This Week in Social Media with Arik Hanson | Substack

In Praise of the Quiet Work

As most of you know, I’m a long-time hard-copy subscriber of the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Dec 22, 2025 • Arik Hanson

Is Facebook Quietly Becoming the Least Valuable Platform in Social?

I know Facebook is still the largest social media platform on earth.

Dec 15, 2025 • Arik Hanson

Why Starbucks’ Bold Employee Creator Program Should Have Every Brand Paying Attention

We’re starting to hear a lot about employee creator programs—and it feels like the momentum is building fast.

Dec 8, 2025 • Arik Hanson

Are we still living in the attention economy?

Somewhere around the mid-2010s, this phrase became the focus of the entire social media marketing industry.

Dec 1, 2025 • Arik Hanson

Social Media Is Maturing—But Big Brands Still Face Four Huge Challenges

Process, tools, bandwidth and education are slowing teams down far more than algorithm shifts or new platforms.

Nov 24, 2025 • Arik Hanson

Are we on the verge of a long-form content resurgency?

We’re living in a short-form video world.

Nov 17, 2025 • Arik Hanson

6 social media myths busted by the We Are Social/Meltwater digital global report

I love busting social media myths.

Nov 10, 2025 • Arik Hanson

98% of Fortune 500 CEOs Can’t Be Wrong: LinkedIn Is B2B’s Top Priority

The Case for Doubling Down on LinkedIn in 2026

Nov 3, 2025 • Arik Hanson

17 lessons from 17 years as an independent social media consultant

I celebrate 17 years of being an independent social media consultant in October.

Oct 13, 2025 • Arik Hanson

Will brands really lean into AI imagery?

Are brands really going to do this?

Oct 6, 2025 • Arik Hanson

Hard work early can lead to autonomy later

I’ve been a supporter of “hard work” for a long time.

Sep 29, 2025 • Arik Hanson

The Most-Asked Social Question of 2025: How Do We Start on Reddit?

Yes, brands know they should be on Reddit. But "how" is the big question.

Sep 22, 2025 • Arik Hanson

Staying quiet on social

I've been much less active than usual lately--maybe you have, too?

Sep 15, 2025 • Arik Hanson

Why aren't more brands using Instagram's Broadcast Channels?

Earlier this year, in my annual Social Media Trends presentation, I surmised that more brands would start using Broadcast Channels on Instagram.

Aug 18, 2025 • Arik Hanson

How Duolingo’s AI Controversy Proves Social Media Backlash Doesn’t Always Affect the Bottom Line

In fact, it rarely does (see also: Poppi's Super Bowl controversy)

Aug 11, 2025 • Arik Hanson

I know AI has changed search forever, but is that a good thing?

I’ve been reading a lot lately about AI’s significant impact on search in the marketing world.

Aug 4, 2025 • Arik Hanson

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