SOCIAL
Musk Gains More Data on Twitter’s Bot Presence, Dorsey Weighs in on Twitter’s Current State

I get the sense that the judge overseeing the upcoming Twitter vs Elon Musk trial really doesn’t care for Elon all that much.
With the trial set for October, in which Musk will seek to exit his $44 billion Twitter takeover bid, on the grounds that Twitter has lied about the presence of bots and spam on its app, Musk and Twitter are now in the evidence-gathering stage, as they look to formulate their respective cases in the process.
This week, Musk and Co. had what appeared to be a win, with former Twitter Security chief Peter ‘Mudge’ Zatko leveling a range of accusations against the company, including the suggestion that Twitter has indeed deliberately lied about the presence of bots and spam in the app.
Musk himself seemed pretty happy with Zatko’s revelations – though whether they’ll actually make any difference, in relation to Musk’s legal case, is up for debate.
Though it seems unlikely, with Twitter noting that the original terms of the deal include the provision that its bot/spam numbers are estimates, not stone-clad data points, which Musk agreed to when he signed the original document.
That means that Musk and his team will probably still need to find another way out – and this week, Musk’s team had another minor win, with the judge in the case ruling that Twitter has to provide more insight into how it assesses its bot/spam counts.
Musk and Co. asked for a range of data points on the accounts that Twitter has assessed in the past, and the judge ruled that Twitter does have to provide some additional info.
But there was also this:
“Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick of Delaware’s Court of Chancery said many of Musk’s data demands were “absurdly broad,” amounting to trillions of data points that “no one in their right mind has ever tried to undertake such an effort.”
Throughout the exploratory process, McCormick has seemed largely unsympathetic to Musk’s position, as Twitter has presented its legal case. After viewing Twitter’s original case notes, McCormick ruled that the case trial would be expedited to 5 days in October, which is much shorter and faster than Musk’s team had pushed for.
That could reflect the view that Twitter is on steadier ground, in a legal sense (though Twitter had pushed for a September trial date), with the complexities that Musk and Co. have presented failing to shift the needle, at least at this stage of the process.
But now, Musk will get more data, while Musk is also seeking to sit down with Zatko to discuss his revelations, in the hope that this too will help to solidify his case.
It doesn’t seem like it’ll add a heap of legal weight to Musk’s claims – but then again, Zatko’s testimony does cast more doubt over Twitter’s internal processes, while the pending fines as a result, which could be in the billions, may also be grounds for dismissal of the takeover agreement, based on Material Adverse Effect (i.e. an unforeseen change in the situation which alters the make-up of the original agreement).
But probably not. We’ll just have to wait and see.
On another front, former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey awakened from hibernation this week to share some of his usual, faux-philosophical thoughts on how things are going for the app.
In response to a tweeted question about whether Twitter has turned out the way that he wanted, Dorsey said that his biggest regret is that Twitter became a company in the first place.
Dorsey – who’s made millions from selling Twitter stock – has a new, revisionist perspective: that Twitter should actually be a protocol instead, which would operate more like email, and would not be owned by a company or state.
Which is stupid, and makes no sense for various reasons – while it’s also worth noting that Dorsey has previously said that his ‘biggest regret’ is:
So, basically, Jack Dorsey has a lot of regrets, which reflects both his fickle nature and his philosophical flexibility, which will change again next time you ask him.
In other words, don’t ask Jack. Going on remarks from those who worked at the company during his tenure, he wasn’t around much either way.
So, things are still pretty tense, still pretty chaotic in the Twitter/Musk stakes, with the latest accusations probably not helping Musk’s case, but definitely not helping Twitter itself in any way either.
Which is the next big question – what happens to Twitter after the trial in October?
If Musk somehow does win, and wriggles out of his takeover bid, Twitter will be left with a huge mess to clean up, and not much money with which to do it, while if Musk loses, he’ll be taking over a company that he publicly fought tooth and nail to get away from, which is probably not ideal situation for the staff that are left behind.
And then, again, will come the potential fines based on Zatko’s testimony, while Twitter’s share price, you would expect, will also be in free fall – because clearly, even Elon saw something in the app’s documentation that made his flip on the app.
Basically, in three months time, we’re going to be looking at Twitter a lot differently. And it probably won’t be for the better.
The five-day Elon vs Twitter trial is scheduled for October 17th
SOCIAL
Gaza and Instagram make an explosive mix in Hollywood

