Social Media News You Can Use For Your Brand

Happy Sunday! As we prepare for the week ahead, let’s talk about the social media and influencer news you can use to start your week. This week, we’re going to look at Meta’s new paid verification service, Spotify is the latest brand to foray into Artificial Intelligence and the growing trend of deinfluence.

Are you looking for more social media news that’s valuable for your brand? If so, check out more of my latest social media updates and more deep dives on specific topics on my blog, especially if you’re new to my website.

Meta Now Offering Paid Verification

On Facebook and Instagram, Meta announced the launch of a new subscription service that will allow users to become verified. There is one catch: you must pay to be verified. The Meta Verified subscription will cost $11.99 per month online or $14.99 per month on iOS or Android.

In addition to the new badge on your profile, Meta Verified will include a few other features. Other features will include enhanced protection against account impersonation, increased visibility in areas such as search and recommendations, and improved access to customer support.

While Twitter’s subscription model did not get off to a great start, Meta is hoping to learn from those challenges, announcing that Meta Verified would begin soon in select countries such as New Zealand and Australia, with additional countries to follow.

Spotify Debuts Their AI-powered DJ

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has shown to be useful in a variety of ways and many marketers are evaluating ways to incorporate this new technology into their work. But now it’s being used to improve your musical taste. If you’re a Spotify user, you can now use a new feature, showcasing an AI-powered DJ. This DJ will tailor its selections to your listening habits, add new releases to your playlists, and sneak in a few throwbacks based on your listening history.

Within the advertising industry, there has been a lot of talk about AI, including at the agency I work at, Motion. Curious to learn more? See what Spotify has to say about this new platform addition: "Think of fan-favorite playlists like Discover Weekly or our annual Wrapped campaign for examples of how we use personalization. The beauty of these experiences is our ability to deliver the right piece of music at the right time, and perhaps even connect you with your next favorite artist. We're expanding on that innovation by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence in an entirely new way. And we're thrilled to announce that we're taking personalization to a whole new level with DJ."

I started using this AI-powered DJ over the weekend and it is definitely unique to hear a voice call out your favorite artists and songs. There have been some hiccups as I often use Spotify for ambient sound, so some of my ‘throwbacks” are the sounds of rain and rushing water.

Deinfluencing: What happens to social media influencers when inflation hits?

If you're an avid TikTok user, you've likely been encouraged to purchase that new, flashy, exciting product. But afterward, you discovered you didn't need it. But a new trend on the app has emerged in response to the app's push for overconsumption: deinfluencing. 

The "deinfluencing" hashtag features roughly 155 million videos. It has been slowly expanding in recent months, erupting in late January when a popular TikTok beauty influencer was accused of sporting artificial eyelashes in a paid video promoting L'Oréal mascara. 

If the current trend continues, it could signal the end of the easy money era for the influencer marketing economy, which is expected to reach $16.4 billion by 2022. Deinfluencing also reflects a tightening economy in which people are less interested in frivolous spending and more interested in spending nights in. According to market research firm GWI, the number of Gen Zers interested in influencers has dropped 12% since 2020. 

If you’re looking for more ways to build advocacy for your or your client’s brands, check out the latest of my freebies. I even created a quick infographic that contains a five-step framework for building brand advocacy on social media.