Media Trends 12:30 pm S20: Media Trends Blog 9, Question 1 (April 16th)

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Media Trends Blog 9, Question 1 (April 16th)

What do you think is the most important trend that is cutting across all media industries and having the biggest impact on both professionals and users/consumers?

*Note: For the final blog posting, you must still use three readings to support your responses. They can be from any point in the semester and they must be assigned readings for the class (no additional outside article/source required). Limit: 11 responses

21 comments:

Anthony GallerApril 10, 2020 at 10:41 AM
It’s challenging to pick just one media trend that is having the largest impact on professionals and consumers. Everything changes so rapidly, as we’ve seen just this semester alone. Though, I think the consolidation of media is really fascinating to keep an eye on. For so many years, we’ve treated media as separate entities most of the time. But that is simply not the case in 2020. We spent quite a bit of time this year on streaming services, and I think for good reason. The way we watch television is generally not in the traditional molds. Netflix was the first big name in the streaming game, but they’ve been joined by several others in recent years. Some people have forecasted the doom of Netflix now with increased competition in the marketplace. But internet analyst John Blackledge would disagree. He says that Netflix will “remain the leader” among U.S. subscription services, because none of the new entrants into the mix are true substitutes for Netflix’s depth of content (Szalai, 2019). But that hasn’t dissuaded new faces from joining the streaming game. Just this month we alone, we have yet another new player in the game. Quibi offers a fresh perspective on streaming original content, and enters the marketplace with Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, amongst others.

But it’s not just tv shows that becoming available on streamers. The newer phenomenon is the introduction of movies as well. Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman may have broken the ice in 2019. The film became available for consumer streaming only a month into its initial release (Zeitchik, 2019). Why would consumers prefer this method compared to traditional movie theatre experience? Well, the consumer can choose to pause and play a long movie such as The Irishman in order to break it up. Or, they can even turn it off completely if they don’t like (Zeitchik, 2019). In the coming years, I believe other movies could choose to go in a similar route. This will present an increasingly bigger challenge for movie theaters across the globe.

That’s the on-screen side of the equation, but consumption of music is also becoming more consolidated too. It used to be families owned CD’s or actual albums of their favorite artists. Today, that is pretty much a rarity. Big name streamers like Apple Music and Spotify are making music consumption incredibly easy no matter who you are. There are more and more listeners compared to even a few years ago. Globally, there were 304.9 million subscribers up 34 million on the end of 2018 (“Big Four Streamers”, 2019) We can look at Spotify too more specifically. Spotify offers an extensive library of music from virtually any artist. Instead of paying for individual albums or CD’s, you pay a small monthly fee. Spotify ended 2019 with 108 million total subscribers, and a global market share of 35.6% (Big Four Streamers”, 2019). Even the demand for radio is lower than it once was. You cannot always control what you listen to on the radio, but you can with these streaming services. This presents an opportunity for consumers. But it also presents a challenge for radio stations, record companies, and even the artists themselves must change their strategies. Going forward in the 2020’s, the consolidation of media is something I think will become even more prevalent in our society. I find it interesting that it is practically all forms of media moving in this direction. It will be very intriguing and very informative to see how media evolves and adapts to the changing world, in the coming years.

