If you wanted to get some perspective on the scope of content enforcement that large digital platforms deal with day-to-day, this will help. Today, Google has published its 2022 Ads Safety Report, which outlines all of the ads and websites that Google took action against over the last year.

And the total amount of actions taken is pretty amazing.

Enligt Google:

"Our continued investment in policy development and enforcement enabled us to block or remove over 5.2 billion ads, restrict over 4.3 billion ads and suspend over 6.7 million advertiser accounts. And we blocked or restricted ads from serving more than 1.57 billion publisher pages and across more than 143,000 publisher sites, up from 63,000 in 2021.”

5.2 billion ads. That’s ‘billion’, with a ‘b’, which is also up 2 billion on ad removals in 2021.

Among the key reasons for blocking those billions of ads were trademark violations, legal requirements and misrepresentation within the promotions.

The top reason, however, as you can see, is ‘Abusing the Ad Network’, which essentially relates to spammers and scammers trying to use the system to dupe users.

Google also restricted a range of ads in these categories:

While Google also took action against a range of websites taking part in its AdSense program, which enables publishers to display Google ads on their sites.

The top reasons for these restrictions related to inappropriate and harmful content on these sites.

It’s an interesting overview of the online ads landscape, and the scale of activity required to protect users from scams and abuse. Google’s also removed over 50,000 YouTube channels and AdSense accounts created by China-based influence operations, among others, which is a whole other element of its content enforcement activity.

Spammers and scammers are always evolving their tactics, and as you can see, they remain extremely prolific.

The numbers underline the need for platforms to say vigilant, as they work to shield their audience.

You can read Google’s full 2022 Ads Safety Report här.

Photo courtesy Triller

Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.

In the fast-paced world of social media, trends can come and go in a matter of days. But amidst the potential ban of the popular app TikTok, Triller has been making headlines for surpassing 450 million users across its subsidiaries.

Triller, known as the “smash-mouth marketing” social app, made waves in 2020 when it produced the highest-grossing digital PPV of all time with the Tyson vs. Jones fight. It also became the only app to ever hit number one in 80 countries due to then-President Trump announcing an imminent ban on TikTok. While the ban never materialized, Triller was hailed as the go-to replacement app if it were to occur.

But Triller is much more than just a TikTok replacement. Unlike the closed-garden system used by social media networks such as TikTok, Triller operates under an “open-garden” system where creators receive more than 70% of the money in the influencer ecosystem. This is a game-changing approach, as less than 1% of the over 500 billion dollars spent annually in the creator economy goes to creators on other platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Triller’s proprietary AI toolset also ensures creators can monetize their content fully on other social networks. This means that even if creators post content on Triller, they can still benefit from it on platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and Twitter. With Triller’s various technologies and affiliates, it’s able to produce as high as a 70% click rate, a remarkable feat in the world of social media.

Triller’s Chairman, Bobby Sarnevesht, has revealed that the platform has launched a seamless solution for users to migrate their content from TikTok to Triller via the domain transfertiktok.com. This one-click process allows users to transfer their TikTok accounts, content, and screen names to Triller in just a few minutes. This is an exciting development for Triller, as the US Government has pointed out that TikTok is, in fact, Chinese Communist Party spyware, making the ban now imminent.

As Triller positions itself as the go-to replacement app for TikTok, it has attracted hundreds of the world’s biggest celebrities and over 450 million registered users. In addition to celebrities driving Triller’s impressive numbers, its strategy to position itself as a music-based social media platform with a focus on creating and sharing music videos has helped attract a specific audience of music lovers who are interested in sharing their passion for music with others.

The acquisition of several other social media apps, including Verzuz, Julius, Fite.Tv and BKFC , has helped expand Triller’s user base and increase its reach, with over 2.5millon influencers connecting to 25,000 Brands and the only company to hold the unique distinction of 4 of the top 10 live shows ever held on Instagram. Furthermore, Triller’s user-friendly interface makes it easy for people to create and share videos. The app offers a range of editing tools, filters, and effects that allow users to customize their videos and make them more engaging.

While the potential TikTok ban is causing a stir, Triller is taking advantage of the situation by positioning itself as the best alternative platform for creators. As social media continues to evolve, Triller is leading the way in the new creator economy.  With its focus on empowering creators and its innovative approach to monetization, Triller is a platform to watch.

