Week #7: Human Algorithm = (Humans + Tech + Marketing) x News

So Is TikTok Actually Banned or…?

I have some news. You already know I use this newsletter as an opportunity to highlight and criticize discuss “humane marketing” news. But I'll be honest, that world can feel like a broken record: laws not getting passed, greenwashing, virtue-signaling, rinse, repeat. Meanwhile, AI is blowing open the doors of how tech is influencing marketing (for better or worse) and I'm finding it increasingly more difficult to differentiate between the two. To that effect, I've decided to focus this newsletter on news that fits squarely at the intersection between marketing, tech, and, most importantly, us humans. At the end of the day, it’s about how these tools shape our shared experiences, opportunities, and our human algorithm.

1. So Is TikTok Actually Banned or…?

The News:

• Supreme Court Upheld the Ban: TikTok’s last legal avenue is done, and ByteDance initially said it’ll shut down on Sunday in the U.S.

• Biden Won’t Enforce? President Biden said he isn’t enforcing the law, leaving everyone scratching their heads.

• Trump Is… Inviting TikTok’s CEO to His Inauguration? The same ex-President who initiated the ban is now cozying up to TikTok’s top brass.

• Rumors of a Musk Takeover: Bloomberg and WSJ reported China might sell TikTok’s U.S. operations to Elon Musk (ByteDance called it “pure fiction”).

• Xiaohongshu Emerges: Another Chinese app called RedNote is surging in U.S. app stores, ironically picking up "digital refugees" from the threatened TikTok.

Bianca’s Take

If your head’s spinning, you’re not alone. Between legal whiplash, political maneuvering, and tech bros sprinting to kiss whichever presidential ring is in power, it’s obvious that no one truly knows which side is up. The one clear lesson that emerged from this saga is this - the app itself no longer seems to matter. Call it TikTok, Vine 2.0, RedNote, or “X Dance Karaoke.” Social media has entered an era of commoditization. Users want to consume content or a place to post theirs. If the temperature gets too hot (a ban, security drama, new ownership), we just move on to the next vaguely similar app - whether or not we understand the language it's in.

And no, I’m not here to beat the drum of platform diversification. It's just another example of people valuing the experience, not the mechanism through which it's delivered. Knowing your brand story can outlive any single app should be a relief, but it also means entire communities can dissolve overnight.

2. Mastodon Goes Nonprofit and Pixelfed Gets Blocked

The News:

• Mastodon Nonprofit Transition: Founder Eugen Rochko is handing over the project to a new nonprofit in Europe, aiming to prevent centralized power like we’ve see with Elon Musk’s X or Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta.

• Meta Blocks Pixelfed Links: Pixelfed, an Instagram-like service built on Mastodon’s protocol, has been labeled as “spam” on Facebook, instantly deleting any shared link.

Bianca’s Take

We’re watching two parallel universes play out simultaneously, the corporate control and the grassroots digital communities. Mastodon’s pivot to nonprofit status is a statement: We’d like to keep decision-making transparent and shared. Meanwhile, Meta’s reflex to block a competitor’s URL is the opposite kind of statement: We’ll kneecap anything that threatens us.

If you’re hunting for a more “humane” digital space, Mastodon’s bet is that a nonprofit can both succeed and stick to communal values, while Meta’s bet is that you’ll never leave its empire, especially if they force you to stay.

Honorable Mentions

• UK to ‘Unleash’ AI - The UK government aims to turbocharge the economy with AI. Fingers crossed they also remember the “human” side of that equation.

• ‘Free Our Feeds’ on Bluesky’s AT Protocol - A group wants to raise $30 million to build a “billionaire-proof” social network on top of Bluesky’s tech. Will it actually happen? Watch this space.

• Apple Pauses AI Summaries - After botched notifications full of inaccuracies, Apple’s putting their AI news bulletins on ice.

• Google Ads Phishing - Hackers are impersonating Google itself via phony Ads homepages on Google Sites

• A French interior designer lost €830,000 to AI-powered scammers posing as Brad Pitt - a sobering reminder of the need for digital safeguards.

• Right after Meta announced it would be ending its fact-checking program, Google decided it won't comply with EU fact-checking law. Don't let facts get in the way of a good story.

• Lidl decides to remove cartoonish packaging from less healthy items to avoid the kiddos’ “buy me!” meltdown in the cereal aisle. Small steps, big impact.

What about you? What do you think of the TikTok ban non-ban?

Hit reply and let me know your hot take, random rant, or cautious optimism. And if you found this newsletter enlightening (or at least entertaining), share it with a friend.