The AI-Generated Social Media Era Is Here 🤖

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TODAY’S EDITION

• OpenAI’s new TikTok-like AI-generated short-form video app signals the beginning of the AI-generated social media era

• Syracuse University announces the nation’s first academic center for the Creator Economy

• DoorDash wants local foodies to share reviews in-app with its new Creator Program

• Instagram tests a redesigned app with Reels and DMs more prominent in select regions

• YouTube breaks down how Open Call works, including how much money creators can earn

OpenAI Unveils Sora, Its First Social Media App Built for Deepfake Content

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has entered the social media space with Sora, an invite-only app that resembles TikTok. Powered by the new Sora 2 model, the app lets users generate 10-second videos with audio from text prompts, photos, or remixes of existing posts. All videos are watermarked, and the app includes familiar engagement tools like likes and comments.

A standout feature is Cameos, which lets users appear as characters in videos or feature friends (with their consent). Users can also control who can use their likeness and remove any videos featuring them at any time.

Why it matters: Sora’s launch comes less than a week after Meta introduced Vibes, its own AI-generated video feed (which I predict will eventually be integrated into Instagram and Facebook). Together, they mark the beginning of the AI-generated social media era.

Sora gives anyone the ability to produce realistic short videos at a time when AI content sparks heated debate. Some critics see it as “AI slop” that could flood feeds and undercut creators, while others view it as a new medium for creativity and storytelling. By normalizing deepfake-style content with permissions and safeguards, OpenAI is accelerating mainstream adoption of AI media—highlighted by CEO Sam Altman making his own likeness available for anyone to use in Sora.

For now, watermarks help signal what’s AI-made, but as models advance and content spreads outside of designated apps, the line between real and fake will blur. This will force users to second-guess what they see, making deepfakes and fake content feel normal.

OpenAI and Meta don’t necessarily need massive adoption to consider these a success. By seeding new behaviors, normalizing uncertainty around what’s real, and collecting more data, they can more easily personalize content and advertising across their ecosystems.

TOGETHER WITH AIR MEDIA-TECH

How Creators Are Going Global With Localization

One of the biggest opportunities I see for YouTube creators today is expanding their audience globally. Millions of views on a single-language channel is impressive, but what if those numbers could multiply, just by speaking your audience’s language?

AIR Media-Tech (a YouTube-recommended vendor for translations) recently shared two powerful case studies that show two different paths for how creators are scaling globally through localization.

Case 1: Separate Channels

Wildlife giant Brave Wilderness (21M+ subs) launched 9 localized channels (Spanish, German, French, Polish, Hungarian, Italian, Bulgarian, Portuguese, Romanian). In just 6 months, they achieved:

• 27.2M additional views

• 134K new subscribers

• New regional sponsors and revenue streams

Case 2: Multi-Language Audio (MLA)

 A Kids Channel with 291M+ English views added dubbed audio tracks in 11 languages. Results included:

• 125.5M extra views in 5 months

• 30%+ of views from dubbed tracks

• 45M new subscribers in a year

Why it matters: Having separate channels for different languages helps build local communities, while utilizing multi-language audio across the same channel gives you immediate reach. But instead of choosing one, combining them delivers even stronger results—AIR Translation Labs reports a 45% average view lift with this hybrid approach.

If you’re a creator (or working with creators), localization isn’t just a nice-to-have, but one of the clearest growth levers out there.

You can learn more and book a demo here. If you’re attending VidSummit next week, the team will be on hand, so be sure to connect with them.

Syracuse University Launches Nation’s First Center for the Creator Economy

Syracuse University announced the launch of the nation’s first academic Center for the Creator Economy, a joint initiative between the Whitman School of Management and the Newhouse School of Communications. The center is designed to prepare students for careers in digital content and entrepreneurship through courses, research, and industry partnerships.

The center will offer:

• Courses in creative content, audience engagement, and digital strategy

• Workshops on personal branding, creator law, and monetization

• Speaker series with creators and digital leaders

• Mentorship and funding for student ventures

• Research on creator economy trends

• Partnerships with Syracuse Athletics and the Falk College of Sport

Why it matters: Higher education has increasingly embraced the creator economy through courses, guest lectures from creators like MrBeast at Harvard, and ambassador programs where students highlight campus life to attract new students. From YouTubers and podcasters to newsletter writers and short-form video creators, these initiatives show how the creator economy has evolved from an informal pursuit into a viable career path.

Syracuse takes it a step further by establishing a fully dedicated center for this fast-growing industry, projected to reach $500 billion by 2027. With traditional entry-level jobs increasingly impacted by AI and more students aspiring to careers as creators—or in supporting roles—the university gains a recruitment advantage. By offering resources, mentorship, and education tailored to the creator economy, Syracuse is equipping students to pursue the careers they want.

