Why Universal is calling time out on TikTok

Feb 1, 2024
The video platform and the music company couldn't agree on terms for renewing their contract. Some of the fallout will hit video creators.
Universal says TikTok accounts for just 1% of its revenue. TikTok calls itself a “free promotional and discovery vehicle” for Universal’s talent.
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Content creator economy is everywhere, but labor data and protections are sparse

Nov 9, 2023
The government has virtually no data on this mostly unregulated, $250 billion global industry, says Drew Harwell of The Washington Post.
"This is a market of millions of people around the world who work as creators or influencers," said Drew Harwell at The Washington Post.
Phillippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images

Tiktok "water chefs" have people shelling out for mermaid flavored drinks

Oct 10, 2023
TikTok's latest beverage trend is driving sales of flavored syrups and powders, but experts don't expect it to last.
Water flavored to taste like fruity cocktails, Mountain Dew and cotton bubble gum are trending on TikTok under the hashtag Watertok.
Rimma Bondarenko, iStock / Getty Images Plus

Why chicken over beef? Food fads come and go with price, habits and ... TikTok

Sep 5, 2023
Social media trends can inspire people to try out new ingredients. But it’s not like the food industry can immediately respond to every new protein craze.
Tyson Foods is closing some processing plants, in part because the company overestimated Americans’ appetite for chicken.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

St. Louis leatherworker is giving the soccer ball a new look and feel

Sep 4, 2023
Jon-Paul Wheatley is combining his lifelong love of soccer with his pandemic hobby of crafting leather. He's documenting it all online.
Jon-Paul Wheatley with one of his custom soccer balls.
Courtesy Wheatley

The newest viral TikTok trend? Cottage cheese

Jul 12, 2023
Cottage cheese, the curd-filled dairy product of 1970s diet fad fame, is back and trendier than ever.
This newly viral ingredient has been in the dairy aisle for decades.
Tim Graham/Getty Images

The search for the perfect "dupe" might be more valuable than the dupe itself

Jun 7, 2023
"It's gotten to the point where the logic of dupes has been sort of flipped on its head," said Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz. "And people are spending more time and in some cases, more money dupe-hunting than they would if they just bought the original."
Above, counterfeit Prada bags. "[Dupes] also include counterfeits and knockoffs," said Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz. "It's sort of a Gen Z-destigmatized rebranding of fakes, but fake goods definitely fall under the dupe umbrella."
Phillipe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Ads on social media are exceptionally good at getting us to click "buy"

"In the past, we've studied social media ads as if they're just like a billboard or a print magazine ad when they're not," said advertising professor Matthew Pittman. "You're seeing an ad from any number of sources."
On Instagram or in other social media feeds, "you're seeing an ad from any number of sources right after you might see a video or a post from your ex from high school or a new celebrity training fitness routine," said the University of Tennessee's Matthew Pittman.
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As film gets more popular, Los Angeles photographer finds it's also getting pricier

May 2, 2023
Dave Montejano talks about the rising cost of his passion and building a film photography community online.
In March, Kodak increased the prices of its 35 mm and 120 mm films, making the stocks unaffordable for many film photographers.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Fast food menu hacks are taking over TikTok

Apr 5, 2023
They create both chaos and money-making opportunities for businesses.
The rise of social media and digital ordering has spawned a slew of menu hacks and complex orders.
Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images