📷 Image Credit: CNBC 👆By: Alex Sherman TL;DR TikTok is finally giving out some real numbers; to say the least; they are impressive. TikTok, for the first time, revealed monthly active users in the U.S. and globally. In the new lawsuit against TikTok, the app showed that its monthly active users had grown nearly 800% since January 2018, when it had 11 million American users. The number of monthly active users has grown to an average of 100 million in the United States alone. On top of that, the company also revealed that they have more than 50 million daily active users in the United States. The numbers have grown similarly worldwide; as of July 2020, TikTok had almost 700 million users globally. TikTok is releasing all these numbers in an attempt to fight its lawsuit and an impending ban in the United States. The app claims there is no evidence of them sharing users' information with the Chinese government. While the stats for TikTok are likely to keep growing unless a ban is enacted, they remain behind Facebook, which has 2.7 billion monthly global users. That being said, it's no small feat. You can grab the popcorn, settle in, and see how this plays out. Sources:CNBC Written by: Sofia Christensen, Intern Edited by: Lisa Knight, COO & Mentor

📷 Image Credit: KSAT 👆By: Jennifer Struski TL; DR Chemistry trending. Wouldcan you tell me? YES! Thanks to Phil Cook's vibrant and educational mix on TikTok. Cook isn't your ordinary chemistry teacher. How it started, he said he was doing science experiments with his class when one of his students suggested making a TikTok. Cook said he hadn't a clue what TikTok was at the time. So, his students helped him create the account and posted the first video from their Friday lab. When he returned to school on Monday, his students were so excited! They showed him his TikTok account; it had grown to over 10,000 subscribers over the weekend...just from the one video! Now he has 2.6 million followers on TikTok and a sizeable number of followers on Instagram. Cook says he's having fun and hopes to get kids more excited about science. While Cook attempts to teach some chemistry on the app, he also shows us fun facts we didn't know. For example, his most famous TikTok; dissolved the aluminum of a soda can, which is cool all by itself, but wait, there's more! He shows us a thin plastic lining inside the soda can...mind is blown! If you look at the view count, we obviously weren't the only ones who found this fascinating. Sources:KSAT Written by: Sofia Christensen, Intern Edited by: Lisa Knight, COO & Mentor

📷 Image Credit: The Verge 👆By: Ashley Carman TL;DR Instagram might just have figured out how to double our screen time. The content is endless, with suggested posts at the end of our feed. Instagram extended its feed with "Suggested Posts." Usually, you get the banner that shows you have scrolled through your whole feed, but now there's still more after that. When you reach the end of your feed with posts from people you follow, you will be shown your suggested posts, giving everyone EVEN MORE content to scroll through on Instagram. You might be thinking, is this not just the same thing as an explore feed? The answer is nope! The explore page is usually pointing people toward more adjacent content. When Instagram officials were asked how they differ, they gave the example that a suggested post might be a picture of space, but their explore feed might be based on posts about physics in general. For now, suggested content will be mixed in with ads, but there won't be any IGTV or Reel posts. If you thought the amount of time you spent on Instagram was already a lot, get ready, as now your feed is more endless than ever. Sources:The Verge Written by: Sofia Christensen, Intern Edited by: Lisa Knight, COO & Mentor

📷 Image Credit: Bloomberg 👆By: Lucas Shaw and Mark Bergen TL;DR: We know ads on YouTube make money, but advertising dollars are down in this climate. YouTubers are pivoting and finding success with paid subscriptions. Advertising on YouTube makes creators get creative by earning revenue with paid subscriptions. Jerry Dryer from the YouTube channel BigJet TV is an excellent example of how vital subscription has become on YouTube. Since December, Dryer and his manager have been able to double more than their audience that pays a subscription for their "higher tier" videos. They make nearly $20,000 a month gross on premium subscriptions, take out YouTube's fees, and net approximately $14,000 monthly. These subscriptions are in addition to average YouTube subscriptions and allow fans to get exclusive videos from the creators they like. Not long ago, trying to charge people to watch YouTube videos would have been a death sentence on the platform, but with Covid-19, subscription-based channels are the highest growth revenue stream today. Advertising guidelines have become stricter on YouTube, which has decreased ad spending. Subscription-based channels on YouTube for those who make content not able to monetize through ad spending provide a means to an end to put food on the table for creators. Smart move! Sources:Bloomberg Written by: Sofia Christensen, Intern Edited by: Lisa Knight, COO & Mentor

📷 Image Credit: Elle 👆By: Savannah Walsh TL;DR TikTok trends are always coming and going; here's the latest, the doppelgänger trend with so many people showing off their celeb look-alike status. Usually, people on social media are trying to stand out, but these TikTokers have found success by doing the opposite. People on TikTok have been transforming themselves to look like celebrities and showing off their doppelgänger abilities. A nurse from Nashville named Ashley went viral with 617K views on her video showing her resemblance to Taylor Swift. Ashley isn't the only one; you'll find others showing off their celeb look-alike status, from Ariana Grande to Billie Eilish. Great entertainment watching some doppelganger TikTokers use transformative makeup and others not even having to try; they show a photo next to the celebrity. No matter the format, this trend is fun, and we remain impressed with how similar some people look. Sources:Elle Written by: Sofia Christensen, Intern Edited by: Lisa Knight, COO & Mentor