DoorDash Rolls Out Creator Program to Highlight Local Restaurants

DoorDash is the latest company to roll out a Creator Program. As part of broader app updates—including AI features and discounts—the program lets creators earn money (the monetization model hasn’t been shared yet) by producing “eligible” short-form videos promoting local restaurants in more than 20 cities, including Atlanta, San Francisco, and Miami.

Videos appear in carousels users can tap to watch full-screen, scroll vertically, like, share, add menu items to their orders, and view the full restaurant menu.

Why it matters: DoorDash joins a growing list of apps blending social and creator-driven features. Uber Eats has tested short-form video feeds and added curated creator recommendations, and Yelp now uses AI to stitch together user photos and video content. These updates mimic engagement seen on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube while keeping users inside the app for seamless discovery and ordering.

For creators, DoorDash provides another platform to share content, reach new audiences, and potentially monetize—though earnings are still unclear and likely modest. For DoorDash, user-generated videos show dishes and portion sizes right at the moment users are considering an order, reducing friction compared to when someone sees a review on TikTok and then has to switch apps to place an order.

NEWS, TRENDS & INSIGHTS

Meta is testing ways for creators to access brand affiliate programs on Facebook and add product links to Instagram Reels as part of new shoppable content features. With TikTok and YouTube investing heavily in affiliate programs, Meta needs to compete to keep performance-based creators and brands engaged.

Meta will start personalizing content and ads based on users’ interactions with its AI features, including Meta AI. These interactions provide better signals than likes or comments, since text and voice chats reveal specific interests. Still, many will view it as invasive—even as Instagram says it doesn’t listen to users through their microphones.

Instagram is testing a redesigned app with a small group of users in India that moves Reels and DMs to the first two tabs in the navigation bar after Home. While it’s just a test, I see this as foreshadowing an eventual Reels-first global experience.

Instagram will soon launch a Shareable Insights feature, allowing creators to export analytics and content to use in brand pitches, build media kits, and share performance with collaborators. The feature was previewed during Instagram’s IGU session, which highlighted new features with over 30 creators—including myself. Mosseri even made a brief appearance.

Facebook added new tools for creators: Challenges, which let creators share prompts to spark community-driven content, and Custom Top Fan Badges, which let creators design badges for their most engaged followers.

Threads introduced Communities, dedicated spaces where users can join discussions about sports, books, TV, and more. Over 100 communities are live already, including NBA Threads and Book Threads. This makes Threads more competitive with X by centering topic-driven conversations.

YouTube shared more details on Open Call. Eligible creators can submit videos for campaigns and earn up to $3,500 if their submissions are accepted. Brands have 180 days to use the content as Partnership Ads. While there was some pushback when Open Call was first announced, these details make it a more viable option for creators who are just starting their brand partnership journeys.

YouTube rolled out an Extend with AI feature that lets users pick a moment from a Short and use a suggested prompt to create a new AI-generated segment. Creators can opt out of allowing this on their videos.

TikTok is increasing Subscription revenue share for creators in North America, who can now earn up to 90%. The base rate is 70%, with an additional 20% bonus opportunity. This move is part of TikTok’s push to attract and retain creators with stronger monetization tools.

Twitch launched a Social Media Badge feature that recognizes viewers who share streamer clips across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Badges are tiered based on view thresholds, incentivizing fans as distributors and tapping into the growing clipping trend, which can be more powerful than creators doing it themselves.

WHAT I’M READING

The State of Creator Marketing Report (CreatorIQ)

Creator marketing spending is up 171 percent year-over-year, the fastest growth in three years. Budgets are shifting toward boosted creator posts, affiliate programs, and UGC campaigns tied directly to business outcomes. Brands are now running campaigns across an average of five platforms, though Instagram still leads.

Boston Creator Economy Mixer: The Connection Hub Boston’s Creators Have Been Missing (NetInfluencer)

The NetInfluencer team interviewed Courtney Duffy and me about our Boston Creator Economy Mixers, where we discussed building more community connections among Boston creators and marketers. We also shared how we plan to go beyond live events to provide more resources and support.

“It’s not just younger people making the shift”: Meet Reuters’ first social-first video reporter (Reuters)

Traditional media must adapt to a social-first world, prioritizing formats like vertical video on TikTok and Instagram. Tristan Werkmeister, Reuters’ first social-first video reporter, shares how he approaches reporting through vertical video, embraces AI, and experiments with new formats.

Creators IRL: How The Creator Economy Intersects With Experiential Marketing (The Influencer Marketing Factory)

Creators are increasingly turning to IRL experiences to engage with fans and monetize. According to this report, 46% of respondents are excited about real-life interactions, with meet & greets, product launches, and workshops among their favorite types of events. Additionally, 33% say they are very likely to purchase products from creators at these in-person experiences.

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