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UnknownApril 14, 2020 at 5:35 PM
Max Marino
There are a lot of trends in the media industry that will continue to rise and have an impact on professionals and users. To me, the one that is the biggest currently, and will continue to have a huge impact is streaming services and cord cutting. The world is heading in this direction and has been for quite some time now. Instead of live television premiers that people look forward too, users instead will wait for when it is on a streaming service and watch it on their own time. Even ESPN, who thrives on their television audience for live games, went towards the streaming world and is now over a year into their service. Streaming services will only continue to rise and influence everyone.
Disney+ has only been around since November and has already reached over 50 million subscribers. Natalie Jarvey wrote an article for the Hollywood Reporter about how the company has had a successful start to their service. “By reaching the 50 million milestone, Disney+ has shot past corporate sister service Hulu, which has more than 30 million subs. It still has a ways to go to catch streaming giant Netflix and its 167 million subs,” (Jarvey). This affects users because they don’t want to miss out on a chance to watch all their favorite old movies as well as new shows produced by Disney.
It is obvious that due to the current circumstances regarding the coronavirus pandemic, everyone will be staying home, will not much to do. This benefits the streaming service industry even more. Erik Hayden wrote an article called HBO Max Tops Peacock in Viewer Interest Ahead of Streaming Launches. New services like WarnerMedia’s HBO Max, NBCUniversal’s Peacock and Quibi will be joining the streaming service industry in May of this year. It seems like these industries are already started to create some buzz. “About 16 percent of U.S. adults say they’d be “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to buy HBO Max when it debuts in May, more than those who say they're likely to buy Peacock (10 percent) or Quibi (10 percent), a new Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult poll finds,” (Hayden). Maybe when this is all over, the services will take some hits because people will want to finally get outside, but it seems they are entering the game at the right time.
TV industries are not the only one being affected by this corona virus outbreak, as well as the streaming industries. This epidemic is also affecting the movie industry. Rebecca Rubin wrote an article for Variety about how the new Universal movie, Trolls World Tour, will be skipping the movie theatres and going straight to the streaming platforms. Due to the fact the movie theatres are closed for the time being, it seems like this is going to be the new normal for now. “The unprecedented move, going against perennial protocol in exhibition, has many in the entertainment industry wondering: is the bold bet a sign of the times, or a paradigm shift in Hollywood that will shatter theatrical windows?” (Rubin). This is going to have an extreme impact on professionals in this industry because this is an unprecedented situation. They’re going to have to take a chance and make a tough decision. Users on the other hand will have a different feel as well, seeing premiers of movies from the comfort of their own home instead of a night at the theatre.
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UnknownApril 15, 2020 at 8:54 AM
Brett Gosselin

Let’s take a step back and look at how our world is right now. It’s in shambles and we are trying to pick up the pieces. I feel every single industry in the media world is having to adapt now more than ever, as every part of the media has either faced a minor or major change in how they distribute their market. The major thing I’ve seen though is streaming taking a meteoric rise to the top, and multiple companies take drastic steps in order to remain in business. One such person is Vince McMahon.

I feel Vince is often looked at in a poor light because of his company and how it’s been promoted over the years, but the man is a genius. If anyone hasn’t heard yet, the WWE is deemed an essential business now in the state of Florida. Not only that but the WWEs biggest show of the year was performed in front of zero fans and yet he still had his fan base talking for weeks about the event. He has gone out of his way in order to keep his company working nonstop. Right now, in a time with no sports, he is the closest thing to it, and he knows it. Not only that but he caught the costs on the XFL declaring bankruptcy. It was a drastic stunt to restart the failed league from 2020 and now during this time he has halted it once more, cutting the unnecessary things from his empire. Its adaptability, and often it comes with tough decisions and in the end, it can work out. I feel a lot of the streaming platforms and movie companies also need to take this into consideration.

It’s hard not to have a streaming service in todays climate. Half the time I am using at least one. I’ve streamed several seasons of Family guy, Brooklyn 99 and South park all in a month. I feel it’s the best distraction from the outside world and that’s why people are starting to now see how great of a tool it is. Now all these other industries have to adapt to it. The movie theaters are closed, video game stores are closed, concerts have stopped, and no public gatherings are occurring, so what’s the plan? It’s actually all the same, beforehand we started to see a transition to streaming occur, and now the process is just starting to move faster. Don’t believe me? The new Trolls movie is going to be released in a home premiere. Bloodshot was released on demand. The Irishman before all of this was released on Netflix and found its home there. We are starting to see the shift to everything being available in our homes, because we are all stuck here. While it was just one of many options beforehand, now it seems to be the only option for a lot of these companies. Like Vince McMahon these companies need to understand that a different approach is necessary in order to keep them afloat during this economic downfall. Either release them now, via streaming, or continue to suffer loss after loss until this pandemic end, and we don’t even know when that will even be.

