In today’s episode, we have some big news to introduce, first of all, facing landmark antitrust litigation. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against tech giants, accusing them of monopolizing behavior by getting Instagram and WhatsApp instead of competing with them. This is big news because if the FTC wins, Meta may be forced to sell both of the big social media platforms.
We also cover Google lawsuits in the EU, research on AI traffic, and some surprising findings about LinkedIn’s involvement. We’ll be doing some updates on the hustle and weird niche websites on the side, including Spencer’s new pallet business.
Watch the entire episode
Meta-anti-trust test
Today’s big news is focused on FTC’s lawsuit against Meta. The trial could have a huge impact on the tech industry, especially on Meta’s holdings in Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC claims Meta’s acquisition of the two companies is not a competitive move, but an attempt to suppress potential competition in the social media space.
Here’s what you need to know:
- FTC’s allegations: The FTC believes Meta does not get Instagram and WhatsApp because they are valuable or innovative, but because Meta wants to eliminate competition. According to the FTC, Meta sees these companies as future threats and buys them to control the market.
- Mark Zuckerberg’s evidence: The case received an internal memorandum and an email from Mark Zuckerberg, which suggests Meta’s leaders believe it would be easier to get these competitors instead of directly competing with them.
- Requirements of FTC: FTC is seeking to force Meta to sell Instagram and WhatsApp, which will greatly affect Meta’s entire business model. Both platforms are essential to Meta’s social media empire, and this disruption could change the landscape of digital marketing.
- Legal Challenges: Meta might argue that these acquisitions are legal and that these companies are not enough to be seen as a monopoly threat. When Meta purchased it in 2012, Instagram was still an emerging platform, and while WhatsApp was large, it wasn’t the primary player for messaging apps when it was acquired in 2014.
- What to endanger: If FTC wins, it may set a precedent to influence how tech companies gain competitors. This shows the government’s willingness to break up the company and challenge the way Big Tech operates for years.
The case is still in its early stages, but the outcome may have far-reaching implications for meta, technology and future antitrust cases.
Google faces $6.6 billion lawsuit for search ads
Switch gears, let’s talk about the Google faced by Google $6.6 billion lawsuit Dominant position in the search advertising field in the EU. A group of small businesses claim that Google has been using its market capabilities to exaggerate the price of search ads, forcing them to pay higher prices because they have no choice.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Accusation: The lawsuit argues that Google is using its monopoly to increase the price of search ads. Small businesses have no choice but to use Google’s advertising services, so they are forced to pay higher prices.
- Potential consequences: While $6.6 billion is a huge sum of money, it is unlikely to cause serious harm to Google. However, this is important because it shows that EU regulators are responsible for holding tech giants. The case could also inspire other litigation in different countries.
- Why this matters: If the lawsuit is successful, it could have a ripple effect across the advertising industry, making it harder for Google to continue to dominate the market. It can also encourage more businesses to seek alternatives to the Google Advertising Network.
AI traffic: 0.1% of total Internet traffic
In other news, a recent AHREFS study examines the role of AI in network traffic. Although AI is a hot topic nowadays, especially with the rise of tools such as Chatgpt, data shows AI currently drives only 0.1% Total Internet traffic. Here is what we found from our research:
- The small impact of AI: Despite all the buzz, AI is still a small player in terms of recommended traffic. AI traffic currently accounts for only 0.1% of the total traffic, and search engines are still the main source of traffic, at 43.8%.
- Other traffic sources: Direct traffic is also a major player, accounting for 42.3% of the total, and social media brought in 13.1%.
- Looking to the future: Although the current role of AI is small, the technology is still evolving. As AI tools such as AI continue to improve, their impact on traffic may grow over time.
LinkedIn surprise: Add links to enhance engagement
One of the most surprising stories we’ve covered this week is Research on LinkedInwhich suggests that adding a link to your post will actually increase engagement by 13%. Traditional wisdom has shown for years that adding external links to LinkedIn posts will reduce their impact. However, this new study challenges the idea.
Here are the key points:
- What has the research found: Interactions with links increased by 13.57% and views increased by 4.9% compared to posts without links.
- What does this mean for marketers: If you avoid adding links to LinkedIn posts, it may be time to rethink. Data shows that adding links can help increase engagement and potentially attract more traffic to websites or content.
- Game changer for LinkedIn strategy: For businesses and content creators, this is big news. LinkedIn has long been a valuable platform for professional networking and marketing, and now it looks like you can add links without worrying about damaging the impact of your posts.
Side Hustles Update
Spencer’s liquidation pallet project
On the business side, Spencer has been busy starting a new buzz – buying and selling liquidation pallets. It’s a business model where you can buy pallets of return items from major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon and then sell the product separately for profit.
- settings: Spencer is purchasing liquidation pallets from nearby warehouses. He uses the garage as storage space for goods and involves his children in the process to help them understand the business.
- Work: The process involves a large number of categories, photographing and online marketed products. It’s a lot of work, but Spencer is excited about the potential.
- challenge: Although the business has potential, there are also many obstacles. Spencer’s garage is currently full of items that need to be classified and it will take some time to list everything.
Jared’s Food Website Update
As for me, I have updated on the food website. Although traffic remains stable, April’s advertising revenue has been hit due to the decline in RPMS (revenue per thousand impressions). Here is what is happening:
- Traffic Trends: Traffic remains stable, but RPM may drop significantly due to global economic uncertainty.
- What’s next: I remain optimistic. As summer approaches, I hope RPM will rebound and things will improve as we do the second half of the year.
A week’s weird niche site
Finally, we always like to end the issue by talking about some weird niche sites that caught our attention: detectfaceshape.com and emailchecker.net
detectfaceshape.com
The website uses AI to tell you the shape of your face. It earns over 1.7 million visitors a month and may earn a considerable income through advertising. The site is simple, but obviously successful.
emailchecker.net
A simple tool that allows you to verify that your email address is valid. Despite the basic functionality, there are still 50,000 visits, despite the recent decline in traffic.
The final thought
The story of this week highlights the scrutiny faced by increasing numbers of large tech companies. The FTC’s lawsuit against META could reshape the social media landscape if they succeed in forcing the sale of Instagram and WhatsApp. Similarly, Google’s $6.6 billion lawsuit in the EU highlights how regulators oppose monopoly practices in the technology community.
When it comes to digital marketing, AI is still small in driving traffic, but growing, and LinkedIn’s surprising findings about engagement suggest new strategies for marketers. As the digital landscape develops, it is clear that both legal challenges and transfer trends are shaping the future of technology and business.
