Yet again the news has reminded me that crime does pay. Or at least, saying the very worst things you can think about someone or anything, and watching the engagement rates (on your monetised content) soar. It seems Meghan Markle trolls have made $3.5million from YouTube while anti-vaxxers are earning millions from Substack. Given the amount of money being made from outrage, we can (almost) understand why Spotify paid $100m for Joe Rogan back in 2020. Following pressure from artists like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, Spotify has finally agreed to put a content warning on some of Rogan's episodes. But his podcast will no doubt be even more popular now, so this hardly counts as a win! Here are my other top stories from January.
Improving the impact of the link in your bio
A host of startups are turning the humble link-in-bio into a sprawling interactive experience that rivals the capabilities of a full website. The Atlantic
Amazon's misjudged Twitter campaign
After embarrassing backfires, Amazon is no longer paying warehouse workers to tweet positive comments as part of a recruitment campaign. The FT
The 6th January insurrection - one year on
This excellent podcast looks at how social web conspiracies are influencing US politics, from anarchic chatrooms on the early internet to QAnon. BBC Sounds
What's next for brands on Twitter
A new report analysing people's opinions about brand behaviour: tips on tone of voice, community engagement and the best way to join conversations. Twitter
How the pandemic changed social media
Lockdowns and isolation have greatly impacted the way we use social media (and it's not just ring lights)! Many of these shifts will be permanent. HubSpot
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Concert photo by Boga Rín on Unsplash Amazon photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash
Capitol breach photo by Brett Davis on Flickr