Rubin, Rebecca. “'Trolls World Tour' Straight to Streaming - Sign of the Times or the New Normal?” Variety, Variety, 9 Apr. 2020, variety.com/2020/film/news/trolls-world-tour-streaming-theatrical-window-future-1234573263/.

Hayden, Erik. “HBO Max Tops Peacock in Viewer Interest Ahead of Streaming Launches.” The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Mar. 2020, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hbo-max-tops-peacock-viewer-interest-streaming-launches-1287499?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s%2BToday%2Bin%2BEntertainment_2020-03-31%2B07%3A15%3A00_aweprin&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie

Zeitchik, S. (2019, September 27). How Netflix could disrupt the world of high-end film with ‘The Irishman”. Retrieved February 29, 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/09/27/netflix-seeks-disrupt-world-high-end-film-with-irishman/
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Kaley NesciApril 15, 2020 at 2:57 PM

I don’t believe there is just one important trend that is cutting across the social media landscape at the moment. In fact, I think there is many that merge together creating a massive trend that in my opinion, will only get bigger in the future.

So, what exactly do these social media influencers do? “Influencers use social media platforms to connect with their audience on a personal level. They brand themselves within a specific industry by promoting content that coincides with their values and interests. For example, someone who correlates with fashion would be more inclined to promote a clothing company's T-shirt as opposed to a travel agency's sale on a vacation package to an exotic destination.” (CBS Editors 2019)
Right now, social media influencers are everything when it comes to advertising. People are more susceptible to listen to their favorite TikToker, YouTuber vlogger, or Instagram baddie when talking about products than traditional advertising. The social media culture that we are in right now is making it, so everyone is an influencer in a way. Brands are starting to realize that reaching to people on both a micro and macro level are imperative to the success of a business. The interesting thing about these influencers is that they are actually making bank. “rates for a single sponsored post can rom for $50 to more than $50,000, depending on the level of influencer.” (INFLUENCER MARKETING Editors 2020)
In regard to having one social media platform having the ability to take over the game, TikTok is right about there. Stars like Lil Huddy, Bryce Hall, Nessa Barrett, Josh Richards, and Addison Rae are making a great income just posting a few 60 second clips each day on their profile. “Charli D’Amelio just became the most followed creator on TikTok, with a super-low-key 41.4 million follower. NBD!” (JOKIC 2020) TikTok provides videos from 15 to 60 seconds where people often dance, do makeup, DIY projects, and more in order to entertain their audience in short bursts of time. It seems like this platform is only going to get bigger in the near future.
Overall, anyone with a following is an influencer in a way but the bigger the platform the stronger your voice is. Right now, I believe that social media influencers are the kings and queens of the social media landscape and will only grow to become stronger and bigger in the future.
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Kaley NesciApril 15, 2020 at 2:57 PM
The State of Influencer Marketing 2019 : Benchmark Report [ Infographic]. (2020, February 19). Retrieved from https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-2019-benchmark-report/

Jokic, N. (2020, March 26). Charli D'Amelio Just Became The Most-Followed Person On TikTok, And Are You Even Surprised? Retrieved from https://www.buzzfeed.com/natashajokic1/charli-damelio-most-followed-tik-tok

Editors, M. (2019, February 13). How much money do influencers actually make? Retrieved from https://www.mic.com/articles/192799/how-much-money-do-influencers-actually-make

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Michael ReillyApril 15, 2020 at 7:51 PM
Michael Reilly

