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TikTok

May

Bondi Rescue has become a digital media asset on social media generating millions a year.

How Bondi Rescue became a YouTube and social media money spinner

For almost two decades, Bondi Rescue has been entertaining TV viewers. It has found an enormous new following after embracing YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok.

‘Nowhere to hide’: Why more CEOs are fronting videos

Executives are increasingly filming themselves for social media as a way to talk directly to staff, customers and shareholders.

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Am I hot or not? People are asking ChatGPT for the harsh truth

In a novel use case, people are uploading their own photos, asking ChatGPT for unsparing assessments of their looks and sharing the results on social media.

Under Elon Musk, X is widely thought to have contributed to the enshittification of the internet.

Here’s what Elon Musk sees when he opens X

The New York Times re-created a version of Elon Musk’s personal feed by opening a new account on X and following the same 1109 users that he follows.

Shaun Cochrane, aka Aussie Antics.

Commentating Fortnite has made this streamer millions by 31

Shaun Cochrane has become one of the biggest faces and voices in the world of the game in just five years. He plans to be “set, financially” at the age of 35.

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Snapchat made $88.6 million in Australia last year.

Why Snapchat has struggled to grow while TikTok, Facebook surge

The social media and messaging app’s accounts for Australia reveal a company with a huge user base that is struggling to monetise it.

Candidates have become accustomed to dialling into meetings and prefer to interview this way, recruiters say.

I secretly earn $268k working two full-time remote jobs

“Over-working” has boomed since the pandemic triggered a rise in working from home, creating an opportunity for shrewd employees to take on multiple remote roles.

Donald Trump

Trump rules out firing Powell, urges him to cut rates

The president also said he is willing to lower tariffs on China at some point, and was unclear if he needed to uphold the constitution, in a TV interview.

News Corp, Nine demand Albanese government force big tech to pay up

The chief executives of News Corp, Nine Entertainment and Seven West Media have called on the government to force Google, Meta and TikTok to pay for news.

Google went backwards in Australia in 2024, according to its financials.

Revenue falls at Google’s Australian operations

The Australian arm of the $3 trillion tech giant reported lower revenue in 2024. It made less from selling ads and cloud services.

TikTok almost doubled its revenue and tripled its profits in 2024.

TikTok triples its Australian profits as youth social media ban looms

The short-form video platform nearly doubled its revenue in Australia as it continues a hiring spree to outgrow rivals Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

April

Trump’s abrupt cancellation of the so-called de minimis rule, which allowed packages valued under $US800 to enter the US duty-free is bad news for Shein.

Shein’s Australian sales top $1b in online fast-fashion surge

Revenues at the Singapore-headquartered ultra-cheap goods retailer soar 25 per cent over the last year as local rivals struggle in a cost-of-living crunch.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland’s decision to exempt YouTube from the social media ban for children under the age of 16 is under scrutiny from Google’s biggest rivals.

TikTok, Meta, Snapchat demand answers on YouTube ‘sweetheart deal’

The tech giants say Michelle Rowland’s unexplained favouritism towards Google’s video platform undermines new social media age restriction laws.

Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Sebastian Hansen in A Minecraft Movie.

How Hollywood learnt to love video games

While superhero franchises flag, ‘A Minecraft Movie’ shows the industry has finally cracked the formula for translating popular games into films.

The Dubai chocolate craze has caused a shortage of pistachios.

Dubai chocolate sparks pistachio shortage as TikTokers go nuts

A TikTok craze has helped drive pistachio kernel prices from $US7.65 a pound a year ago to around $US10.30 a pound now as importers scramble for supplies.

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The US Supreme Court in Washington.

US Supreme Court temporarily blocks deportations of Venezuelans

The court issued the decision after lawyers asked it to intervene on an emergency basis, saying the men faced imminent deportation without judicial review.

The government has given no logical explanation why YouTube is being exempted from its teen social media ban.

YouTube exemption exposes teen social media ban as a sham

The government’s preferential treatment of YouTube undermines the purpose of its under-16s social media ban, and is unfair to the other tech industry players.

‘A bouncy castle of idiocy’: The top political TikToks reviewed

We asked two advertising veterans to review the major parties’ highest performing TikToks. Here’s their verdict.

Michelle Rowland assured YouTube CEO Neal Mohan the platform would be exempt from a social media ban.

Rowland gave YouTube a personal exemption guarantee from social ban

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland wrote to YouTube’s global chief to reassure him the platform would not be covered by a contentious social media ban.

Chinese influencers spruiking cheaper luxury goods.

TikTok is flooded with how to buy cheap luxe goods vids. Thank Trump

As luxury goods are set to be hit with steep tariffs, TikTok creators are purporting to let their audiences in on fashion’s worst-kept secret.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/tiktok-1nmx