As Twitter rebrands to X, its future remains uncertain. Meta’s launch of Threads, an app that features real-time, public conversations, has quickly gained attention for its striking similarities to Twitter. It has sparked discussions inside the Beltway on how it will disrupt the political media landscape.
With Elon Musk now at the helm of Washington’s most popular social media platform, the overall integrity of Twitter is being questioned. Concern that changes to content moderation policies will lead to a rise in hate speech and misinformation are a growing issue for corporations and government officials who are unsure if hate speech or misinformation will run alongside their content. News of mass layoffs and the resignations of many C-level executives has also caused users and policymakers to question the safety and security of the platform.
The media landscape is constantly evolving, especially today, as social media continues to grow in popularity. New social channels have been introduced and many popular platforms have expanded their offerings; newspaper companies are building their digital platforms; and new media partnerships are forming and changing the media industry.
Gloria Dittus, Chairman of Story Partners, conducted an interview with Steve Clemons, who joined The Hill six months ago as Editor-at-Large. During the interview, Steve gave tips for executives to create opportunities to participate in media forums and to secure media coverage. Steve also shared about new platforms at The Hill and what offerings and events to expect next.
What is the most effective way for executives to land opportunities to participate in forums hosted by media outlets, i.e. The Hill’s Newsmaker Series? Read more
National Geographic has built one of the most successful digital strategies with a combined 420+ million followers across their social channels, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat and Pinterest. Earlier this year, National Geographic became the first brand to reach 100 million followers on Instagram; their main Instagram account, @NatGeo, now has over 119 million followers.
An example of how National Geographic combines traditional and digital storytelling with their advocacy mission is their “Planet or Plastic” campaign, which was launched last year to raise awareness of and reduce plastic pollution.
While the campaign is promoted through their magazine and social media pages, they also utilized a relatively new feature known as Instagram Stories to advance their advocacy mission.
Launched in 2016, Stories allows users to upload video and pictures to tell a “story.” Stories offer engaging features, such as polls, chat boxes and pledges. National Geographic asked viewers to take a pledge: choose the planet or plastic.
Through Instagram Stories, National Geographic is able to effectively reach Millennials and Generation Z to advance their advocacy mission in a new, digital age.
This storytelling feature has grown in popularity, with Facebook reporting on its Q4 2018 earnings call that Stories now draws more than 500 million users each day.