The most important media trend is the formation of media conglomerates. Massive companies are becoming larger, which impacts the people working for them, and more properties and content are falling under fewer umbrellas, which impacts consumers’ access. In the past two years, Disney acquired 21st Century Fox and AT&T purchased Time Warner (Molla and Kafka). Four major media entities consolidated into two even larger organizations. According to Molla and Kafka, AT&T/WarnerMedia possesses a $278 billion market cap while Disney now holds a $267 billion market cap (“Here’s Who Owns Everything”). These companies, along with other major brands, wield a lot of power and can purchase more content and expand its reach at will. This will positively and negatively impact professionals. It will be beneficial because employees should enjoy better salaries and other perks. Mergers are also harmful to professionals, however, because they force a lot of workers to lose their jobs. Companies don’t need multiple people with the same title doing the same work after a merger, so they will either reassign the employee or terminate his or her employment outright. On the content creation side, professionals will be enticed by reputable brands with big wallets and massive audiences. On the other hand, these creative professionals will have fewer places to take their ideas. This will result in intense competition between professionals who are pitching their respective ideas to a small number of conglomerates.
The increased competition may be beneficial for consumers, however. It could result in higher quality products. It could result in more innovative work. Plus, the merger of these organizations has consolidated content into a few locations with streaming becoming more prominent. Disney+ features titles such as The Simpsons and Star Wars, HBO Max (AT&T/WarnerMedia) will showcase Friends and South Park, and Peacock (NBCUniversal) will have Saved by the Bell and Law & Order: SVU (Lawler). Hulu and Netflix are also popular stops for franchised content and original content. It will be easy for consumers to pinpoint which service they want to use when they are seeking out a specific title or genre. Conversely, the consolidation of media organizations onto streaming platforms will mean increased expenses for consumers. If a consumer wants to subscribe to all of the aforementioned streaming services, he or she will have to pay a minimum of $37 per month (Lawler). This price covers the lowest price points for each service, some of which only provided limited access to the service or lower streaming quality. It might be difficult for consumers to spend an additional $37 per month on top of cable, satellite, or live streaming television subscriptions. In short, the consolidation of media organizations will make some aspects of consumption easier for people, but it will make it costlier.
Consolidation impacts the box office as well. In 2019, 16 of the top 20 grossing movies were distributed by Disney, NBCUniversal, and AT&T/WarnerMedia (“Domestic Box Office for 2019”). This further highlights the pros and cons for consumers, especially as movies become available on streaming services. People can rely on these brands for great products, but they will have to subscribe to one of these services to access their favorite titles once they cease running in theaters.
In essence, the formation of media conglomerates will impact professionals and consumers greatly. Professionals that survive the mergers will thrive, while those who become unemployed will have to readjust. Consumers are enjoying increased convenience but will have to make financial choices based on their top streaming services. Media mergers are a mixed bag that is impacting everyone.
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Allison RoethkeApril 15, 2020 at 10:28 PM
I think that the most important trend that is cutting across all media industries right now is “less is more.” Users and consumers are starting to pick and side with specific streaming services and cutting out unnecessary forms of media within their households or individually. Streaming services like Netflix, HULU, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, etc. have taken over and they are going to continue with the traction they have created. If other forms of television want to hang on, they should start planning on creating their own streaming services or linking up with one that already exists. According to a Vox article, “Netflix buys stuff from the studios, but it’s making its own stuff, too, and it’s selling it directly to consumers. That’s one of the reasons older media companies are trying to compete by consolidating."
During this pandemic, it feels like as a society we have turned to streaming services to keep ourselves entertained. We go back and binge our favorite shows to pass the time. We are feeding the streaming services exactly what they want. As for Live TV or even movie theater, they are hitting rock bottom. Without sports, Live TV, besides news casts, they don’t have the content to keep consumers interested. As for movie theaters, they have no one coming to see movies because of the stay at home orders that are in place by each state. According to a Variety article, “Since movie theaters started to turn off their lights in the middle of March, major studios have been forced to retool their release calendars, postponing many films indefinitely and tentatively finding new dates for others.” They aren’t bringing in any revenue. With being out of business, they have yet to come up with any new ideas to dig themselves out of this hole. They haven’t been able to make as much money because of streaming services but now that no one can physically go to the movies because of COVID, they are just going to continue to decline. I don’t see them recovering from this. Streaming services have too much traction now.

