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This is the first official newsletter in two weeks, and I think it’s fair to say it’s been the most eventful in creator economy history.

Side note: I’m not done talking about the fires, and if you haven’t already donated money, time, and/or attention, please do it ASAP: https://www.lafires.org/

We saw Zuck try to destroy Meta’s reputation single-handedly, politicians who voted to ban TikTok vow to save it, an app that’s so Chinese that the menus are 100% Mandarin hit #1 in the US App Store, and TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, and oddly enough Marvel SNAP disappear in an instant only to reappear the following day.

I’m calling Sam Bernstein, because this whiplash is killing me.

So why am I down on the future of social media right now?

Also in this edition:

• RedNote and the ‘TikTok Refugee’

• Instagram Goes Long(er) on Reels

• Creator Tax Season Begins

• Three job ops from TikTok.

• …and a dank creator economy meme by yours truly!

Let’s get into it.

NEWS:

TikTok Cancelled and Uncancelled

I’ll assume you haven’t been under a rock for the past year, so I won’t rehash the history. Just know this: TikTok was supposed to be sold to a US entity by January 19 or it would face a ban.

It didn’t sell, so it went dark in the US on Saturday, January 18, at 7:30pm PST, along with other ByteDance companies, Lemon8 and CapCut.

Every famous U.S. TikTokker posted their ‘farewell’ message that ranged from funny to depressing to reflective.

The following day, news broke that the app was coming back, and minutes later, the app was reinstated with the above message.

Few details about the next steps have been released, but I think this is a disaster of the highest order.

My hot take: A backroom deal was done, and it will ruin TikTok’s ‘vibe’.

One of my favorite things about TikTok is how wildly apolitical it is.

The FYP feels like bursts of joy with content that truly understands me.

And every message from the app and execs are suddenly talking about Donald Trump like a God.

We all know how Donald Trump does business. He requires absolute loyalty to work with you.

And now he has TikTok, Meta, OpenAI, and, of course, Twitter worshipping at his feet.

We were worried about TikTok being state-run media for China. Now, it’s state-run media for the U.S.

The return happened a bit too fast. The name drops of Donald Trump were a bit too heavy-handed, especially since he wasn’t president yet.

And, right before the app went back online, Trump ‘truthed’ that he wanted 50% U.S. ownership of the app.

And you know if a Trump administration has an ‘ownership’ stake, it’s going to be very, very rightwing.

So we went from a murky ‘this could be a psyops app’ to ‘this is going to be a psyops app…but for us!’

Strong North Korea vibes.

Not great for people who believe the spread of misinformation on social platforms is a massive issue.

More thoughts here:

RedNote has a Week!

Never underestimate the pettiness of internet.

With a looming TikTok ban, it would make sense to think Snap, Instagram, or YouTube may have a huge surge in downloads.

So what has been number 1 in the U.S. social app charts for almost two weeks, including right now as I type this?

Xiaohongshu (called ‘RedNote’ in English), a Chinese community app with over 300 million monthly active users that are almost entirely Chinese.

So Chinese the app’s text is literally in Mandarin. You can’t read the help pages in English.

And huge creators including Adam Rose, Ray William Johnson, 50 Cent, and, of course, Duolingo have already made a splash, calling themselves ‘TikTok Refugees.’

Everything politicians said was their worry about TikTok is in-your-face on RedNote: young cool Chinese people saying that America just doesn’t understand China, encouragement for Americans to travel to China, and how weird the U.S. is for banning TikTok.

So…what gives?

My hot take: This is exactly why the TikTok ban was so dumb.

TikTok very well could have posed a national security threat. But:

1. The American people weren’t told exactly what data was causing that threat.

2. There were no credible examples of censorship or ‘psyops’

3. The same politicians who were banning TikTok were posting videos on the app.

This smelled fishy.

The American people don’t like the idea of punishment without a crime.

More so when it’s an app 170 million of them love.

What we needed was comprehensive legislation around how Chinese software can do business in America, how social media companies can collect user data (including US companies), and some sort of due process for all of this.

Without this, every time you cut off a Chinese social app, two more will grow back.

Instagram Reels Extend to 3 Minutes

Almost every app was preparing to take market share from TikTok in case the ban stuck around.

Well, except for Mark Zuckerberg who for some crazy reason decided to spend a few weeks offending the exact kind of person who loves TikTok by showing himself to be a political hypocrite, an evil firing-hungry CEO, and firmly part of the manosphere.

But Adam Mosseri, the head of Meta’s Instagram, is far more loved than Zuck for hundreds (millions? billions?) of reasons.

And he announced Reels are extending to 3 minutes from its previous 90 seconds, putting them closer to TikTok’s 10 minute limit.

Why?

My hot take: Smart platforms are starting to realize ‘FYP supremacy’ isn’t going anywhere.

TikTok nailed it when they introduced the world to the FYP (for you page).

It’s a perfectly curated feed. Not redundant, not ‘single topic’, but always feels like it knows you.

It takes away that annoying part of YouTube or Instagram where you have to decide what to watch next.

It’s just there for you.

And as TikTokkers start to upload longer content and tell more complex stories, Instagram knows it needs to keep up.

Just because TikTok is back, Adam is smart enough to know it’s still TikTok’s game to lose. If anything (say, the heavy-hand of inelegant operator like Trump or Elon) were to hurt TikTok’s FYP perfection, Instagram will be there with apples-to-apples offering for creators and fans.

And I think that’s a pretty decent bet.

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FAME & FORTUNE:

Happy tax season! DeCypher Financials works with some of the world’s largest creators to make sure they’re doing their taxes correctly and getting the maximum refund. Their case studies are incredible. Let them know I sent you!

I had the chance to read Justin Moore’s new book ‘Sponsor Magnet’ early and it’s killer. A must read for any creators, creator reps, or influencer marketers looking to uplevel their negotiation skills.

The music industry has changed. Now songs chart if they pick up steam on TikTok. That’s where Sound.me comes in. They pay creators to feature specific songs on their videos, and they have a lot of volume. If you’re looking to make extra money from your short-form videos, check them out!

Did you know almost every social platform has their version of a ‘Creator Academy’ to learn how to optimally create on their platform? Now that TikTok is back in the U.S., it’s a great chance to check out TikTok’s Creator Academy, which I believe to be one of the best.

INDUSTRY HIRING:

Why not? While they’re doing a victory lap, let’s do all TikTok jobs!

TikTok needs a Gaming Creator Growth Manager, TikTok LIVE. Now we just need Nintendo to start making their games in vertical video!

TikTok is looking for a Artist Partnership Manager, Music. And after your first paycheck, your money won’t jiggle jiggle, it will fold.

TikTok wants a Partnerships Solutions Media Lead. And if you get it here’s a tip: just have Zach King do everything.

MEME ZONE:

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this edition, give it a share and if you get someone to sign up, I’ll send you my ‘10 Rep-Friendly Ways to Monetize Today!’ deck!

Until next time, protect yo rep.