On this week’s episode of The Trend Report, Taylor joins Danika to launch into the latest app updates and features and to discuss whether they’re for the betterment of the platforms or just strategic moves. Facebook rolls out two features – the first of which Taylor and Danika are all for. Facebook will alert users of urgent blood donation needs around them, moving forward in the medical tech space. Facebook’s Study app will now pay users to track their phone movements, which may be a little intrusive, but hey, at least we’re getting paid for our data.

 

Instagram introduces music stickers with help from singer Billie Eilish in a clear move to mimic TikTok, further attracting Gen Z and allowing users to sing their hearts out through the app. And for this week’s deep dive, Taylor and Danika discuss Tinder’s move to include sexual orientation and gender identity on its profiles, which may be strategic for Pride Month, but ultimately is a big step in the right direction.

 

All this and much more -- thanks for listening!

 

Love,

Booje

This week, Danika is joined by Taylor to dive into the latest trends and happenings, and debate whether Facebook will shortly be launching an army of robots and whether we want to watch influencers eat spaghetti.

 

Facebook just launched its first home hardware, Facebook Portal, to provide a FaceTime-like experience as you move throughout your home. It zooms in you on, follows your movements, and potentially listens in on your every thought and desire. Our hosts aren’t too sure how to feel about this one… 

 

Instagram is introducing changes that will affect how users interact with the service, allowing users to (finally) upload horizontal IGTV videos, and also adding stories to the explore feed. At first, the hosts aren’t too sure how to feel, but the potential for watching stories with some sense of privacy might be too enticing to pass up. And last but not least, happy Pride Month to everyone in the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. The hosts explore how brands can best incorporate Pride throughout their company and marketing in a genuine way rather than using a meaningful month to move product. 

Thanks for listening! 

Love, 

Booje

This week on The Trend Report, Catherine joins Danika in the studio to discuss updates to Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat, followed by a politically-related Deep Dive that demonstrates the potential impact social media can make.

Twitter launches a search tool that leads users to government websites with scientifically accurate information regarding vaccines. The goal is to block misinformation from spreading throughout the platform, similar to Facebook’s aim of preventing fake news. Danika and Catherine debate the potential to use similar tools for information beyond vaccines; will this be the future of social media news?

In Gen Z news, the YOLO app (no, we’re not making this up) is reaching the number one spot in the app store, allowing users to post an Instagram-like sticker on Snapchat to ask and answer questions. This app further perpetuates the validation culture of this generation, one that is obsessed with knowing what others think, because we all know that kids loooove drama.

Instagram is now letting influencers make their personal posts shoppable, potentially turning IG into the next big e-commerce platform. And last but not least, the #youknowme movement is spreading through Twitter due to Busy Philipps and others humanizing the abortion movement by sharing personal stories after the anti-abortion bill passes. Does social media have the ability to impact real-world politics? We will have to wait and see.

All this and much more -- thanks for listening!

Love,

Booje

Taylor joins Danika this week on The Trend Report to discuss all things digital, including a few new ways Facebook is trying – and potentially succeeding – to get users to join and stay active on their platform. Facebook Dating’s new feature, Secret Crush, is every preteen’s dream, allowing us to uncover who among our friends is our secret admirer. But will users opt into Facebook Dating to reveal this info? Will we ever find out who is crushing on us!?

Facebook announces a new desktop app for Messenger, which is giving Taylor and Danika serious MSN flashbacks with a close friends section and status update features reminding us of the good ole’ days. Facebook also introduces a way to Meet New Friends, pairing users with similar interests and inviting them to start a conversation through a new messaging inbox. And finally, podcast player app Overcast introduces a feature for fans to share their favorite podcast snippets, so be sure to send your favorite Trend Report moment over to a friend.

All this and much more -- thanks for listening!

Love,

Booje

This week on The Trend Report, Taylor joins Danika to discuss the latest social media trends and happenings, including Facebook and Instagram rumors that could affect the way we consume content and interact with others. Twitter acquires quote-sharing app, Highly, which could help us seem more well-read than we actually are. Taylor and Danika have opposing views on Instagram’s move to demote vaguely inappropriate content that nearly violates guidelines. Are you Team Taylor or Team Danika?

The two also consider a possible change to Facebook that would lead users to navigate the site through stories rather than a traditional newsfeed. And possibly an even bigger change would result from Instagram hiding other peoples’ likes on photos. Are likes dead? Would this make it easier or more difficult for brands to work with influencers? Would this encourage users to engage and create rather than compare and compete?

All this and much more -- thanks for listening!

Love,

Booje

This week on The Trend Report, Danika and Taylor fill you in on everything you need to know about Facebook's new Ad Transparency Archive, including what it can do for democracy and how brands can use it as a research tool to know exactly what their competitors are doing. The hosts also debate the "Why Am I Seeing Thing" feature that Facebook recently released, and what this means for both consumers and advertisers.

Also new this week: Snapchat goes all in on their gaming strategy. Will this aggressive approach that forces users to watch advertisements work? Or will it disappoint the audiences who are drawn to the original organic nature of the platform? 

All this and much more -- thanks for listening!

Love,

Booje

Hello & welcome to another edition of The Trend Report! 

This week, host Danika and guest host Marielle discuss all the trending topics in social media and digital marketing, including TikTok's new geo-gif feature and how brands can best use this to connect with those Gen-Zers, and Facebook's new Messenger feature that finally helps it catch up with WhatsApp. The two also discuss the recent European Union's Article 13 that is cracking down on copyright infringement, pushing the burden of policing to the digital media giants themselves. Will this destroy the beloved memes? Gifs? And the ability to cross-promote content too provide much-desired exposure to up-and-coming artists and companies? 

All this and much more. Thanks for listening!

Love,

Booje

Welcome back to The Trend Report! This week, Danika is joined in our studio by Susie, and the two have a lot to cover.

Did you know Twitter has launched another app called Twtter? Yes, that's Twitter without the 'i'. The two discuss what they're doing on this secretive platform, and what it could e for regular Falk Twitter users down the road.

Also this week, the hosts discuss yet another effort by Facebook to engage people younger than our grandparents: the gaming tab. Will this be a successful attempt to capture for of the Twitch audience that is so devout? Also, the new app Basement is reviewed. What is the point of it and will it take off? 

All that and more. Enjoy!

Love,

Booje

Are you more media literate than you children? You probably think so, but we're not so sure. This week on The Trend Report, hosts Danika and Catherine dissect the recent - and very creepy - MoMo Challenge hoax and what this says about our society's ability to differentiate between what's real and what's not. Do we give our kids enough credit for how they interpret what they hear or see online? And do we give ourselves too much credit for being capable guards to their media consumption?

Also on The Trend Report this week, we give you a general market update to the social and digital space -- what's trending, what's declining, and what has substantial growth potential in the coming months and years. In other words, what platforms you consider when allocation your brand's media and marketing spend in Q2 and Q3.

We also update you on some new features on Instagram and Twitter that we're not too sure are good ideas, but may be sticking around for the long haul. 

Thanks for listening!

Love,

Booje

Welcome back to The Trend Report! This week, hosts Danika and Catherine dive deep into the one brand they think is going IGTV as it should be: Nike. (Of course they would do such a good job). But this may hint that IGTV isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so marketers out there: you should start thinking about how to integrate it into your brand strategies if you haven't already.

Also this week, the hosts update you on some important Tinder, Instagram, and Twitter announcements. You don't want to miss this!

Love,

Booje