Another trend I see forming for professionals is the use of Zoom, Google Meet, or other online meeting services. Since the pandemic, we have adapted to completing and functioning online. We do our shopping, our work, and everything else online. According to an article by CNBC, “The company [zoom] added 2.22 million monthly active users so far in 2020, while in 2019 it added 1.99 million, according to Bernstein’s estimates.” These numbers will continue to stay this high and possibly gradually fall once we get back to normal but I feel that Zoom or other video conferencing platforms will be implemented within many companies after this pandemic.
The amounts of money businesses and large companies could save by meeting over zoom and google meet instead of traveling to other countries, could really add up. Not only the money, but the resources. For example, my dad works for General Mills as an Environmental Safety Manager and he was talking with some of is coworkers about how many resources and how much money they have saved throughout this pandemic because travel has been limited BUT they are still able to complete tasks and meetings like as they did before, minus the travel. I believe once this pandemic starts to slow down and our lives return to the new normal, we will see more companies using these platforms to save resources and cut costs. This could be a new way of life for some companies and possibly even universities.
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Lisa FerraraApril 15, 2020 at 10:39 PM
In a time where word of mouth means everything, I think that the biggest trend amongst all media industries is the rise of influencers. Influencers stay connected with their followers daily to keep the connection going, this allows them to build a greater relationship. The top reason that brands have been investing in influencers is that they have expertise in the area that they are endorsing. According to HubSpot’s Ultimate List of Instagram Influencers, we have watched influencers emerge in all industries. For brands who may not know what type of influencer may best fit their brand, HubSpot compiled a list of the top 10-20 influencers in every industry including travel, food, beauty, fitness, and more (Forsey). Influencers have become the next big impact on professionals and consumers because it has changed the way their produce/service is being viewed. The goal of marketing and advertising professionals is to ultimately sell your brand in hopes for you to like it and spread the word. Some services and products are so niche to specific markets that the best way to hit your target market is to hire an influencer that is known within that community.

With the time in quarantine continuingly being extended we are seeing the true power that influencers have, specifically within niche industries such as fitness. Just as the fitness industry has seen a huge spike in sales as in exercise equipment, fitness instructors and influencers have seen spikes on their channels. According to Ryan Dunlop, chief operating officer and co-founder of Love Sweat Fitness, website traffic has been up over 50% since the quarantine started (Perelli, Whately). Fitness influencers have been able to grow a greater following during this time because now more people have time to fit working out into their schedules. Fitness influencers are not the only ones thriving during the quarantine, its food influencers too. During a normal workday it may not always be feasible to come home and cook dinner for yourself and family. Now during the quarantine people are starting to realize that they have more time to do things they normally do not have the time to do. Influencers such as Yumna @feelgoodfoodie, are starting to post recipes online to help inspire their followers as well as anyone else who is looking for a new treat. With everyone home in quarantine, we are just consuming much more content and are looking to influencers to provide that.

After the virus passes, I believe the influencer's word of mouth will still be as powerful as it is currently. At the rate we don’t know what life will be like after quarantine and if people are still going to treat face-to-face interactions the same as it was before. For example, in the beauty community shopping for makeup and skincare is probably going to look different. Stores will probably advise its workers on how to tell their customers to apply it themselves rather than have them get close to another face. According to Hannah Elliot, author of “When the Picture Isn't Pretty: How Influencers Are Adapting to Lockdown” statistics have shown that 88% of consumers now trust online recommendations as much as face-to-face recommendations (Elliot). I think we will see a rise in influencers and a rise in viewership because consumers are going to be scared. We are going to see YouTubers begin to post more haul style videos as well as product reviews because this pandemic has forever changed the way people are going to continue with their social habits.
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Liana DiMitriApril 16, 2020 at 12:54 AM
Other than finding random activities to do at home, a new trend that seems to be emerging for media industries is the accessibility of content online. While there has been an exponential boost in the use of streaming services, there has also been an interesting surge of television content being filmed in the homes of various hosts and celebrities. Industries may start making a huge conversion to content produced for online uploads, but how does that affect consumers and professionals?

