Welcome to the Shorty Awards

Issue #240 | May 23, 2024

Hey everyone, Happy Thursday! Last night, I went to the Shorty Awards. In case you’re unfamiliar, the Shortys give out little whale statues to people and companies who make digital content.

I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, but based on some of the advertising on the website, you’d expect a few flashy creators onstage. Your MrBeasts, Pauls, or at least a Try Guy appearance. But for the most part, it was ad agencies and corporations patting each other on the back for clever copywriting… and who was able to most effectively use creators to sell Heinz ketchup or State Farm insurance.

There were a handful of exceptions though, with some impressive indie creators (credit to the Shortys for introducing me to the podcast “Gooned,” which I am already on the fifth episode of.) And, honorable causes — like bringing attention to the war in Palestine, the growing maternal mortality rate, child abuse in the entertainment industry, just to name a few.

But I will say, the whole evening felt a bit uncanny. For example, the U.S. Army won an award for a Nick Jonas propaganda augmented reality partnership. Which was a flavor of techno dystopia I was never planning on encountering.

Anyways, for a full read on my experience there, check out the Passionfruit Patreon page. It was nice, the people were nice, I got free food, thanks for the invite, cheers to the hosts, blah blah blah. Congrats to anyone in the audience who got celebrated for their work. You probably deserve it.

– Grace Stanley, Deputy Editor

NOTED BY LON HARRIS

Can Creators Survive Without Google Traffic?

The way the company is embracing AI could have major ripple effects.

By Lon Harris, Passionfruit Contributor

Hand holding phone with google ai app. Creators standing near phone illustration

→ READ THE FULL STORY

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IN THE BIZ

TikTok has launched TikTok Symphony, a new AI-driven advertising suite designed to streamline scriptwriting, video production, and asset optimization for creators and brands, potentially reducing the need for human creators in the process.
Speaking of TikTok, the company is planning layoffs this week, affecting a significant number of employees in its global operations, content, and marketing departments.
Twitch has introduced content classification labels allowing users to filter out mature content categories from their feed, providing more control over their viewing experience and ensuring that certain content is automatically filtered for minors.
Google is investigating whether OpenAI used YouTube videos to train its AI tool, Sora, potentially violating YouTube’s terms and conditions, while OpenAI maintains that it uses publicly available and licensed data for training.