The Instagrammed Insurrection [Content Made Simple]
The Instagrammed Insurrection [Content Made Simple]
Issue #204: An obituary of a Twitter account, video marketing trends, and more.
THE INSTAGRAMMED INSURRECTION AND THE GREAT DEPLATFORMING
Booting Trump won’t solve social media’s problems. But it’s not a bad place to start.
Quote:
The deplatforming of a U.S. president is a big deal in itself, and will reverberate for years to come. No doubt it will inflame the right and give Fox News hosts something new to rail against in lieu of focusing on Trump’s own dereliction of the presidency. It will also likely echo beyond U.S. borders: Activists against the authoritarian regime in Iran, for instance, were quick to call for Twitter to apply the same standards to the account of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
As momentous as Trump’s ouster from major social networks is, however, the events of this week are a reminder that the role of social media in fomenting chaos runs deeper than simply lending the president a platform. And the forces that conspired to wreak chaos upon the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday aren’t going away anytime soon.
Commentary:
There is so much to think about when it comes to social media following the siege on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump one week ago today. What was the role of social media in the terrorist attack? How did the terrorists use social media to plan and organize in plain sight? Is it right that all of these companies are deplatforming Donald Trump? How does that affect moderation into the future? So many questions!
ON THE POD
Social Media and the Siege on the U.S. Capitol
It was hard to think or talk about much else when we got together to record the podcast last Friday. So we talked about the obvious: what role did social media play in last week’s insurrection?
HITTING THE LINKS
Link #1: A Farewell to @realDonaldTrump
The Associated Press reports on the removal of the most consequential Twitter account in the history of Twitter.
@realDonaldTrump, the Twitter feed that grew from the random musings of a reality TV star into the cudgel of an American president, died Friday. It was not quite 12 years old.
The provocative handle was given birth by a New York real estate tycoon who used it to help him become the 45th U.S. president. It began with a May 4, 2009, tweet promoting Donald Trump’s upcoming appearance on David Letterman’s show.
It died more than 57,000 tweets later, with Trump using some of his final postings on the powerful platform to commiserate with a pro-Trump mob that besieged the halls of Congress in a deadly assault as lawmakers were set to certify his defeat.
Link #2: Twitter’s Trump Ban Will Mark a New Era for “Free Speech” Social Media Platforms
Helpful analysis of the splintering of social media around ideological lines that may be coming.
As major platforms like Twitter and Facebook begin to moderate the extreme right more seriously, sites such as Parler, Gab, and MeWe are primed to harbor deplatformed users and disgruntled conservatives. Attempts to ban movements such as Stop the Steal have already caused Trump supporters to migrate to these alternatives, though some are finding it difficult to start over on smaller, clunkier platforms.
The alternative social media ecosystem is broken down into Twitter mirrors like Parler and Gab, Facebook clones such as MeWe, and video hosting sites like Rumble. Each has yet to prove that its oppositional business model — emphasizing freedom of speech — is sustainable and profitable. Some, like Parler and Rumble, have secured backing from conservative influences such as radio host Dan Bongino.
Link #3: 10 Video Marketing Trends for 2021 [Infographic]
And one link not related to the events of last week to help out with some practical social media strategy. Last year was obviously huge for video, and this year will certainly be as well.
Are you looking for ways to improve your social media strategy in 2021? Want to learn more about how video marketing could set you aside from the competition?
The team from Oberlo share their video marketing trends for 2021 in this infographic.
THE FUNNY PART
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