In terms of streaming, this seems like a benefit for consumers. People are dying to occupy their time so having access to so many different streaming platforms is a great way to relieve some boredom. Netflix is currently the most used streaming service, and 16% of adult audiences are gearing up to buy a subscription to HBO Max (Hayden). Even with most people having a Netflix subscription or access to Netflix, they are still open to what other streamers have to offer. There is a need for entertainment and streamers have the key advantage in providing that. I think this trend of favoritism towards streamers has its ups and downs for professionals in the entertainment industry. On the positive side, once the pandemic calms down, there will probably still be an increased need for content on streamers. This can lead to many job opportunities for filmmakers and even an increase in content originality. On the negative side, the accelerated rise of streamers and sudden decline to movie theaters may change the way Hollywood releases blockbusters. It may take a long time for people to gain confidence to gather in large crowds. Since many movies’ releases have been delayed, this may cause a rift in the profit of supposed blockbuster films. With the hope that theaters reopen in mid-July with normal levels of attendance, it is predicted that box office revenue will struggle to hit 7 million—40% lower than 2019’s revenue (McClintock). I’m not necessarily sure that theaters will be able to recover from this hit.

An interesting adaptation I’ve seen many entertainment and media companies take is having people create content from their homes. Something that greatly surprised me was hearing that Discovery’s lifestyle brands have been thriving with its talent self-filming their segments. The Food Network had the highest Saturday/Sunday viewership in eight years with 16.5 million viewers tuning in to the home-made segments (O’Connell). I think it is incredible to see how eager people are for content even when it is not being produced in the typical professional style. It seems like there is a more genuine connection being formed by celebrities and audiences because every person is dealing with quarantining and social distancing. Celebrities are inviting audiences into their homes and doing something everyone can do—cook. This change in the relationship between audiences and talent is very exciting and something I’ve never seen before. I think this is a great thing for consumers because its comforting to have such intimate support from celebrities. I also think this opens up more opportunities for professionals because there is a growing need for people to garner support and contributions to mitigate the struggle of this pandemic. Celebrities may be accepting opportunities they would have scoffed at before, but these new opportunities aren’t necessarily bad options for them.

I’m curious to see how the entertainment industry will be permanently impacted, but I’m even more curious to know when this pandemic will end. Here’s to hoping that I can get a suitable job in the film industry by the summer of 2021!
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UnknownApril 16, 2020 at 10:22 AM
Katerina Bressette
Due to the current pandemic, absorbing countless hours of content has become the norm. With hundreds of options at our fingertips, from streaming to social media to gaming, our options seem endless. While many media trends have appeared over the last couple of months, I believe that the streaming wars are having the biggest impact on consumers as well as professionals. Top media conglomerates continue to battle it out for the top streaming position while producing more and more original content. The popularity of streaming has caused a lot of people to “cut the cord” on their cable services and switching to only streaming. The slow shift away from cable television is affecting many of the original networks that have been on TV for decades, forcing many to fight for viewers or switch to streaming as well. With several streaming platforms available to consumers, people have more options for entertainment than ever before. The transition from TV to streaming has been gradual, but the sudden impact of the Corona Virus might have finally pushed more people in favor of streaming services. According to one source, the new movie “Trolls World Tour” will “mark the first major studio movie to skip its planned traditional theatrical release since the Corona Virus outbreak forced cinemas to close” (Rubin). Due to extreme circumstances, traditional forms of watching movies might make a permanent switch to streaming. The influx of original content is another media trend that has grown within not only the television industry but the streaming one as well. According to one source, “Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and other streaming companies now generate an incredible amount of original content — 160 scripted shows, almost a third of the record 495 on all of TV, according to FX Networks Research” (Tan). The number of shows being produced on streaming services is overwhelming, for both the consumer and the professionals. The fight to win the top spot, viewer and subscriber wise, has caused a rapid influx of content from all of the top media conglomerates. Is it possible to have too much content? In a time where everyone is forced indoors and have to resort to technology as their sole form of entertainment, more content seems to be better. Before the outbreak, the number of shows being aired on streaming and television platforms was overwhelming for consumers, making it hard for them to keep up. For professionals, it appeared the more content they put out, the better chances of appeasing a niche audience that they hadn’t captured the attention of before. The popularity of streaming services has been a trend that continues to grow, especially during the global crisis. Disney+ has already “doubled its base since it last disclosed its subscriber growth in early February,” one source states (Jarvey). While Disney isn’t sure whether the growth is due to the outbreak, the increase in subscribers only illustrates the growth in popularity of the streaming industry. I believe that the streaming industry has not seen the peak of growth just yet. The pandemic could have a larger impact on the streaming and television industry than we think, potentially continuing the streaming wars for longer than predicted.
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maevehenniganApril 16, 2020 at 11:23 AM
When looking across the media landscape, it is apparent that one particular industry plays a major role in how the rest of the industries function—social media. The rise of social media over the past decade has altered how society functions, and has had a major effect on both the professional and social worlds. Likewise, the rise of social media influencers on platforms like Instagram, YouTube and TikTok has drastically changed how professionals advertise their businesses and communicate with consumers.

