Here it is December, the year is coming to a close. I feel that there are so many possibilities on the horizon for 2025. Since this is a perfect month for wrap-ups, I decided to focus on Social Media CHANGEMAKERS.
To begin this conversation, we will start with a distant past favorite of mine. I recall these digital publishing gurus posting inspirational content years ago on Facebook. Now, I rarely see UPWORTHY posts due to the inundation of advertising on many social media platforms. They receive the first mention because their existence inspired this website with their motto “Delivering the best of humanity every day”. I’m sure you will remember the video posts that migrated us towards inspiring acts of kindness from around the globe. So, let’s look at their recent updates and a morsel of their history.
NYC Subway Therapy Via Post it Notes on The Wall! Nov 23, 2016 #upworthy Love, thoughts, fears, and courage all wound up on the walls of a New York City subway, helping spread hope far and wide.
EARLY BEGINNINGS
Upworthy began in 2012 “by Eli Pariser, the former executive director of MoveOn, and Peter Koechley, the former managing editor of the satirical publication, The Onion, alongside angel investor, Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook. Later in 2017, Upworthy was merged with Good Worldwide. The GOOD publication, itself was started in 2006 by Ben Goldhirsh, son of Bernie Goldhirsh, INC Magazine founder. The intentions of Ben Goldhirsh’s college and high school friends were to appeal to the insights of the upcoming generation.
“We wanted to bring valuable content to an audience that’s not being respected,” Mr. Goldhirsh explained. “You have The Economist, you have The New Yorker, with wonderful value, but they’re not catering to the taste of a younger demographic.” [1]
All in all, both Upworthy and Good Magazine had a mission to talk to the greater public in the language of a new generation of forward-thinking idealists. Even with the controversies of layoffs, takeovers, and all-out internal backbiting, as seen in most corporate businesses, the company maintained its integrity-driven ideals.
RECENT HISTORY
In March 2020, during the onslaught of COVID, Upworthy had a 65% uptick in its Instagram followers. Meanwhile, it was ranked #38 of the Top 100 Social Brands with 180.6 million interactions the following year. The only other popular positive news spinner that outranked Upworthy, in the top 100, was The Dodo which ranked at #16 with 416.5 million interactions. The Dodo shares animal-related stories and videos to promote healthy love and care for animals.
During the pandemic years, they started exploring other avenues of storytelling by modifying video formats. One example was UPWORTHY VOICES. Following this in 2021, the company decided to jump onto the podcast train with UPWORTHY Weekly. This lasted two years before hosts Tod Perry and Alison Rosen concluded the final episode on January 28th, 2023.
WHAT’s HAPPENING NOW
Now in 2024, they are located on the popular GEN Z social media platform TikTok with half a million followers. They still maintain their presence on Instagram and Facebook with followers of 5 million and 10 million respectively.
They have also published their first book titled, “Good People; Stories from the Best of Humanity”. It can be purchased via hardcover, e-book, or audiobook on Audible. After reading a few excerpts, I found the “spotlights” feature enjoyable. These are chapter breaks using shorter contributor narrative inserts. They reminded me of the “Humans of New York” which started in 2010. After reading one of the first stories, “The Kindest of Strangers”, I can definitively say that these chosen writers are the cream of the crop. I started reading a snippet and did not want to stop. Author, Amy B. had me hooked. This feel-good literature comes at a time when we need reminders that our world is full of good people.
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/17/fashion/17good.html
Stay tuned for the next blog post where we talk about SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS PRESENT