Crush First, Ask Questions Later: Apple’s Ad and Criticism In the Digital Age

Plus the latest on Bluesky, AI content labeling, and Digitines!

May 16, 2024

This is Here Comes the Content, weekly in-depth analysis on social media and content marketing for creators and consumers alike.

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Doesn’t it figure that the one time I write about a trending topic, I get sick and fall behind on my writing so that the topic is no longer relevant? lol. I’m sure many of you have heard about or read about Apple’s ad at this point. My hope is that I bring something new to the table that makes you think.

Also, I’m considering doing away with the Top Stories tl;dr section below. I’m wondering how useful desirable this is for regular readers. If you have a second to let me know in the comments below, I’d be super grateful.

Hope you all are having a great week!

- Brandon

📰 Top Stories tl;dr

Jack Dorsey quits Bluesky board and urges users to stay on Elon Musk’s X
- The creator of Twitter unexpectedly left the board of Bluesky, the decentralized social network he helped start as a Twitter competitor.
- What it means: So much for that? If I had to guess, this is the beginning of the end for Bluesky as they’ve failed to take off to this point anyway.
TikTok will automatically label AI-generated content created on platforms like DALL·E 3
- This change aims to provide transparency to viewers and will apply to all users globally in the coming weeks. The company sees this as a way to ensure AI-generated content is accurately labeled, while also easing the burden on creators.
- What it means: Transparency about the use of AI in content creation is becoming increasingly important, and creators should consider how they disclose the use of AI in their campaigns to maintain trust with their audience.
BlockOut 2024: Social Media Users Stage 'Digital Guillotine' to Protest Celebrities Who Remain Silent About Palestine
- The protest follows the Met Gala, where attendees faced criticism for their opulence amid the conflict.
- What it means: It’s important to be aware of the current social and political climate, as it can impact how creators and brands are perceived. As consumers become more socially conscious, they will expect brands and public figures to take a stand on important issues.

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✍️ Cover Story: Crush First, Ask Questions Later: Apple’s Ad and Criticism In the Digital Age

“It’s not for me.”

I have found great freedom in this statement. Somewhere between “I like it” and “I don’t like it,” lies “It’s not for me.” It’s a review that puts the onus on the creator rather than the critic. It resides in a gray area, where we are not sure what to think, acknowledging that we are not the intended audience, and thus, it does not leave a lasting impact..

As I sit here typing on my MacBook Pro, wearing my Apple Watch, with my iPhone on the table in front of me, I can assure you, I am the target audience for Apple’s new ad, aptly titled “Crush!” The spot shows musical instruments, an arcade game, an alarm clock, a statue, an emoji, cans of paint, and much more being slowly crushed in a hydraulic press. When the press opens back up, it reveals Apple’s thinnest iPad Pro yet. Although simple, the ad's main selling point is its thinness.

Taken at face value, this ad tells us that the new iPad Pro is small but mighty, and that within this thin tablet are the tools to make music, play games, create art, connect with friends, and bring order to your life. Of course, not everyone took it at face value. Twitter was up in arms that Apple would imply we don’t need tactile tools to create anymore. Culture critics wrote think-pieces on what it says about the future of AI vs. humans. Marketers on LinkedIn called it tone-deaf at best and disrespectful at worst.

While I understand the issue with the ad in Japanese culture, American culture tends to be uniquely pro-smashing things. In fact, destroying shit is in our DNA (see: Boston Tea Party, the nuclear bomb, disaster movies, Monster Jam, rage rooms, assault weapons, and rockstars at the end of their set). That’s one reason why videos showing a hydraulic press crushing random things are so popular. I get them served to me in my Instragram Explore and TikTok FYP all the time and find them mildly entertaining. A quick YouTube search shows that videos like this one are considered “satisfying” and “ASMR”, but when Apple makes one they’re suddenly “dystopian.” 🤷

My opinion of the ad is actually besides the point. I am more interested in understanding why society appears to be more critical than ever before. In the digital age, the landscape of criticism has evolved, with social media and other apps offering new avenues for expressing opinions. Apple's apology for the “Crush” ad highlights the complexities of navigating criticism in an era dominated by digital technology.