If we look back to 2010, the world of entertainment was completely different. It was common for people to purchase DVDs, It wasn’t strange for people to not have an Instagram or Snapchat account, and effective marketing took place in traditional advertisements on television. Today, because of social media, the way we live our lives has changed entirely. According to Vision Critical, “Over 25 percent,” of social media users “post original video on a weekly basis, while 65 percent enjoy creating and sharing content on social media” (Kleinschmit). Due to people’s daily usage of social media, it will continue to grow in the following years and become more integrated into the daily lives of generations to come.

With the rise of social media, influencers have also become popular, changing the world of marketing and advertising altogether. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, Instagram users around the world “post 95 million photos and videos per day, along with uploading 400 million Instagram Stories a day,” and “like an incredible 4.2 billion posts every day” (Influencer Marketing Hub). Many of these daily posts come from the likes of influencers who are able to garner astonishing amounts of followers in the matter of months. Take Charli D’amelio—she garnered 50 million followers on TikTok—that's over the entire population of California, in under a year. Social media has enabled influences to gain celebrity status, but their ability to connect with their followers enables them to relate to the average person. Because of this, influencers have become popular advertising tools for massive corporations. From Subaru to Audible, noteworthy companies have integrated these social media stars to promote their products, revealing how the rise of social media has made its way into the advertising and marketing industries.

We can see social media play a role in the entertainment industry through its impact on streaming services. As chord cutting continues to ensue and more and more people begin to turn to streamers for their entertainment content, social media plays a big role in consumers' decisions. For instance, Baby Yoda from the Mandelorian became an instant worldwide phenomenon thanks to social media’s meme culture. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Baby Yoda was ubiquitous as a meme,” and “by late November, Baby Yoda mentions were outpacing any of the Democratic presidential candidates on social media,” (Keegan). It's because of social media that the Star wars character became so popular, and certainly convinced many people to stream the Mandelorian on Disney Plus. With that in mind, it's apparent that a streaming service’s social media presence will be a determining factor of which services will be successful as more and more companies offer streamable content.

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Charlotte GardnerApril 16, 2020 at 12:26 PM
Part 1
It might just be quarantine getting the best of me, but I believe Tik Tok trends are essential to the progression of mainstream media. According to Music Business Worldwide, since quarantine began “The video app saw an 18 percent increase in downloads, and was downloaded 2 million times between March 16 and 22, an increase from the previous week's 1.7 million, Sensor Tower reported. The app also saw a 27 percent increase in the first 23 days of March compared to February with 6.2 million downloads” (Crowley, 2020). Influences of the app can be seen across almost every category of media. The music industry has welcomed many stars from the app into their arms, and Tik Tok songs have climbed the charts. On the Spotify “Top Hits” playlist, every other song is one that either got its start from Tik Tok or was made popular only after its appearance on the app. This then transfers over to radio play of these viral songs, affecting that industry as well. During this year’s Superbowl, Tik Tok star Charli D’Amelio appeared in an ad for Sabra hummus. In an article posted by Buzzfeed, “Charli D’Amelio just became the most followed creator on TikTok, with a super-low-key 41.4 million followers” (Jokic, 2020). This symbolizes how even the advertising industry is aware and is incorporating Tik Tok into their campaigns. To go even further, Tik Tok stars have been invited to many fashion events such as Paris Fashion week, and now multiple high profile agencies are scouting models on the app. In the professional world, Tik Tok is making its impact known across so many industries. Professionals have to be knowledgeable about Tik Tok because it could seriously bring attention to their brand.
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