Zucks Metapocalypse

Author

Jim Louderback
January 14, 2025

Coming to you a day late, written somewhere over the north pole as I head back to San Francisco on an airplane without WiFi!

Just spent two weeks in Dubai finalizing and then producing the Economy/Industry track at 1 Billion Followers Summit.  It was wonderful, among the best events I’ve been part of, and it certainly put UAE on the global creator map globally.  But last week was defined not just by creators coming of age in MENA, but by three other massive stories that roiled the global creator economy.

HELP SAVE LA

It was surreal being 8,000 miles from LA and watching the files unfold. We had planeloads of speakers and attendees making the trek from LAX, with many directly impacted by the fires.  My thanks to those who made the trip despite crying inside for their neighbors, friends and city. As one of the top global creator economy hubs, LA’s pain hurts us all.  But now’s not the time to measure the impact, now’s the time to pitch in and help.  The Red Cross is always a great place to donate to help disaster victims, and GoFundMe has a list of verified fundraisers for SoCal people impacted too. If you like this always-free newsletter (or even if you don’t), please consider donating $25 or more here as a token of your appreciation.  Beware scams but help however you can. 

CLOCK RUNS OUT FOR TIKTOK

On Sunday it appears that TikTok will no longer be available in the US.  But for how long?  And what should creators do in the meantime? If you’ve been reading ICE, you know I’ve consistently warned that a ban was likely.  I didn’t WANT to be right, but now we face the fallout.    The court could still rule in their favor or grant a 90-day extension – which is unlikely.  President-elect Trump could refuse to enforce the law, but since Google and Apple – via their app stores – would be liable, their lawyers (with a nudge perhaps from the business teams) will certainly enforce it.  I expect to President Trump will use TikTok as a bargaining chip with China – but congress could tie his hands.  Could this become the first loyalty test of what’s likely to be a contentious congress?  There’s also a move to pass legislation this week that would extend the ban by another 270 days.  We’ll see.

Hopefully creators have already started enacting “Plan B”, and brands as well. Reels and Shorts should stand to gain the most, based on India’s experience banning the app in 2020.  But Snap, Triller (now run by ex-TikTok exec Sean Kim) - and new entrants – could partly fill the void.  Parent company Bytedance will try to move users to Lemon8, which seems like a lost cause – and could be banned via the same law that’s now aimed at TikTok. Protesting users are flooding into Red Note - another Chinese app -  but that’s likely more protest than alternative.  And new stories indicate that Bytedance might sell TikTok to Elon Musk, who could roll it into X.

FACEBOOK FIDDLES

President elect Trump threatened to jail Mark Zuckerberg during the last campaign.  After the election, Big Blue’s CEO visited Mar A Lago to, presumably, kiss the ring and bend the knee. Then last week the company disbanded its fact checking group, instead opting for a community-notes feature similar to what’s worked so well recently at “X” (insert eye-roll here).  They followed that up by disbanding their DEI organization late last week too - as Zuckerberg returned to Mar A Logo.  This rapid overhaul of Meta’s policies shows how social media will be different in the US – and around the world – in the wake of the US election results.   The staff at Meta are not taking some of the recent moves lightly, with 404 media calling it “total chaos” and GLAAD publicly calling Meta “an anti-LGBTQ company”. 

GET YOUR APES OUT! 

The return of blockchain and crypto to the creator economy was one of the recurring themes in Dubai.  Verix and others participated in the pitch competition, and more than a few execs insisted that crypto and blockchain-based services were on the rise.  Some even predicted the return of the NFT.  And now Sony has jumped into the mix, launching its new Layer 2 Ethereum platform Soneium.  The new platform focuses on the value exchange between creators and their communities, building an “entertainment layer” on top of web3’s finance infrastructure.  It’s part of a new wave of blockchain products hiding their mechanics under the hood, rather than celebrating its inclusion.  Pushing web3 below the fold is likely the only way most creators will consider re-engaging with the much-maligned tech.  Except tech bros and their Hawk Tuah queen.

SPONSOR: The Creator Economy is set for significant transformations by 2025, with AI tools enhancing content creation, dubbing, and audio production. Neil Waller, Co-CEO and Co-Founder Whalar Group, anticipates Creators will increasingly adopt AI to streamline workflows and expand their reach. Learn more about the 2025 Creator Economy that Whalar Group predicts: https://www.businessinsider.com/creator-economy-predictions-2025-rise-in-ai-dubbing-and-audio-2024-11. 

QUIBIS  

YOUTUBE

  • Sharpening Shorts:  Big Red adds more tools and 3 minutes for all in anticipation of a TikTok Ban. 

META

TIKTOK

  • What Else?  Beyond the impending ban, not much else seems relevant.  For the foreseeable future, this section will mostly be devoted to the US legal tussle and how the global creator economy responds.  Never a dull moment.

  • Does it Matter?  TikTok releases a 2025 Trend Report.

OTHER CREATOR ECONOMY

CREATOR TECH – AI, WEB3, VR, MORE

100% written by me – no human or AI ghostwriters were involved in the production (except for the cover art!).

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