There’s been a hijack
The Insight Buffet is no more.
Nah, we’re just messing with you. But there is something new: The Insight Buffet is reorienting!
When we started, we wanted this newsletter to be a career guidance and job market discussion, but now we are embarking on an exciting new adventure! From now on, we will drive straight to the unexpected intersection of technology and creativity (don’t worry, we won’t run the red). Think of this newspaper as a new curation, where articles on tech applications in creative fields will be tossed nicely into your inbox.
Not only will we serve up juicy news, but you should also expect spirited discussions on how certain changes in tech can shape the creative industries, and must-have tools to hone your innovative minds. Buckle up, the buffet is getting tastier! 🍴✨
And without further ado, here comes the new us!
What you might have missed last week
The butterfly effect starts with TikTok
Unless you have been living under a rock, the potential ban on TikTok has been the talk of the week. Consequently, it is leading to multiple changes in the US social media platform. Whether you are a content creator, social media manager, or marketing specialist, you would not want to miss the tea in this turbulent time.
TikTok prepares to shut down app in US on Sunday, sources say
Before learning about what other social media platforms are doing, let’s revisit the one that started it all: TikTok plans to shut U.S. operations of its social media app on Sunday, when a federal ban is set to take effect, barring a last-minute reprieve.
Snapchat has made a blatant move to attract soon-to-be ex-TikTok creators, with notable efforts such as monetization policy updates, which will make it easier for creators to get paid for their various outputs.
Although generally perceived as a podcast and newsletter platform, Substack is bringing live video to users in response to TikTok’s inevitable ban. It is a potential alternative for content monetization and community interaction.
Where are soon-to-be ex-Tiktok users running to? Content creators need to pick themselves up and branch out to Xiaohongshu (RedNote), a TikTok alternative choice with a blend of Pinterest and Instagram.
Flashes, a new photo-sharing app powered by Bluesky, is coming at a time when the social media landscape is changing. Content creators can expect it to be a hybrid of Instagram and the app formerly known as Twitter.
TikTok starts restoring service in the U.S. after shutting down over divest-or-ban law
What a turn of an event! Just 14 hours after the ban was enacted, TikTok made an amazing comeback and started restoring its service, thanks to President-elect Donald Trump. He stated that he would revive the app's access in the U.S. when he returns to power on Monday. Well, off you go, content creators, and make more fun videos!
How AI is redefining the creative habits
AI has become an unstoppable force across creative industries, reshaping the work of artists, designers, and creators. While these technological advancements have unlocked new possibilities and pushed the boundaries of what's possible, they also spark debates about authorship, originality, and the future role of human creativity.
ChatGPT can now handle reminders and to-dos
OpenAI is launching a new beta feature in ChatGPT called Tasks that lets users schedule future actions and reminders. This is an attempt to make it into something similar to Siri, but more advanced. To use the feature, subscribers need to select 4o with scheduled tasks in ChatGPT’s model picker.
Google’s Gemini AI just shattered the rules of visual processing — here’s what that means for you
Google’s Gemini AI has quietly upended the AI landscape, achieving simultaneous processing of multiple visual streams in real-time. This breakthrough allows Gemini to not only watch live video feeds but also to analyze static images at the same time. For example, artists can share works-in-progress alongside reference images, receiving nuanced feedback on composition and technique.
Speaking of real-time, a partnership with The Associated Press (AP) can help further enhance the quality of results in the Gemini app. The AI tool can reference news articles when you ask for information about current events.
Google is bringing all its AI features to its Workspace app at no extra cost. This means you can get help from AI features inside services like Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Meet. However, Google is bumping the price of all Workspace plans by roughly $2 extra per month.
Good news for advertisers, but not-so-good news for web surfers: Google’s advertising policies will allow advertisers to use digital fingerprinting (IP address, location, language, used software, or operating system) to track users. As a creative worker, are you for or against this?
Microsoft bundles Office AI features into Microsoft 365 and raises prices
Previously, Microsoft 365 subscribers had to pay an extra $20 per month to get Copilot inside Office apps as part of a Copilot Pro subscription, but Microsoft is now adding these AI features to Microsoft 365 apps for an extra $3 per month. If you are an existing subscriber and a price-sensitive user, you can opt out of the AI features.
Writers vs. AI: Microsoft study reveals how GPT-4 impacts creativity and voice
Microsoft's research team collaborated with the University of Southern California to experiment on whether GenAI boosts or weakens a writer's uniqueness. Personalized AI tools, which incorporated the writer's tone and style could balance inspiration and authenticity. The final verdict is AI can become a collaborative partner instead of a disruptive force by respecting individual style and personalization.
Readers, on the other hand, didn’t care much. The experiment’s results indicate readers didn't find that much difference in the writing samples, and they even held a more positive view toward the use of AI writing assistance.
It is reasonable for promising writers to feel uneasy about using AI in writing, but AI cannot create something new. Literacy needs feelings and emotions, while AI can only possess information. However, writers should master AI to stay ahead of it and be ready for AI regulation to prevent copyright infringement, plagiarism, and other issues.
Level up your marketing game in 2025
The creative world moves fast, and in 2025, it’s practically sprinting. Marketing trends are popping up left and right, and it is crucial to stay in the game. Whether it’s new tech, shifting tastes, or surprising twists in consumer behavior, there’s a lot to unpack (and a lot for you to utilize).
2025 marketing trends brands should adopt for a competitive edge
This is for my readers in marketing! This year promises to be a defining year for brands willing to adapt and innovate. Let’s consider these options: transform your brand into a media channel, collaborate between brands, or hyper-personalize with AI.
