Ready to explore the top five emerging trends that are transforming the digital world as we know it? 

In this post, we'll take a closer look at the latest updates and features from Instagram, the latest Elon Musk and Twitter saga, and the exciting advancements in Auto-GPT technology. Join us as we explore these cutting-edge innovations that are shaking up the digital landscape and shaping the future of the online world.

#1 Has Twitter gone to the dogs?! 

Ever since that fateful day of Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, the platform has seen some worrisome and strongly divisive developments. In fact, the Musk’s era has been dramatically crowned the Blue Check Apocalypse of 2023 — a term that came from the controversy around the removal of the ‘blue check’ next to previously verified accounts.

Those who wanted to keep their verified status, had to get a subscription to Twitter Blue. Rather than being a sign of recognition of the user’s contribution, the tick has become nothing more than a stamp of a paying customer. To make matters worse, Musk randomly awarded those blue ticks to his favorite celebrities. Things went downhill from there.

From April 15, Twitter started to only include content from paid accounts into the For You feed — the first page users see when they open the app. Then Musk randomly changed the app’s signature blue bird logo to “doge” — the cartoonish Shiba Inu dog meme associated with the cryptocurrency dogecoin. Around the same time, some users have reported seeing tweets from accounts they didn’t follow in their Following feeds. 

The users’ reactions to Musk’s constant changes have ranged from puzzlement to disbelief to right-out outrage. But it all comes down to the simple fact that if you don’t start paying $8 a month for Twitter Blue subscription, you’ll have a much harder time on the app. If you’re an active tweeter, the chances of your tweets being seen become depressingly low. And if you’re relying on Twitter to provide you with a daily dose of bite-sized relevant content, hard luck — you’ll be seeing a lot more tweets from paid accounts, which currently make up only 0.2 percent of all users.

Our take on this:

While Musk was quick to defend the cavalcade of bizarre changes, his excuse for charging users as a way to confirm they aren't actually spam bots seems a bit far-fetched. Even by Musk’s standards. We think the reason is quite mundane. Twitter needs to make more money. After all, it’s believed to be valued at only half of what Musk paid for it in 2022. Twitter Blue brings in around $28 million from its 180,000 subscribers, which is less than 1% of $3 billion revenue target for 2022. So it looks like Musk believes in the old 'you need to spend money to make money’ approach. With the main difference being that users are the ones spending, and he is the one making.

#2 Auto-GPT: The AI has finally taken over. Have you missed it? 

Did you think Chat-GPT is the pinnacle of today’s AI? Think again. Auto-GPT is the new kid on the block that seriously ramps up the ‘AI is taking over the world’ paranoia. is. But first things first. What is it?

Auto-GPT is an open-source Python application built on ChatGPT's framework and powered by GPT-4. And here comes the impressive/scary part: it’s capable of performing tasks with little human intervention. Meaning, it’s able to make decisions on its own.

How does Auto-GPT work? 

Instead of inputting a single task and trying to make it as descriptive as possible like you would with Chat-GPT, users can give Auto-GPT a list of tasks or one complex task to deal with. The AI then sorts things out with ChatGPT by generating prompts and producing subtasks itself to complete the set goal.

Not only does AI internalize and deconstruct the smaller tasks but it also finds flaws in the logic and corrects them. It remembers the completed tasks and determines when additional action is needed. That means that Auto-GPT has the potential to become self-sufficient after the user inputs their initial prompt. It makes conclusions.

Our take on this:

Sci-fi fans don’t need to start disabling their devices and going off-grid just yet. As it stands, Auto-GPT is more like a thorough PA rather than HAL 9000. Meaning that just as your PA works within duties outlined in their job description, AI components of Auto-GPT can only work off the rules and goals you set for them. To make sure the AI doesn’t go rogue, it prompts the user to grant permission after each step.

At the moment, to use Auto-GPT, you also need some basic coding skills to connect it with OpenAI application programming interface (API). Though we doubt that this remains an obstacle for much longer given the popularity and demand for similar tools.

