Welcome to another episode of Creator Daily - I'm your host Michael, covering the top news stories, latest strategy, and emerging trends in the overall creator landscape. Today, we're diving into a report that suggests X might not be the go-to spot for news it once was. We'll also talk about TikTok's new feature allowing users to search images in their TikTok Shop, which is shaking up the e-commerce game. Plus, X is stepping up its data game with advanced analytics for premium subscribers. We'll take a peek at what YouTube's brewing with a test run of their own Community Notes. And for those in the business sphere, get ready; TikTok is set to launch a feature for creating your very own virtual characters. Stick around for a jam-packed episode full of insights!

According to a recent report by the Reuters Institute Digital News Report, it seems that the social media platform X is losing its grip as a preferred source for news among social media users. Even though there's been a push by Elon Musk to establish X as the most truthful and trustworthy news source, it appears that TikTok is now overtaking X in many regions as a more prominent news provider.
This shift isn't entirely unexpected for Facebook, since its parent company Meta has been intentionally reducing its news coverage footprint. However, for X, this change is particularly notable since it undermines claims of its ascent as a premier news app, a stand frequently defended by Musk as a rationale for why traditional media might view his project negatively.
The report, which is based on responses from more than ninety-four thousand participants across forty-seven countries, indicates that while YouTube and Facebook are still the most used platforms for news, both are seeing a decrease in users relying on them for news content, with TikTok's popularity on the rise.
One reason behind TikTok's growing prominence is causing concern among authorities in the United States and elsewhere; TikTok's association with the Chinese Communist Party raises fears about the potential seeding of pro-China coverage to Western audiences.
The document also highlights difficulties users face in determining the credibility of news on X, suggesting a need for X to work harder to gain trust from news consumers. Overall, these trends paint a revealing picture of online news consumption and how social platforms are adapting to, or falling behind in, their roles as news sources.

TikTok is enhancing its search capabilities with a nifty new feature that allows users to find products in TikTok Shop using images. This was discovered by social media analyst Jonah Manzano, who came across a pop-up tab that prompts users to find items using an image search.
Here's how you do it: Simply take a photo of the product you're interested in with your camera, making sure it's well-centered and against a plain background. This makes searching for products quicker and easier, as you don't have to rely on typing out text descriptions anymore. 
This type of image search technology is something that Google Lens already offers, and now TikTok users in the United States and Southeast Asia can access it too. If you have the latest TikTok app version and you're in these regions, you'll see a camera icon in the TikTok Shop search bar which you can tap to use the new image search feature.
While TikTok has been seen by some as a potential search engine, particularly among Gen Z and young Millennials, interest has waned according to a CivicScience report in 2023. Despite that, TikTok has several incentives to continue developing its search functions. For one, the app introduced search ads last year, which is a valuable revenue source for brands. Also, creators can use TikTok Search Insights to discover the most-searched topics, helping them to target their content more effectively.
The drive towards more refined search capabilities could mean a big win for...