Morning Consult Conducted Surveys In 15 Countries To Gauge Opinions On Ad-Based Subscription Tiers Across Streaming Services

Netflix recently made the decision of opening up a new, cheaper, ad-supported tier for consumers. While it’s had mixed reactions across the board, Morning Consult decided to conduct a survey on the matter to really nail down opinions on the matter.

Streaming’s getting sort of expensive, no doubt, especially with just how much content individual platforms have to keep generating to maintain relevance nowadays. With sites such as Netflix, which are already struggling to keep up revenue, relatively drastic measures need to be taken. We already lost MoviePass to a business model that ultimately couldn’t manage both audience expectations and income, pretty sure no one else wants to go down the same way. Well, with Netflix recording the first time its lost subscribers in the past 10 years just recently, it’s decided to help users by providing cheaper options. One of these is a new ad-supported subscription tier, which will allow users to purvey Netflix’s catalog of content at a lower rate, but with ads dispersed in between individual pieces of content (i.e. between episodes, between movies). Of course, with the new tier projected to be released at the end of 2022, things could still change. Maybe they’ll start dispersing advertisements within the individual episodes and movies too.

Advertising’s an annoying beast to deal with, and the internet’s frustration with it is rather high. What with corporation trying to tie it into videos, posts, memes, social media, you name it, everyone’s tired of the unnecessary pandering. Then again, it’s what pays the bills (and a bit too effectively, judging by how many billionaires ads have made of people). Apparently, people have managed to catch onto this as well, and have begun to see ad-related content tiers as a necessity for more affordable entertainment. In surveys that Morning Consult conducted across fifteen countries, fourteen had a higher percentage of individuals willing to settle for cheaper subscriptions even if it meant dealing with ads. Japan was the sole exception, with 48% of individuals having no defined opinion on the matter, 37% settling for ads, and 14% adamantly against them.

Netflix isn’t even the only platform engaging with such services. Almost every major platform such as HBO Max, Disney+, and Amazon Prime will eventually have ad based subscriptions, if they don’t already have them in the first place. Primetime TV and entertainment as a whole is are media built upon advertising; don’t expect them to disappear anytime soon.

Read next: Why Is The World Going Crazy Over The Metaverse? Here Are The Real Reasons Why You’ll Want It Too
by Unknown via Digital Information World

Can Facebook Survive With Mark Zuckerberg At the Helm? This Whistleblower Thinks Otherwise

The decline of Facebook is something that many people started to predict during the middle of the 2010s, when the social media platform became embroiled in a series of controversies that revealed the extent of the privacy violations that it often gleefully committed. However, are these problems inherent to the company, or are they byproducts of the decisions made by its controversial leader, Mark Zuckerberg?

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Frances Haugen, who gained notoriety as a whistleblower after exposing some of Facebook’s questionable algorithmic practices, thinks that the company can’t survive if Zuckerberg continues to lead it. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Haugen spoke out about how Zuckerberg has been surrounded by yes men since he started his career at the young age of 19, and that has led to him refusing to take opposing viewpoints seriously with all things having been considered and taken into account.

In spite of the fact that this is the case, he continues to hold a 56% share of Facebook’s total voting rights, something that can’t be seen in any other Big Tech company out there. Such voting power is concerning because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up giving Zuckerberg complete authoritarian control over the company, and since he thinks that there is nothing wrong with how it is operating it seems unlikely that it will be able to reverse its recent decline if steps aren’t taken to improve matters.

One of the things that Haugen spoke about was Facebook’s tweak to its algorithm in 2018 which resulted in inciting reactions from users. Since anger and outrage are some of the most potent emotions that anyone can feel, Facebook tried to promote content that would lead to people feeling these things in an attempt to boost engagement. This is just one example of how Facebook’s decisions that come from Zuckerberg are not sustainable and will inevitably result in its demise if changes are not made.

Read next: Facebook Set to Lose 1.4 Million Users This Year Amidst Rapid Decline
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Twitter Tries to Optimize Downvotes by Letting Users Select a Reason

The standard way for users to interact with a social media post during the initial rise of this industry was twofold: they could either comment on a post or give it a sign of appreciation such as a Like or a Favorite. This soon changed into a much more diverse way of interacting, with Facebook giving users multiple new reactions. One social media platform that forged a different path was Reddit, with its upvote and downvote feature being one of the most iconic aspects of its user interface.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Twitter has been trying to implement something similar too because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up giving the conversations that occur on its platform a bit more nuance. Twitter has been experimenting with an improved version of downvote button that users can use to interact with a comment left in the reply thread of a tweet, and it is now trying to get some data from this feature.

