Instagram Ctrl+C+V TikTok: What Meta's copy-paste strategy will mean for social media PLUS Ransomware attacks on media underscore need for security training

January 03, 2022

I'm back! I handed in my dissertation at 21:14 EST on 21 December, and for the first time in two years, I don't have to think about the next master's course and the next paper. I would say that I'm thinking about how to apply what I learned, but I was applying what I learned in real-time. I'll be writing about that much more in the coming months.

Right back to the newsletter! I know that there are a lot of end-of-the-year retrospectives out there, but one from Mind the Product is an excellent one for resources if you're a product leader or product-oriented leader. It includes great insights on how to transition to becoming a product manager, some of the skills you'll need, and a way to assess where you're at. It's a really good collection of articles and resources, and I'll be looking at them over the next couple of months.

It's still a little quiet in terms of media analysis and coverage, but there were a couple of important pieces including the 50% drop in Buzzfeed's value since its SPAC debut. It's obvious that we're going to see a pretty vicious consolidation in digital media, and depending on how things shake out, we'll see a couple of big players that might be bought up by legacy big players. Well unless the blood bath is so terrible that even buying on the cheap looks stupid. Then consolidation will turn into liquidation.

PLUS CrowdTangle co-founder is helping craft legislation on how to increase transparency amongst platforms. The largest TV channel in Portugal has been hit by ransomware. This isn't an isolated incident so I would hope that we'll see more security awareness and training at media outlets. Also a good piece in The Guardian about the collapse of attention. I think it's a good piece that highlights some of the pathologies in the attention economy that we've seen for quite a while.

Here's the countdown of our top 10 posts, pods, toolkits, and videos that really struck a chord with the product community in 2021.

Researchers need to learn to work at different levels and find the best research methodology suited to the questions they’re trying to answer.

Social media and many other facets of modern life are destroying our ability to concentrate. We need to reclaim our minds while we still can

The co-founder of CrowdTangle has been working with Congress on legislation to make tech companies disclose their inner workings.

The Record by Recorded Future gives exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to leaders, policymakers, researchers, and the shadows of the cyber underground.

New VIP+ Analysis: It’s survival of the fittest, and the sector is trying to find the best way to stay alive amid increased competition.

Instagram Follows TikTok Trends, How This Could Impact Its Future - 12/30/2021