Although AI is super helpful in automation, audience analysis, and insights delivery, there is still a need for a human touch. People are looking for brands that resonate with their values and emotions, something AI cannot replicate yet.
Besides authenticity, visual storytelling is constantly on the rise. The content formats that deliver the highest ROI (return on investment) and should be invested in more are short-form videos, images, and live-streamed videos.
A guide to intent analysis, the most important SEO skill this year
With Google Search being taken over by AI, you will need a strategy to appear in AI Overview. That’s when intent analysis comes in to help you understand why people use certain phrases when searching, and how your brand can appeal to those intentions.
Mastering phrase matching is a way to broaden your reach and connect with users' search intent. With Google’s transition to intent-based matching, ads can now appear for searches that align with the advertiser’s keyword intent, even if the phrase order or specific wording differs.
Topic of the week - Social media automation
What is social media automation?
The ick: Losing yourself in daily social media tasks - brainstorming ideas, scheduling posts, replying to comments, analyzing performance, tweaking marketing strategy based on data.
The solution: Why do all that every single day? What if you could automate the repetitive tasks and regain work-life balance?
The definition: Social media automation is the use of tools to handle routine social media tasks, such as post scheduling, basic inquiry responses, and performance report generation.
Is there more to social media automation?
Did we mention work-life balance? Shoot, we did. But not only that, automating your social media tasks will bring more benefits than you think:
Reduce human error: You may forget to hit the “Post” button, leave potential audiences hanging in the chat, or struggle to find a rhyming tagline. But the automation process will handle that for you.
Focus on the “fun” stuff: Automating daily social media tasks can give you more time to work on important projects, such as brand development, sales boost, or audience connection.
Optimize the hour: Automation tools offer insights into when your target audience is most active, allowing you to schedule posts for those peak times, even if they're outside your business hours.
Of course, not everything comes with sugar, spice, and everything nice.
“Automation dehumanizes the brand.”
>> They called it social media for a reason. Someone should always be available to engage with the audience, answer questions, and respond to feedback to maintain human interaction.
“Why is this article posted twice?”
>> A glitch in the matrix is not rare, and the machine is bound to make mistakes if you depend on it too much. Don’t forget to double-check your automation process and make sure it won’t mess with others’ workflow.
“Their content is so inappropriate!”
>> Automation tools cannot tell you whether this is an appropriate time to write about certain topics, and they cannot cancel a scheduled post themselves. Timing is something that you need to be aware of.
>> More on this matter can be found here.
How to grow the business with automation?
You don’t think that social media automation is all about typing less content and clicking fewer buttons, do you?
Stay consistence: The automation process can ensure alignment between content and brand, keep the audience updated and engaged, and help you steadily grow your follower base.
Know your audience: With analytic automation tools, you can know who your audience is and what they want, then adjust your content and strategy accordingly to attract more potential audience.
Maintain engagement: Features like auto-replies, comment monitoring, and audience interaction reminders help you respond quickly, create on-time connection, and not make them wait.
What can help you automate?
Free-to-play option
Meta Business Suite: Schedule posts on Facebook and Instagram, and view audience analytics (but only if you have a business account).
Canva: Design all kinds of graphics and videos for posts.
Chat-GPT: Generate various ideas, create content calendar and marketing campaign.
CapCut: Edit short-form videos with multiple built-in features.
Giphy: Find funny, relatable gips to attract audience interaction.
Beacon: Track where the audience comes and goes from your platform.
Notion: Manage tasks and calendars within a team.
If you have spare changes…
1. Comprehensive social media management platforms
These tools provide a wide range of features, including scheduling, monitoring, analytics, and engagement management across multiple platforms. If your business or teams are managing multiple social media accounts, these are for you.
2. Visual content and creative scheduling tools
Need niche tools for Instagram, Pinterest, and other image-focus platforms? We got you covered with these options.
3. Marketing campaign and content calendar tools
With a combination of content planning and social media scheduling, this tool is suitable for aligning social media strategies with broader marketing campaigns.
4. Content discovery and optimization tools
This one can help you discover trending topics, analyze popular content, and optimize social media strategies based on current trends.
Niche but nice
Pocket: Save inspiring article or idea for the next content
Talkwalker or SparkToro: Track what the audience is talking about these days.
Manychat or Chatfuel: Automate response for customer service.
Mention: Social media monitoring.
Keyhole: Monitor hashtags to measure social media performance.
How to become familiar with social media automation?
Start with watching how others did it
Solopreneur used AI to post daily content on autopilot.
Efficient App (Alex & Andra) tested out 4 different social media automation tools.
Stephen G. Pope shared his automation flow.
Rebecca spent just seconds finishing her report.
Brand Nat doesn’t keep her audience hanging with comments and DMs automation.
u/codewithbernard did not hide his storage full of ChatGPT prompts.
How about some help from communities
In case your business is a podcast.
Managing multiple brands on multiple platforms? Check out this discussion.
AI tools are in the game, so catch up with it!
>> Not just automation, these communities can boost your social media game.
Final Thoughts
As we crash into 2025, the mashup of technology and creativity feels like the wildest (and most exciting) road trip ever. AI is riding shotgun, shaking up workflows, while we are facing detours called marketing trends, with the social media landscape changing in the rear-view mirror. And let’s not forget the trusty social media automation tools in the backseat, keeping you sane and saving you time.
But hey, even with all this shiny tech, your secret weapon is still *you*. That human spark, your unique vibe is what keeps creativity alive and audiences coming back for more. So, whether you’re tinkering with AI, diving into new creative adventures, or just trying to make sense of it all, don’t forget to have fun.
Stay curious, stay authentic, and keep those creative wheels turning. You got this!