The micro blogging platform will now allow users to give a reason for downvoting a particular reply. These reasons include disagreement, misleading information, irrelevance or offensiveness with all things having been considered and taken into account. Twitter claims that it will not be providing this data to the author of the tweet. This coupled with the specific reasons that users can select from suggests that Twitter will be using this to harvest data that it can then use to optimize its algorithm and rank comments and replies accordingly.

The quantity of replies that Tweets can get are quite massive, and users previously did not have a way of responding to a comment that they disagreed with or didn’t like other than replying to it which provided it even more engagement thereby boosting its relevance in the algorithm. This new method might change that, and if users provide accurate reasoning Twitter could leverage this data to vastly improve the user experience and see some stronger rates of growth in the future.

H/T: Chris Messina

Read next: Twitter Helps The Visually Impaired By Releasing New Option To Translate Charts Into Audio Elements
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

YouTube Releases New Updates Including Tarot Card Readings And Mobile Data Story Among Others

YouTube has recently announced a series of customized readings for users interested in tarot cards. And that too with an enthusiastic involvement with some of the app’s leading creators.

The company made the announcement in a unique manner today where it displayed some of the familiar faces of the app as a part of its displays on the cards.

In its public announcement, YouTube says its tarot community is super excited to make the reveal, especially after seeing how much interest people have in this genre that continues to grow over the years.

Last year, we saw plenty of videos in the tarot section gain massive fame with views that crossed the 250 million mark in the country. To help celebrate the notion, the company has collaborated with leading creators as well as artists to release a more customized experience in the world of tarot card reading.

To simply gain access to this particular reading, all users need to do is click on the YouTube logo and select their preference.

The leading social media app has mentioned the name of several of its famous creators that will carry out the readings from a deck of cards that YouTube has customized with leading names or familiar faces.

This includes the likes of BLACKPINK and Safiya Nygaard, amongst so many other artists as well as famous content creators.

In the same way, the functionality hopes to incorporate a new soul card that’s calculated on the basis of your birth date while sharing some personal insights like character traits and other personal preferences in this world.

If users find it comfortable, they’re given the chance to share their readings across other social media platforms for a fun and interesting twist.

While some might find the new initiative by YouTube a little bit bizarre and over the top, those interested in the realm of wizards and unicorns will surely be captivated.

Remember that in 2020, Snapchat made headlines when it chose to add the unique functionality in the form of Astrological profiles. And the reason was the same as here, people were interested and they wanted to engage in it.

Considering the great amount of engagement attached to the world of mystic arts, we certainly think the new feature will be a fit for those that take it seriously. While for the rest, well, you can focus on the other update announced by the company recently.

Next up, YouTube is conducting trials for its mobile data story. The company says it’s on a mission to help its creators get a better understanding of their performance in the form of the app’s analytics.

Without a doubt, it’s hard sometimes to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together and that’s why the app is going the extra mile for adding convenience to its users.

For the update, creators will be provided with a mobile data story card that gives an analysis of where their viewership is falling and where it’s increasing.

Lastly, the app is busy experimenting with a channel page navigation bar. The whole idea is to better optimize users' experience when they’re navigating through channels. And they’re planning to do that by removing the navigation bar from the screen’s top under the creator profile on mobiles.

This not only allows for users to stay in context with the channel in a more meaningful manner but also provides so much easier access to like, subscribe, or join a membership.

The company is waiting for user feedback on both the trials being conducted as they claim both the new additions are sure to add a source of added convenience.

Read next: Elon Musk Calls Out YouTube For Producing Huge Amounts Of Scam Ads On A Regular Basis
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Users Can Now Publish Videos On TikTok With Unique Customized Digital Avatars

It won’t be too long ahead in the future when we’ll be seeing digital avatars take over the world.

And until then, a number of social media giants are already experimenting with the unique phenomenon and TikTok appears to be the latest addition.

The leading video-based platform is moving ahead with its desire of embracing digital avatars with the introduction of unique tools that manage to create just that.

Therefore, even before we actually start to interact with the realm of virtual spaces, TikTok is giving its users a feel of what they can expect and how things will really look like in this regard.

TikTok says it has come up with the best version of 3D tools for digital avatar creation that assist in aligning its users with the popular app.

With avatar has recently been launched with a bang and that means users will be able to publish their content with the TikTok avatar that they feel best represents them.

For use, simply log into the app and click on the Effects Tab that’s made available with the camera view. Now, simply create an avatar that you feel best represents you in terms of a customized character that can be used with ease across the platform.

