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Hey Creators! It’s time for your monthly news and trends recap, and let me tell you, January 2023 has been a wild ride!

We’ve got some juicy tidbits on news, music, memes, and new features to catch you up on.

A Rough Start to 2023 with Layoffs

First up, we have to talk about probably the biggest news happening right now: layoffs.

It’s been a rough start to the year for some big companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, the three of which laid off 10,000, 12,000, and 18,150 employees, respectively.

The job market is looking bleak, especially in the tech space, and the uncertainty of a post-pandemic recovery is making employers and employees alike anxious.

I personally have family going through this so my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who has been affected by these layoffs.

Let’s hope that relief and recovery are just around the corner so that we can get through these hardships and back to work soon.

An Outlook for Creators in 2023

On top of that, we have some mixed news for the Creator Economy.

A TechCrunch article published on January 2nd outlines the decline of money that’s being poured into the Creator Economy. This means that funding for creator-focused startups is drying up or, at the very least, slowing down.

You can see the breakdown of creator economy funding for the first three quarters of 2022 here:

• Q1: 58 rounds worth $343.2 million
• Q2: 42 rounds worth $336.0 million
• Q3: 19 rounds worth $110.2 million

Now, I don’t believe this means the Creator Economy is “failing”.

After the huge rise of Creators and startups in 2020 and 2021 (add in there all the talk of a recession), I think things are starting to normalize a little bit.

To me, those numbers reflect a more realistic, long-term budget when it comes to Influencer Marketing, Content Creator Marketing, and everything in between.

But I’m certainly not an economist, so I can’t say for certain. What are your thoughts on the Creator Economy right now?

Trends We Saw in 2023

January was the month of comebacks, specifically pop queen Miley Cyrus dropping her long-awaited new single, “Flowers.”

This is the first we’ve heard from her since her last album in 2020, and let me tell you, it’s a banger. Maybe not as poppin’ as “The Climb”, but still off the charts…literally.

“Flowers” is a self-love anthem with references and easter eggs to her relationship with ex-husband Liam Hemsworth, making it a hit among fans trying to decode the lyrics and music video.

From what we can tell, this is just the beginning. More music from Miley Cyrus is coming our way and I can’t wait. I love Miley Cyrus. I literally named one of my cats after her in high school.

More Trending Music

Other trending songs on TikTok right now include Taylor Swift’s “Lavender Haze”, which finally has a music video; SZA’s “Kill Bill”, a Tarintino-inspired song about still loving a toxic ex; “Die For You” by the Weeknd, climbing the charts 7 years after its release; and “if we ever broke up i’d never be sad” by up-and-coming artist, Mae Stephens.

So hop on those TikTok trends while they’re still hot! Make those videos and add them to your Content Calendar!

January 2023 Memes

January also saw the rise of a new meme, featuring actor Finn Wolfhard, star of Stranger Things.

This meme known as “Mike Wheeler Snapping” or “Finn Wolfhard Snapping“, has received huge traction on TikTok, with thousands of people using the CapCut template on their videos.

The video clip itself features Wolfhard walking towards the camera, snapping his fingers, and then smirking at the audience after being illuminated by lights.

It’s easy to see why this gained so much traction, and with the ever-growing array of green screen templates and other effects available, viewers were creating hilarious videos about sudden changes they see around them.

If you want to use this meme, think of a sudden change within your niche.

For example, if you are in the Creator Educator space like me, you could have the first image be the old Instagram UI design, and when Finn snaps his fingers, it can change to the current Instagram UI.

Other examples include body transformations, showing your crush 10 years ago compared to today, and so much more.

No matter your niche, you can use this meme!

Another popular meme that made its rounds in January was the “Banana meme”, also a CapCut template.

It’s a bit hard to explain this one using only words, so here are a few examples of how it’s used.

I think this one is hilarious and super easy to adapt to any niche as well.

Staying Up to Date on the Latest Trends

When it comes to trends, one thing is for certain: things are always changing.