The potential Auto-GPT has for everyday tasks and business is endless from analysis, research and planning to content creation, so we're excited to see where it goes next. Head to their website to stay up to date on all things Auto-GPT. 

#3 Is viral voting a thing? White House Recruits TikTok influencers to reach young voters

Did you know that Joe Biden is a TikTok fan? Well, not really. But the White House is planning to use TikTok to its full potential to try to secure Biden's re-election.

Hundreds of social media influencers across different regions in America will be working alongside Joe Biden to help communicate his policy agenda. Four Biden digital employees are focused on influencers and independent content creators. – After all, reaching young and suburban voters is the priority for their digital strategy.

It's not just TikTok that will be used to help sway young voters. Instagram will also be a key part of the digital campaign. In this day and age, this makes complete sense.Instagram and TikTok are the platforms most used by the younger voters he is trying to target. But it does also seem like a conflict – on the one hand, Biden’s close to signing a bill that would outlaw TikTok entirely, while on the other, he’s using it as a key connective tool.

Our take on this:

We find this whole situation to be interesting given the current media landscape. TikTok, a Chinese-owned platform is viewed as a potential vector for foreign influence. At the same time, it’s considered to be an important platform for connecting with prospective voters — especially those that have tuned out mainstream media completely.

Does that lessen the likelihood of a possible TikTok ban in the US? Probably not, but we are looking forward to seeing what happens.

#4 Is the Instagram bio change really such a big deal

Behold. Instagram has finally listened to the requests of millions of its users and now allows them to add up to five clickable links in their bio.

Why is adding links in Instagram bio such a big deal? 

Previously, users were limited to adding only one link to their bios. This forced them to choose which of the essential things they want to share: their website, blog, or other social media profiles. Now, that restriction is lifted.

This update was announced on Mark Zuckerberg’s broadcast channel, a relatively new feature that lets creators send messages to their entire community. Zuckerberg said that it was “probably one of the most requested features we’ve had” - and we can see why people wanted it. For businesses, adding multiple links provides multiple ways for customers to reach them, and for individual users it offers a chance to extend their influence.

Our take on this:

The new feature is available to all accounts, including business and creator accounts. This is good news for users, but bad news for third-party linking hosts. Previously, users would have to turn to third-party tools like Linktree or LinkInBio if they wanted to insert multiple links in their bio. With restrictions lifted, these providers fear the potential loss of user engagement. While users can still use them for adding more than 3 links, we wonder how long would it take Instagram to increase that limit and eliminate the need for third-party tools altogether.

How can this help your brand?

The new feature could help increase traffic to your brand website, ecommerce site, and other online platforms. This can help increase engagement and conversions by keeping users on one platform and not navigating elsewhere. You can also save money on third-party tools, as you don’t need to pay for Linktree or LinkInBio, etc. 

Remember to keep your links fresh and up to date and check them weekly to make sure they work and the content is still relevant/live. 

#5 An Apple a day keeps the doctor financially-savvy?

Having first announced their savings accounts last October, Apple has launched its Card-linked savings account that allows users to grow their cash. Apple Card users in the US can grow their Daily Cash rewards by putting it in the company’s new Goldman Sachs savings account that comes with a 4.15 annual percentage yield (APY) over 11 times the national average in America. 

Before now, Apple Card users had no other way to grow the cashback rewards (Daily Cash) they get from paying with their Apple Card. An advantage of using the savings account is that it comes with no minimum deposits or balance requirements, making it more accessible to more users. Users can easily set up their account through the Apple Card in their Wallet app, and their Daily Cash will automatically get deposited into their savings account.

Our take on this:

While we can't dispute the fact that Apple Pay, Apple Card, Daily Cash, and the incredible APY on their savings account are all of advantage to the customers, we wonder if Apple Financial LLC is just another way to keep users glued to their iPhones and generate revenue from interest and transaction fees? Just something to think about.

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