadlines. Need help building your product? Indiez startup Let’s build awesome. 🙌 Starting up? Do it right! Join 100+ amazing founders who built successful products with Indiez. Know more about us here — Indiez.io

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