Who knows what will take over the internet this month? The best way to stay ahead is to stay informed with the Trend Report, powered by Storyy.

Storyy are my amazing video editors, who also do the research so you can have updates like this from me! When you subscribe to their Trend Report, you’ll get a newsletter each Friday detailing the biggest trends happening that week.

With their Trend Report, you’ll never be left in the dark on anything trending.

And yes: it’s free!

Don’t let the next big trend pass by without being in the know. Sign up for the Trend Report here.

Social Media News in 2023

Now, let’s touch on some of the platform-specific updates that happened this past month.

Instagram News

For starters, Instagram in January 2023 proved to be a busy and exciting month for all users, with the introduction of a few new features.

Let’s start with the most exciting update: users now have the ability to schedule Reels to auto-post for you IN APP.

FINALLY!

Other app updates include Quiet Mode, which allows users to take a break from notifications and set boundaries with friends and followers.

Instagram also added Hidden Words, an extension to comment hiding and message filtering. With Hidden Words, users can now add a list of words, emojis or hashtags to their settings that they don’t want to see in their recommendations.

And last, but not least, of Instagram’s updates is Candid Stories, which is a way to share what’s happening right now, using your front and back camera at the same time.

To view other’s Candid Stories, you have to share one of your own… sound familiar?

If you aren’t seeing any of these updates on your Instagram, first and foremost, make sure your app is updated. If your app is up-to-date, it’s possible the changes haven’t gotten around to your account yet.

Instagram is always slowly releasing updates to certain groups of users at a time, usually with a small group at first, and slowly expanding from there.

YouTube News

Youtube shorts monetization is here!

That’s right, so if Shorts isn’t part of your content funnel, you better add it!

Starting February 1st, Creators in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) can now start monetizing their Shorts views with Shorts ads revenue sharing.

Shorts ads revenue sharing will replace the YouTube Shorts Fund. This is an exciting announcement and proof that Youtube is taking short-form content seriously.

YouTube also made an update to its Community Guidelines in an effort to increase transparency and give creators clear options when accused of violating a rule. The new experience shares the specific guideline that you violated, as well as educational materials about the rule.

Finally, you’ll have the chance to appeal. YouTube has started testing the ability to timestamp the violation to YouTube Partner Program members but may be expanded to other creators in the future.

Now, the only update I am waiting on is the ability to edit your Shorts thumbnails after a video has been posted. YouTube, this needs to happen ASAP!

Twitter News

Over at Twitter, they’re testing out new features that look really exciting!

The first is Notes, where Twitter users can write up to 2,500 words, accompanied by a title of 100 characters and spruce it up with pictures, tweets, and links. Plus, every article will have a unique URL so those without accounts can still read it too.

And the second feature is “React to Tweets with Videos.” This allows you to quote tweet someone else and reply with a photo or video rather than text. (Throwback to Video Responses in the old YouTube days!)

It’s a great way to connect more deeply with your followers than ever before! Plus, it hops on the video era that we seem to be in.

TikTok News

Doing a report on Tiktok is weird. Why? Because we’re all wondering if it will even be around next month.

With growing concern after numerous States and Universities banned the app because of a possible security threat, The House Foreign Affairs Committee plans to hold a vote next month on a bill aimed at blocking the use of the popular Chinese app, TikTok, in the United States.

The bill would aim to give the White House the legal tools to ban TikTok over U.S. national security concerns.

To help combat this and provide transparency, TikTok will now label more accounts with ties to state-run media.

Previously, state-owned media was only labeled if it was coming from Russia, Ukraine or Belarus. It will now expand that to more than 40 regions and apply a set of criteria to determine which media is state-run. It also provides new methods for appeal.

So, while things aren’t looking too promising for TikTok, fans of Triller are leaping for joy.

And that’s all for this month’s Trend Recap.

What news stuck out to you? What are YOUR thoughts? Let me know in the comments, and please keep it a respectful place because everyone is entitled to their opinions.

Follow your joy!