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A public library in Seattle nearly missed an opportunity to collab with President Barack Obama because of an email request that went to the spam folder. In related news, thousands of Nigerian prices are working on their Obama impressions.
WHAT A RUSH
The latest crop of PNMs has hit TikTok. #RushTok has returned.
For the third straight year, the University of Alabama’s Greek scene is the talk of TikTok. August 12 marked the beginning of sorority rush season in Tuscaloosa, and the internet is following along to cheer on its favorite PNMs (Potential New Members) leading up to Bid Day on August 20.
Bama Rush has become a TikTok phenomenon that turns the most popular PNMs into instant sensations. Just ask Kylan Darnell:
“I woke up [after posting my first rush TikTok] with my phone blowing up. My mom was like, ‘have you checked your TikTok?’ I gained like 100,000 followers in a night. Brands started reaching out, I started getting brand deals and making a little bit of money. It was like an overnight thing. It was crazy.”
(Source: USA Today)
After going through the rush process last year, Darnell is now a sister at Zeta Tau Alpha who is ready to welcome her littles:
She has provided a complement to more typical #RushTok content by sharing her view from inside the house. That perspective was notably lacking in Bama Rush, a controversial documentary that hit Max earlier this year.
With some of the new PNMs already sporting six-digit follower counts, it seems as if the #BamaRush phenomenon is only growing in scope, scale, and influence. For some, that may raise questions about the role sororities play in a broader cultural discourse. But rush season’s TikTok devotees will take this week to celebrate all the characters, relationships, and bids that make #RushTok stories so engrossing.
🔆 SPONSORED 🔆
How does Spotter’s creator funding process really work? Here’s what the world’s top YouTubers have to say:
From brand-building to content production, YouTubers can partner with Spotter to achieve just about anything. But how does the process actually work?
Here’s a quick FAQ from 3 top creators:
1. What can I do with capital from Spotter? 🤔
Spotter is all about empowering creators—meaning you can spend your new capital to invest in your channel. Here’s how Lizzy Capri used her funds: “I've been able to buy my very own content house and spent the last four months building out a whole studio warehouse where my team can work and grow.”
2. How long does the funding process take? ⌛
Here’s how Airrack described Spotter’s fast-paced process: “They were ready to give me the money that they had offered me within like two business days, and they understood that this industry moves quickly and that I don't have a lot of time.”
3. How do I know if Spotter is a good fit? 🤝
MrBeast’s answer: “If you're trying to reinvest and grow your channel and you have tight cash margins, or you just want to expand, and you want to test new things, it is—in my opinion—a great way just to get money in the bank.”
Ready to start funding your future? Hit the button below to learn more:
HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰
FreshCut is building a six-digit creator community by keeping a “laser focus” on its main content category: Gaming. (Tubefilter)
By getting more than 100,000 followers, Rainbox Six: Siege gamer Jynxzi has eclipsed Kai Cenat as the most-followed Twitch streamer. (Dexerto)
Activision has dropped the “viral pizza audio lawsuit” it filed against TikToker and music critic Anthony Fantano. (Reuters)
ByteDance is using TikTok to market Lemon8, a separate social app that has also caught on in the United States. (TechCrunch)
IT’S NOT PERSONAL
If TikTok has created a depersonalized For You Page, does the whole world deserve to get it?
As per usual, TikTok’s controversial recommendation engine is drumming up headlines across the world. A week after the short-form platform announced a depersonalized feed available to E.U.-based users, consumers in other regions have one question: Why not me?
It all started with the European Union’s Digital Services Act.
The law checks the power of social platforms by threatening them with fines if they don’t comply with certain stipulations. Among other demands, the E.U. required TikTok to roll out a feed devoid of personal recommendations.
Instead of getting stuck in long binges filled with hyper-targeted content, users of the new For You Page (coming “soon,” per TikTok) will see posts that are popular in their region, relevant to their chosen language, or uploaded by accounts they follow.
For users outside of E.U. territories, that seems like a pretty good deal. Imran Ahmed, the CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, said it would be “frankly ridiculous” if TikTok did not extend its useful new option across the globe.
TikTok might have other ideas.
A spokesperson for the company told The Guardian that TikTok has no current plans to bring its depersonalized feed to any countries other than the ones covered by the Digital Services Act. But there are still some things us non-E.U. users can do if we want to adjust TikTok’s addictive recommendation engine:
Filter keywords and put the “Not Interested” button to use. Those actions help TikTok determine the types of content it should display on the personalized version of the FYP.
Understand the factors that go into TikTok’s recs. The app has shared some of the processes that inform the mysterious inner workings of its algorithm. Understanding those weights can help viewers avoid the “TikTok Spiral.”
Fight for “cognitive liberty.” Systems like TikTok’s heavily-curated FYP limit our ability to think for ourselves on social media. For those who feel that internet users deserve more choice, laws like the Digital Services Act are important steps forward.
WATCH THIS 📺
”Hey, can I have a free car?”
That refrain is uttered repeatedly in the latest video from the YouTubers known as the Dangie Bros. The risk-taking duo visited 100 used car dealerships to ask if they could get a vehicle on the house.
If you’ve ever bought a used car before, you can probably guess how this stunt plays out. But as any good driver knows, the fun is all about the journey, not the destination.
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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort.