― Martin Luther King Jr.

 

 

 

I’m writing this on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 8:30 PM ET. Please don’t call me out if things have changed by the time you read this. I intentionally held off on finalizing this week’s newsletter as late as possible, knowing it was going to be a big weekend, but I had NO IDEA how big it would turn out to be.

 

Unbelievable. What a year these last two weeks have been.

 

 

It’s all a big game of chess. It’s now the question of which platform and leader AREN’T playing in this political game. Some of the major social media platforms have become political pawns. I don’t know what that makes us as users of these apps (the squares on the board?), but it doesn’t feel good.

 

I don’t need to give you the multiday play-by-play of how this TikTok ban unfolded over the weekend. You’ve probably seen most of it already.

 

 

All of it came out of left field, but one announcement stood out as particularly unexpected - Instagram’s launch of a new mobile video editing app called Edits. 

 

This move was brilliant. For many users, the potential loss of CapCut (ByteDance’s mobile video editing app) is almost as devastating as losing TikTok itself. Instagram clearly saw an opportunity and seized it.

 

We have a long road ahead of us as this is far from over. 

 

 

Left: Full blackout as of Saturday, Jan. 18 at 10:59 PM ET.

Right: A “Welcome back!" message upon opening the app on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 2:27 PM ET.

 

 

This is a wake-up call. We need to be much more intentional about how we use these platforms.

 

For Brands: Stay active where you are and keep a close eye on Meta’s Community Notes rollout in the coming months. This could significantly impact growth, reach, engagement, and ad performance across their platforms.

 

Also, continue driving your audience to owned platforms like your website, blog, and newsletter.

 

For Personal Brands: Get crystal clear on your social media goals. Why are you on the platforms you’re using? It’s time to get serious about leveraging these platforms for visibility, advocacy, and impact. This isn’t just fun and games anymore.  

 

Choose no more than two platforms to focus on and may I highly recommend making one of them LinkedIn (register for my next in-person training here!). If you don’t have an email list yet, now is the time to add one to your digital presence.

 

 

 

INSTAGRAM: They're getting some heat about the new taller grid. Has yours changed to rectangle instead of square yet?

 

LINKEDIN: As we’re seeing more and more of both on LinkedIn, this was super smart of the platform to explain.

 

LINKEDIN: Some key stats from Chief Marketing Officers about AI and its impact on the workforce.

 

LINKEDIN: Speaking of LinkedIn and AI…

 

META: A few more details on how they’re going to roll this out.

 

REDNOTE: If you’re curious, feel free to download and explore it, but I don’t see this app gaining long-term traction here in the U.S. For TikTok creators, businesses, and/or users still figuring out where to go next, my advice remains the same - focus your energy on established platforms that offer stability and a proven track record.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA: Scroll through and see which ones you or your brand wants to post about this year.

 

YOUTUBE: On the heels of what’s happening with TikTok, this would be huge for YouTube. It would be even bigger if they make it where you can easily export the vertical videos for creators to use in other places as well.