So, what exactly can users expect in terms of features on offer. Well, TikTok seems to have really hit a home run in terms of variation. Users can play with all sorts of interesting hairstyles, makeup, and body modifications like piercings and tattoos too. Clearly, the world is your artistic playground in this regard.

Remember, the entire purpose is to make your TikTok Avatar stand out as you so adding a touch of your personal style or preference is the way to go!

The app says that once your avatar is ready to go, simply record a video. And once you’re able to gesture and send out different movements, you’ll see the avatar follow in your footsteps and mimic those movements.

It wouldn’t be wrong to call out the new update as being one that’s very similar to the Apple Memoji. Here, users select any digital puppet and the character moves along in the same direction as you while you gave into the camera.

It’s more or less the same, even the cartoon version appears similar. But we do notice how TikTok is also offering its users a mini avatar option as well that could end up being the user’s main option too.

Users can put the avatar design as their overlay when posting clips on the app. And how creative it turns out to be is totally up to you. With the addition of remixes, voiceovers, and music tracks, the whole thing is a unique blend of arts and crafts.

There’s a lot to play around with and the real reason behind the extra effort has to do with the world trying to transition into a more unique digital connection.

TikTok hopes that effects like these can really assist in aligning a user’s habit with the new shift, thereby creating a new connection that also reflects your presence on the app.

In case you weren’t already aware, Meta is already ahead of the game with its 3D avatars. These are not only advanced and readily usable, but readily available to be used on applications like Facebook and Instagram as well.

Meanwhile, Snapchat has the usual Bitmoji character that users simply love. Hence, it only made sense that TikTok moved ahead and entered the ring.

There’s plenty of news about how Meta is even going as far as designing photorealistic versions for its avatars and they could soon be released soon.

But it will be interesting to see if users actually like the idea of appearing as their true selves online or not.

Read next: TikTok Surpasses Snapchat in Popularity Among Teens, Facebook Nowhere to Be Seen
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Digital Content Marketing Sees An Exponential Rise During And After The Pandemic

The pandemic was not easy on any of us. Its significance was not just localized to our day to day activities. Still, even the most successful business empires around the world were affected by it. Despite the hurdles, they managed to sustain themselves, and it can all be traced back to content marketing. While many believed that the rise in content marketing would lower after the pandemic, a recent study suggests that it has become the new medium for international and local businesses to communicate and engage with their clients!

A study conducted and managed by Meta Branded Content Project’s team and Borrell Associates focused on the long-term impacts of the pandemic on digital content marketing. It is focused on local businesses, regardless of their working size. It looks into the utilization of content marketing during and after the pandemic. Brands made use of the digital medium to share their experiences of getting back on track during COVID-19. In short, the research concludes that digital content marketing is here to stay!

Diving more into the research, the team states that about 42 percent of the local businesses that took part in the study are now prioritizing content marketing in the coming years. This conclusion came after a shocking $20 Billion was spent on creating and distributing digital content marketing. That too in a short time span of two years!

Now that the world is returning to its regular routine after the pandemic, why do local businesses keep spending a large fortune on digital content marketing? The research takes a careful look at the multiple factors that local businesses consider and concludes that content marketing can be an excellent way to keep in touch with the existing customer base and attract new buyers! While this may seem pretty obvious, it is a significant step taken by local businesses and brands to step up into the world of digital marketing. Previously, only giant platforms were able to utilize social media platforms to grow their reach. However, with the introduction of smartphones and the internet to an increasing number of people worldwide, it is no surprise that small businesses are now becoming a part of the digital space!

One of the top reasons a local business may choose to spend a ton on content marketing in 2022 is that they can connect with their customers on a more personal level by sharing meaningful content. In contrast, the reason for occupying digital space was very different last year. Due to the pandemic, local brands signing up on the digital space in 2021 was more of a necessity than a brilliant marketing move. Over the last year, numerous local businesses made their way to the web with a signature website. It allows them to keep up with the rising competition, grow their customer base, and develop effective strategies to drive digital and organic traffic to their websites.

You will be seeing a lot more of the local businesses online now. Including any informative videos, influencers sponsoring their products, workshops and seminars. Make sure to ask your favorite local business for their socials and website the next you are in the store!

Read next: Why Is The World Going Crazy Over The Metaverse? Here Are The Real Reasons Why You’ll Want It Too
by Unknown via Digital Information World

Twitter Sets Ambitious 13 Million Daily Active User Growth Target For This Quarter

Twitter appears to be on an ambitious mission in terms of the growth of its users. And that’s why the company is raising the bar in terms of daily active user growth for the upcoming quarter. The social media giant says this will be its most ambitious period ever as mentioned by leaders of the...

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World