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Here's what we're serving up today:

• How Much Time are you Spending on Social Media 📱

• Asteroids ☄️

• Trending Tools ⚒️ 

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How Much Time are you Spending on Social Media 📱

Millennials will remember the good ‘ol days when we used to wait for the clock to strike 9PM and we’d gather in front of the TV sets to watch our favorite shows. 

Then came the streaming revolution, and we ditched cable for the convenience of Netflix and “chill”. 

Well, even that’s turning out to be a thing of the past now as there’s a new contender in town: Social Media or rather Social Video.

Gone are the days when social media usage was primarily about changing your relationship status to It’s Complicated.

Ever since TikTok introduced the world to short-form video, there has been no going back. Every major social content platform has inspired (cough copied cough) their own short-form video product after seeing TikTok’s massive success. 

1. Instagram: Reels

2. Youtube: Shorts

3. Facebook: They call it …. Video.

Video consumption on social media is skyrocketing, nudging even streaming into the backseat. 

Demonstrating its addictive pull, TikTok now outstrips all other social platforms in watch time, with users spending an average of 2.48 hours per day on the app.

Small is Mighty

Smartphones have officially dethroned TV as the primary screen for watching videos. This shift is especially pronounced among younger audiences, who consider their phones the go-to-device for all things media.

But social video isn’t just ruling the palm-sized screens. It’s finding its way into our living rooms, ready to take on streaming services head-on. Youtube’s CTV (Connected TV) viewing is now massive, with platforms like TikTok and X also eyeing the living room.

Soon, movie night might consist of binge-watching 15s videos on the big screen, with popcorn of course.

Social networks are masters of snackable content. It’s the fast food of entertainment - quick, satisfying and perfect for when you have five minutes or five hours to kill. 

Raise your hands if you are guilty of Second Screening - when you scroll your phones while absent-mindedly watching something on the TV. 

Ad Dollars are on the Move

As viewers flock to digital video, advertisers are following the herd.

The US TV market is feeling the pinch, as declining viewership makes traditional TV ads look about as appealing as a salad at a pizza party.

Meanwhile, ad spending is booming on social media, where short-form video is booming. These platforms offer advertisers performance tracking that traditional TV simply can't match.

They know exactly what we’re watching, how long we watch it, and if we dared to blink during an ad. 

☄️ Asteroids ☄️

Chinese autonomous vehicle company WeRide has received the green light to test its driverless vehicles with passengers in California. The step comes as WeRide begins the process to go public on the U.S. stock market at a nearly $5B valuation. 🟢🚗 

Elon Musk's AI squad just dropped Grok-2 and its mini-me into the wild, letting Premium X users generate images and more.🖼️💻 

Software engineer Sophia Tung is livestreaming a parking lot where Waymo’s self-driving taxis hang out during off-hours. The late-night lot fills up with autonomous cars performing a honk-filled parking dance. 🚗🎉 

⚒️ Trending Tools ⚒️

📧 Volamail - Simple email for everyone with AI

🧠 Gigabrain - Scan billions of discussions on reddit and other online communities to find the most useful post

📹️ Manaflow - Automate long repetitive work that fits in tables

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