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Thank goodness we didn’t go all-in on the metaverse: The Media Roundup

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Meta’s metaverse is on the back burner

It’s been a while since I led on a Meta story, so indulge me landing this one on you first thing on a Monday. I wonder, when Facebook/Meta announced their huge metaverse push back in October 2021, did you think this was something publishers were going to rush to get on board with, or did Zuck’s vision fill you with existential dread?

I have to confess to being pretty pleased the metaverse appears to be somewhat on the back burner. The idea of spending my days living in a sweaty headset having legless virtual meetings was not at all appealing (yes, there’s still huge potential in gaming, but Meta’s focus is/was enterprise).

Now, the company has jumped on the latest shiny new thing with generative AI. I do wonder to what extent the company has really fallen behind as an innovator. Everything they do now seems to be just one step behind the real trailblazers, and the company relies on the sheer scale of its FB/Insta/WhatsApp users to keep itself relevant.

‘It’s very TikTok-led’: BuzzFeed’s Tasty is making its videos look less professional

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a publisher deliberately ‘un-polish’ some of its social first content in order to look more ‘authentic’. Crucially, it’s also feeding into their strategy of better representation and more affordable recipes, which in turn makes the brand an attractive conduit between young, savvy consumers and supermarket brands.

Why every magazine should embrace paid newsletters: Substack UK Head of Writer Partnerships

This week we hear from Substack UK’s Head of Writer Partnerships Farrah Storr. Over the past decade she’s worked in leading editorial roles at some of the biggest lifestyle magazines in the UK before leaving ELLE to join the newsletter platform. She tells us about why more mainstream media brands should be investing in Substack, why she doesn’t believe you need a huge profile to start out on the platform, and what problems with the wider internet ecosystem Substack is trying to solve.

Succession: 5 ways to ensure a smooth leadership transition

No, this isn’t lessons from the TV series. Damian Radcliffe has combed through the Reynolds Journalism Institute’s newly-released News Executive Leadership Transition Guide and picked out some transferable lessons for those looking at succession planning and processes for organisational change.


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