We are truly living in unprecedented times.
We are sailing in uncharted waters.
We never seen anything like this before.
How many times have we heard these phrases uttered by TV talking heads over the past eight years, almost always used to describe a situation that is inexplicable, that defies logic, that just makes little sense? In fact, these clichés trotted out to attempt to frame political events that defy description.
But now, they are have become totally suitable for putting some context behind what we’ve witnessed in the tech world these past few months. First, it was the amazing ascension of A.I. in the form of ChatGPT that continues to captivate our conversations, especially in the world of radio.
And in just five days, we’ve watched a similar narrative play out in the social space. Popular demand for a new social media platform has catapulted Threads into a position that is truly threatening the health and well-being of one of social media’s long-time legacy platforms, Twitter. But nothing is forever in the world, much less the world of media and technology. Yesterday, Threads has shattered the record for reaching the 100 million milestone, rocketing into our news feeds and trending lists.
Now, Twitter hasn’t posted those “Everything Must Go” signs on their ad network – yet. But given the numbers of advertisers who have bailed out on the brand (even before Threads was launched), perhaps they should. And as if it couldn’t get worse for Twitter, graphs like the one below are popping up (on Twitter!) that paint an ugly picture of where the social media “puck” is headed. If this was a 4-book rating trend in radio, we’d be canning the consultant, and hiring a research company to find us a new format.
Since taking over Twitter, this isn’t one of those charts Musk would want to show to investors. And it gets worse. In early July since Threads was released – or better put, unleashed – Twitter has nosedived. In radio, we might try to write this off as a Summer Book – after all, people are on vacation, the kids are out of school, and the weather’s weird.
Nice try, Twitter. The fact is, Twitter users are voting with their thumbs. We don’t exactly know whether they’re leaving Twitter, but they’re certainly embracing the new platform from Meta. Lori Lewis advised stations yesterday that Threads’ rise demands radio “should be learning about new content consumption as it always leads to where things are going.” Given that it took the
sensational ChatGPT two months to reach the 100 million mark (and Twitter five years, not five days), this is damn good advice.
In his “Connecting the Dots” blog post yesterday, our Seth Resler’s topic was not surprisingly about what radio ought to be doing and thinking with and about Threads. He advised radio people to download it, learn it, use it, but don’t promote it with wild abandon like the industry did with Facebook and other early social media players. Like Lori’s, Seth’s piece is worthy of your time.
I didn’t intend to write about Threads today, but it is unavoidable. My angle is a bit different because I think so much of this story goes back to the “King Kong vs. Godzilla” nature of this now-epic battle between two tech titans. It was one thing when Musk and Zuck were planning out their “cage match,” physically going after one another in a ring. Frankly, this battle is more interesting playing out on our laptops, tablets, and mobile phones.
And of course, this war has its side effects. Think about it. If we would have asked 1,000 online Americans to name us the most annoying tech executive just one year ago, Mark Zuckerberg would have “won” hands down. Clearly, Jeff Bezos and Musk would have placed and showed. But my bet is that Zuck would have taken this auspicious prize running away.
And yet, it’s his Threads (born out of Instagram) that is stealing the day. People aren’t downloading the Threads app because they love and admire Zuckerberg. Many are doing so because they’re sick of Musk’s moronic antics and the way he’s gyrated Twitter since schlepping that stupid sink through its headquarters on Day One of his “reign of temper.”
As a Twitter P1, I’ve been on the platform since September 2008, and like millions of others, I’ve been frustrated by the wild twists and turns Musk has instituted, often making us feel like guinea pigs – certainly not valued customers. After spending nearly two decades on social media, I’m not an expert. I’m a user. And I think most of us want to use social platforms that work seamlessly, have rules and play fairly with them, and offer some level of privacy and security.
By now, we all know the unspoken truth: we are the product. And by using these platforms, we willingly give up data (often a lot of it) so they can make their billions. Musk has been going at it differently, apparently less interested in advertising and more enamored with a subscription model, charging more for blue checkmarks and premium usage. More power to him. But just run the place like it matters,
because for more hundreds of millions of users, it does.
Musk’s erratic decisions, whipsawing Twitter – its rules, its users, its big media brands, and its advertisers – has caused these constituencies to lose their collective patience. When did the social media platform you preferred hinge on the personality of the dude in its corner office or his mood that particular day? But that’s exactly what’s happening right here, right now. Twitter users (and others), are using their thumbs to send Musk a powerful message about his stewardship of their once-favorite place to use their hashtags and DMs.
And you have to wonder if his behavior will spill over to this other enterprises, especially his wildly successful Tesla franchise.
It’s too early to know, although there’s a little less sticker shock when you shop EVs nowadays, including Musk’s cars. Will car buyers alienated by Musk’s machinations switch to Ford, Hyundai, or Toyota for their electric vehicles, or will they hold their noses and continue to bolster Tesla’s bottom line? After all, Musk’s cars have a fart feature, and that’s something these other OEMs cannot match.
But ironically, maybe those sound effects that stimulate guffaws from the Tesla passengers told us a lot more about the company’s CEO and his mindset. Just yesterday, Musk took to Twitter to tell the world what he thinks of Zuckerberg. (Where does he find the time? The guy tweets more than I do.)
And Holy Little Marco! We’re now down to name-calling. Check out these strategic tweets yesterday from Musk:
Maybe Elon has tired of the “cage match” foolishness, and is moving to a more simple, less violent bakeoff that just comes down to a measurement of size. (If you’re wondering whether these tweets are legit or fake, Snopes.com verified both yesterday.)
But that war is being won every day by Zuckerberg, as the numbers of Threads users continues to grow at a meteoric rate. We know from history – whether its radio or social media – that the hot new kid on the block will eventually hit a speed bump or two.
And with all respect to high schoolers everywhere, this sophomoric suggestion is offensive, boorish, and unfitting of someone of Musk’s talents, intelligence, and status. But if good taste was the yardstick, well America might not be in the spot it finds itself in right now.
There are more important things in our lives than this silly Threads vs. Twitter imbroglio, personified by a couple of rich white guys. But there are lessons here about how to lose – and win – gracefully, how to manage a lead, and how to respect your customers and fans. Those will be the textbook lessons that may soon become marketing book fodder for someone with a little time, thanks to less TST (time-spent tweeting).
Speaking of which, perhaps Musk might waste less of his vast neural network on calling out Zuck, and instead, focus on how to stop the bleeding. There are turnaround specialists who focus on these branding dumpster fires. This one is a four-alarmer with no easy answers on the horizon.
Size does matter, as Musk may learn – the hard way. He has systematically and expeditiously driven off his cume. Rather than be enraptured by all this media coverage, he might want to focus his energies on trying to please an increasingly restless audience who now has an option.
I like this quote for this situation, first coined by a guy who ran for President twice – and failed to win: Adlai Stevenson:
“You can tell the size of a man by the size of the thing that makes him mad.”
Et tu, Elon?
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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