Gal Gadot regularly posts demands for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza – Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File Drew Angerer
Audrey Pilon-Topkara
Hollywood celebrities are paying the price for taking sides in the Gaza war — plastering their social media accounts with slogans such as “Free Palestine” or “I stand with Israel”.
Israeli actress Gal Gadot, best known for starring in “Wonder Woman”, has expressed unyielding support for her country since October 7, when Hamas fighters burst out of Gaza, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 240 hostage, according to Israeli officials.
“I stand with Israel, you should too,” she declared to her 109 million Instagram followers.
She has continued to regularly publish or share posts demanding that Hamas release the civilians it is holding — earning her both approval and criticism.
“While you’re at it, can you use your platform to share all the missing and killed innocent Palestinians too?” a user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote in response to one of her posts.
In reprisal for the October 7 attacks, Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip and launched a ground invasion, killing more than 17,000 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Hamas government.
The Instagram account of American model Gigi Hadid, who is of Palestinian descent and followed by 79 million, has spent less attention on fashion in recent weeks.
She cited the “systemic mistreatment of the Palestinian people by the government of Israel”.
“Stop spreading lies. You and your sisters are antisemitic,” said one comment, with many others expressing similar views.
Famous stars can generate equally strong admiration and repulsion from the public, especially if they comment on divisive issues.
Well before social media, boxer Muhammad Ali, the actor Jane Fonda and singer Bob Dylan were adored or hated over their opposition to the Vietnam War.
More recently the actors Ben Stiller, Angelina Jolie and Sean Penn showed their support for Ukraine by visiting the country, in moves that were approved by most of their Western fans.
– Insults –
But the Israel-Palestinian issue is more divisive than most, exposing celebrities to even fiercer backlashes.
Kylie Jenner, the half-sister of socialite Kim Kardashian, shared a pro-Israeli post with her 399 million Instagram followers shortly after October 7, which according to US media she deleted an hour later after being hit with insults.
The Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon was dropped by her talent agency in November for comments she made at a pro-Palestinian rally, for which she later apologised.
Melissa Barrera, star of the fifth and sixth instalments of the “Scream” franchise, was cut from the cast of the seventh by the producers, who said they had “zero tolerance for anti-Semitism and incitement to hatred”.
The Mexican had denounced what she called “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza.
Celebrities who take sides in the conflict have “a lot to lose and little to gain”, said Nicolas Vanderbiest, founder of the public relations firm Saper Vedere in Brussels.
Producers and sponsors have little appetite for mixing geopolitics and business, he said.
In this issue, two “extremely organised” communities are on the lookout, creating a “herd affect”, Vanderbiest added.
Tom Cruise prevented his own agent from losing her job after she had referred to “genocide” on her Instagram account, according to the cinema trade press.
Celebrities could just stay quiet, but with this conflict there is “pressure to pronounce” and no immunity from criticism, said Jamil Jean-Marc Dakhlia, a professor of information and communication at Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris.
“Silence is seen as taking a position,” Dakhlia said. “So we are in a situation where you are forced to take sides, and not necessarily with much nuance.”
American singer and actor Selena Gomez, with 429 million Instagram followers, has been criticised for not taking a stronger stance on the issue.
Along with hundreds of others, including Hadid, singer Jennifer Lopez and actor Joaquin Phoenix, she took a middle road, signing a petition calling for a ceasefire and the safe release of hostages.
Earlier, hundreds of celebrities, including Gadot, had signed an open letter thanking US President Joe Biden for supporting “the Jewish people” and calling for the release of all hostages held by Hamas.
Very few signed both.
SOCIAL
More than 10 million people have signed up for X in December, CEO says By Reuters

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: ‘X’ logo is seen on the top of the headquarters of the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, California, U.S., July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
(Reuters) – More than 10 million people have signed up for X in December, X CEO Linda Yaccarino said in a post on the social media platform on Thursday.
This comes as the company, formerly known as Twitter, risks losing as much $75 million in advertising revenue by the end of the year as major brands pause their marketing campaigns on the platform, according to the New York Times.
X, which does not regularly release user data, could not immediately be reached for comment on how the December sign-ups compared to average or why Yaccarino disclosed the figure. Billionaire owner Elon Musk said in July the site had 540 million monthly users.
Several companies, including Apple (NASDAQ:), Disney, Warner Bros Discovery , Comcast (NASDAQ:), Lions Gate Entertainment , Paramount Global, and IBM (NYSE:) said in November they were pausing their advertisements on X.
Musk cursed advertisers that fled the platform after he agreed with a user who falsely claimed Jewish people were stoking hatred against white people.
A report from watchdog group Media Matters found ads from major companies next to X posts that supported Nazism. The platform filed a lawsuit in late November against Media Matters accusing it of defamation.
SOCIAL
New Guide Highlights Key Considerations for Effective TikTok Ads

Looking to make TikTok a bigger focus of your marketing effort in 2024?
This will help. TikTok recently partnered with creator intelligence platform CreatorIQ to conduct an analysis of the key factors that make for a resonant TikTok promotion, culminating in a 26-page report which covers a range of key notes and tips for your planning.
You can download CreatorIQ’s full TikTok ads guide here, but in this post, we’ll look at some of the key notes.
The report is broken up into five key pillars of TikTok ads creation, which echo much of the best advice that’s been shared for the platform over time.
CreatorIQ’s five key TikTok marketing notes are:
- Grab attention from the start
- Foster a personal connection
- Show your product in action
- Use high-impact creative elements
- Close with a clear call to action
For each of these elements, the guide digs deeper into how to enact them, and the critical considerations of each, including stats on effectiveness:
Tips on TikTok-specific trends and tools:

As well as case study examples to underline each point:

It’s a handy overview, with a range of valuable notes, though the main finding, above all of the creative pointers and advice, is that established creators perform better for TikTok promotions.
As per CreatorIQ:
“The report found that creators overwhelmingly make the best-performing TikTok ads, with recommendations carrying more weight than traditional brand advertisements and celebrity spokespeople. In fact, after watching a creator-driven Spark Ad, 57% of TikTok community members say the creator is trustworthy, 56% say they can trust the brand because the creator shared it, and 71% say creator authenticity led them to buy a product.”
So while there are a heap of practical notes and pointers for increasing the resonance of your in-app promotions – like this:

The key point of emphasis is that creators make better TikToks, and thus, better ads, so partnering with relevant influencers in your niche is still likely a better way to go.
Some good considerations, and some valuable, data-backed tips, which could help to get your TikTok promotion plan on the right track in the new year.
You can download CreatorIQ’s full TikTok marketing report here.
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