There’s An App For That

With the rise of social media and review platforms, criticism can quickly gain traction and reach a wide audience, often leading to a perceived need for swift responses from companies.

Everyone can be a critic with so many tools at their disposal. Rotten Tomatoes gave user criticism a place next to actual film critics. Yelp made it possible to put restaurants and businesses on blast for poor customer service, then Facebook and Twitter supercharged that with the ability to tag a business and actually reach an employee on the other end with a condemnatory rant. I personally use Goodreads to review books, Letterboxd for movies, and Serializd for TV. Without even diving deep on the topic of bots designed to echo negative sentiment across social platforms, humans also begin to echo each other the more they read about a subject.

This is why a company as big as Apple can read the comments and think it’s public enemy No. 1. Internally, a good social media manager would flag this chatter for the crisis comms team. They would convene and try to determine if the quality of complaints is in line with the quantity of complaints. Are there verified accounts chiming in? Any public figures? What has the most RTs or shares? Top execs are pulled in to help determine framing of an apology, with each word carefully mulled over and even the design or aesthetic taken into account. Twenty years ago, this process didn’t even exist.

Say It With Your Whole Chest

The ease of social media posting can result in people criticizing without thoroughly considering their opinions, contributing to a culture of quick and superficial judgments.

When I was leading social media for The Athletic, the concept of subscription-based sports journalism was still new, believe it or not. Twitter users would regularly ping us just to say, “I will never pay for this!” It’s the equivalent of opening a brick-and-mortar storefront and having a pedestrian poke their head in just to say “I’ll never shop here!” then continuing on their merry way. The most baffling part is that when I typically responded to these people and shared our value proposition, they would quickly let their guard down, say they hope to subscribe soon, and sometimes even apologize. It taught me that most people throwing out hot takes or unsolicited criticism don’t actually hold too dearly to their opinions. They can be performative, even simply for the amusement of others, but ultimately they just want to be seen and acknowledged by a brand, someone, anyone.

Pick a Side

Social media can amplify group dynamics, such as groupthink and in-group/out-group pressure, leading to the formation of online mobs that can influence public perception and provoke actions from companies that may not be warranted.

Social media algorithms prioritize frequent posting, prompting users to constantly seek topics for new content. What’s trending, or being talked about the most at any given time, is often the lowest hanging fruit—it gives users something to give their two cents on and, of course, every user has two cents to spare. This provides ample opportunities for individuals to contribute uninformed opinions, often their immediate reactions rather than carefully considered views.

Of course, we know now from sources like Max Fisher’s book The Chaos Machine that algorithms often leverage content that elicits anger and outrage to keep users engaged on their platforms. The result is an endless cycle of unserious people rage-baiting easy targets until the us-vs.-them dynamic takes embers and ignites them into a firestorm of angry mentions against a brand. Even impartial observers of these arguments may feel compelled by their instinctual 'reptilian' brains to respond, if only to publicly align with a particular side.

While digital technology has democratized the ability to express opinions and criticize, it has also introduced challenges such as the amplification of superficial criticism and the influence of group dynamics. Companies like Apple must navigate these complexities carefully to avoid overreacting to criticism that may not accurately reflect the broader sentiment of their audience.

Apple is certainly no stranger to criticism of their ads. Their first two spots were Super Bowl ads in 1984 and ‘85 with the former titled “1984.” Today it is considered iconic while the follow-up “Lemmings” was much maligned for its depiction of suicide. Apple’s slogan, “Think Different”, is evident in both ads. Both depict a dystopian future, like “Crush!”, but the use of a line of people walking off a cliff until one suddenly stops at the ledge was certainly a risk. Again, these ads aren’t for everyone, even if they’re disseminated to a broad audience watching TV. These ads are definitely for me because I take them at face value. I see them as punk rock. I resonate with their message of challening the status quo and standing out from the crowd. I “think different"; therefore, I embrace Apple products.

I’m not telling you not to have an opinion. I’m not even telling you to keep your opinions to yourself—I don’t expect that of anyone these days. I simply think it’s worth acknowledging when something wasn’t made for you. At least then it doesn’t need to rile anyone up. It’s enough to simply poke your head into that storefront and say, “This is not for me.”