CREATOR NEWSLETTER
Issue #193 | December 12, 2023
It’s December, so of course, my inbox is flooded with a slew of deeply sanitized and eerily optimistic PR emails from social media companies about “end-of-year” trends and predictions. These lists are usually dry, giving an unsurprising select group of creators a pat on the back, but typically lack enough substance to give the vast majority of creators any real hope about the future of their careers on the internet.
Still, I usually end up spending some time reading them all, so I thought I’d share some of my (very subjective) musings about the ones that came out last week. (DISCLAIMER: There are a lot of obscure references to Internet trends below, if you don’t know who Baby Gronk is or what adult-baby-diaper-lovers are, that makes sense. I’ll hyperlink some sources for you.)
First up, we have “Year on TikTok 2023” — a report honoring the “stand-out” viral trends, pop songs, and rising stars on TikTok in 2023. Darlings like food reviewer Keith Lee, family man Ricardo Mendoza, southern belle Terri Joe, and Tube Girl got shoutouts. I give TikTok props for being the only platform to highlight cultural moments that I’m actually endeared to: the Grimace Shake, Planet of the Bass, girl dinners, #CozyCardio, how often men think of the Roman Empire, etc. (In my opinion, the biggest L’s of this list are that there’s no mention of the great Tabi heist, by far the best viral moment of 2023, nor of Pinkydoll, the most powerful TikTok trailblazer of 2023.)…
– Grace Stanley, Newsletter and Features Editor
CULTURE
‘Adult Baby/Diaper Lover’ Furries Report a Wave of Patreon Bans
This online ban could have IRL implications for some creators in the subculture.
By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor
IN THE BIZ
- Google revealed AI tool Bard’s ability to watch videos for you and pull out instructions like video summaries, recipe instructions, and so on. But creators are concerned that if AI watches videos for people, will ad revenue drop?
- Meta’s Threads launched “tags” — a feature similar to hashtags, although posts can only have one tag each. Tags, unlike hashtags, can also be full sentences with special characters.
- Only days after being expelled from the halls of Congress, U.S. Rep. George Santos joined video platform Cameo, bringing attention to the struggling app.
- YouTube Premium, which offers an ad-free experience on the platform, raised its prices, and those with legacy plans are going to see price hikes soon.
- TikTok is holding a virtual conference today for its “Effect House,” an editor app and program designed to incentivize the creation of viral effects.
- Tumblr launched a new feature called “Communities,” which will create smaller community spaces on the platform, akin to subreddits or Discord servers.
- Apple might be giving extra royalties to artists who use Dolby Atmos, an immersive sound technology.
- Streaming platform Rumble thinks it was taken down by a targeted cyberattack in retaliation to it hosting Jan. 6 Capitol riot videos.
THE DARK SIDE
The Completionist Charity Saga is Messier Than We Thought
Popular YouTuber Jirard Khalil, known online as The Completionist, is facing allegations that he misled viewers about his charity fund.
By Steven Asarch, Passionfruit Contributor
TOOLS REVIEW
The 10 Best Mental Health Apps for Creators
Whether you’re dealing with creator burnout or some other issue, we’ve got you covered.
By Ashley Bez, Passionfruit Contributor
JOB BOARD
- Minecraft creator Mud Flaps is looking for a video editor.
- Poker creator Frankie C is looking for a thumbnail designer and video editor.
- Racing creator Driver61 is looking for a thumbnail designer.
- Basketball creator CrispyDan is looking for a video editor.
TIKTOK MADE ME DO IT
Speaking of TikTok trends, tech journalist Ryan Broderick flagged a new trend of teenagers on TikTok filming themselves crawling around malls. I absolutely loved it. Reminds me of that iconic creator who asks people to film her and then getting on all fours and crawls toward people snarling like a “hound dawg.” This is what I love about the internet!
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