PLANOLY Social Sphere: Week of September 7, 2020

New Teespring Integration Allows TikTok Creators to Sell Merch Within the App

TikTok expands ways for creators to monetize their TikTok by partnering with Teespring for app integration. Creators can sell merchandise created on Teespring directly through the app for followers to purchase. TikTok’s new feature trails Instagram’s and Facebook’s head first dive into the e-commerce game with their integration of Shops.

Zuckerberg Goes After Apple In Company-Wide Meeting

Mark Zuckerberg claims Apple’s app store is driving out competition at his companywide Facebook meeting. Via webcast Zuckerberg states, “Apple has this unique stranglehold as a gatekeeper on what gets on phones.”  He goes on to say, “Apple’s app store blocks innovation, blocks competition, and allows Apple to charge monopoly rents.” His comments are timely, considering both Apple and Facebook are under fire for antitrust allegations.

Facebook Announces New Effort to Stop the Spread of Misinformation During the 2020 Elections

Facebook continues to expand its efforts to stop the spread of election misinformation. Recently Mark Zuckerberg took to his Facebook page to announce that Facebook will stop accepting new political ads the week before the 2020 Elections. This update comes after the launch of Facebook's new Voter Information Center, aiming to make accurate voter information more accessible to eligible voters. Facebook is also putting a limit on the number of people you can share articles with each day to control fake news articles about the election and COVID-19 from spreading.

Could Snapchat Have a Resurgence Amidst TikTok Uncertainty?

Snapchat saw a 25% increase in app downloads this August, and it might have something to do with TikTok (or so we’re guessing). However, with TikTok’s fate still up in the air, competitor apps see a spike in downloads from users and creators trying to save their short-form video careers. Despite Snapchat not being a direct competitor to TikTok, its demographic is still very similar. It plans to launch features like its new music powered vertical to attract some of TikTok’s users to use Snapchat.

Are TikTok Creators to Blame For Creating Toxic Online Communities? 

Popular TikTok creator @Donelij got his account taken down for causing harmful and violent harassment in his comments section. @Donelij is famous for making funny reaction videos, but most recently, he did a video that people perceived as homophobic and transphobic. TikTok banned his account which caused many popular accounts to speak out against the user, saying that his videos were harmful to users navigating their gender and sexuality on the app. @Donelij commented saying that wasn’t the intent of his videos and apologized for the reactions and harassment that ensued in his comments section. He also stated that he has been on the other side of harassment himself and doesn’t promote that behavior from his followers or followers in general. This is TikTok’s most recent step in ensuring a safe and positive environment for its users. 

Disney+'s Release of Mulan Causes Mulan Boycott

Human rights activists organized a boycott on social media against Disney’s live-action Mulan remake. Disney’s Mulan–now streaming on Disney+–filmed in areas where cultural genocide is currently taking place, yet the filmmakers publicly thanked the Public Security Bureau of Turpan municipality for Mulan’s making in the movie’s end credits.

TikTok's CEO Resigns During Potential U.S. App Ban Chaos

Recently appointed TikTok CEO, Kevin Mayer, announces his resignation as TikTok’s global CEO. Mayer took this role in May, and in recent weeks, as the Trump administration continues to pressure U.S. companies to purchase TikTok to stop the app’s U.S. ban, caused the former CEO to do some significant reflection on what his new role will be if the app is acquired. He decided to step down right when ByteDance announced its plans to sue the U.S. government to ensure its employees are fairly compensated if the U.S. app ban goes through.

#KUWTK Will Air Its Last Season in 2021

The popular reality tv show Keeping Up With the Kardashians will air its last season in 2021. Kim Kardashian West broke the news to her audience earlier this week on Instagram. She and her family expressed their gratitude to their fans for the support they’ve shown them over the years and thanked Ryan Seacrest and E! for believing in their family. It’s hard to believe after 14 years, this show is finally ending.  This family elevated the reality tv genre with KUWTK and will forever be a big part of pop culture.

Bella Thorne Disrupts the OnlyFans Market With Her New Channel

Bella Thorne recently joined OnlyFans, an adult website that allows its users to make and sell their content through a subscription-based service. She joined the website to research her upcoming role in a movie and has since started selling exclusive content to users. Later that week, the website updated its bylaws and put limits on how much creators could charge for their content and changed its weekly payment to users to monthly payments. Many OnlyFans creators blame Bella Thorne for the recent changes on the website and believe it’s only going to make it harder for content creators to make a living on the site. OnlyFans creator Erika Heidewald tweeted, “Imagine suddenly going from a weekly paycheck to a monthly paycheck. People have bills to pay. Kids to feed.”

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