2022 was going to be the year of the metaverse. Crypto advertisers were all over the Super Bowl. Mass audiences were supposed to jump in, but as the year progressed, audiences didn’t show up quite as predicted. NFTs, ‘the next big thing’, began to devalue. FTX crashed. The metaverse remained at best a muddled concept.

The metaverse was and is full of promise and possibility. But it’s a work in progress: the promise of ‘interoperable’ 3D worlds that are connected to our real world. The prospects of web3 and decentralization promise to unlock new models and value. But those are forward-looking statements and not a guarantee of future performance.

The metaverse is a paradox. Many of the technologies powering it are quite mature, but the standards and norms of the metaverse are not. It’s like the early days of the internet. Or e-commerce. Or mobile. Or social. We’ve been here before.

Whether you’re a metaverse optimist or pessimist, focus on this cold, hard truth: the technologies powering the metaverse are not going away. They’ll inevitably get better, faster. The hardware will get smaller and cheaper. So don’t buy in to the myth of the demise of the metaverse. Instead, focus on the technologies that enable it.

We created the VMLY&R Metaverse Table of Elements to help organize these enablers. With apologies to any actual scientists, this construct begins to organize those elements into working groups. These are the levers we can use as marketers and experience makers.

1. Enabling technologies

At the bottom of the table are the enabling technologies: the underlying tools that make the metaverse possible. They’re essential to know and understand because they underpin so much.

It’s also important to think about non-technological foundations, like guardrails and governance. What is OK to do as a brand? What rules and best practices do you need to have in place for brand and business safety?

2. Distribution points

The metaverse was always much more than virtual worlds. It’s the integration of our digital and physical spaces, like owned and partner physical and digital locations, or extensions into social platforms or gaming. And yes, virtual worlds.

Where you choose to engage will dramatically affect the amount of control or customization that is possible for your brand and audiences. And how large of an audience you might reach. Choose wisely.

3. Hardware and interface

The next layer is hardware and interface: the doorways into the experience; the devices your audiences need to access. Web, mobile web, mobile apps and webAR are very common. Projection AR and coming AR specs and headsets and VR headsets are scaling.

Be aware of the potential reach or addressable audience of each — VR headset sales exploded in 2021 and were still strong in 2022, but they were still dwarfed by mobile phones.

4. Identity and control

How does your brand show up and what level of control do you have? Think about your personal gaming experiences: usually, you select an avatar from an existing set of choices. In many virtual worlds, you have more creative license and control over the identity you create and the character you use. That same variability exists for brands.

Marketers must consider what functionality or experiences a brand (and its audiences) can create, and how much you need to conform within a given environment or gameplay/experience structure.

5. Creating and capturing value

Brands must consider what they sell (digital or physical goods) and where they sell it (online or offline). With Web3, they can explore new ways to create value for audiences.

Although cryptocurrencies have plummeted recently, the concept and potential of digital value are still extremely high. Platforms like Fortnite and Roblox have each generated billions of real dollars from virtual goods, mostly decorations for avatars. Some of your audiences think their digital identities are the most authentic version of themselves, and they spend time and money accordingly. Think about what you might sell, and determine how they buy (fiat currency, cryptocurrencies or tokenomics).

6. Community

What communities are you engaging with and activating? Think about the existing communities already connected to the brand and the communities that are active within the new environments you’re entering.

Especially in emerging worlds, creators and influencers tend to be the same people. These are the circles of community to consider and activate through direct interactions within the game and extended social experiences through streaming and social communities.

Ready or not

Call me an optimist. I believe in the power of technology. And I have zero doubt that tech will only improve. It’s inevitable. We may or may not still be talking about the metaverse when it scales, but it’s coming.

Don’t wonder whether you should enter the metaverse or not. Instead, ask how you might leverage these capability areas and emerging technologies to create something amazing for your brand and audiences. Explore. Experiment. How could you tell stories in more powerful and immersive ways? What can you do to improve the customer experience that may not have been feasible in the past? Today, nearly anything is possible, and it will only get better. There’s never been a more exciting time to create.

The metaverse is dead. Long live the metaverse.

For more hot takes and cold hard looks at the emerging tech landscape, check out The Drum’s deep dive on AI to web3.