Edition seven · 2024

SOS24

Part skill, part magic.

Turning lead into likes. State of Social ’24 turned Optus Stadium into a lab on 27 & 28 August. Ireland’s Michael Corcoran opened with a riddle worth solving: how to be on social without being on social. Dave Jorgenson closed by calling time on the TikTok honeymoon and toasting the divorce. Andrés López-Varela bottled the lot as The Alchemists, a podcast series recorded live at the conference. Cameron Jones painted all six keynote speakers as magicians, which, frankly, they were.

The moment

It was pouring with rain as delegates arrived. Inside, the magic act was already set up.

SOS24
Dates27 & 28 Aug 2024
Delegates810+
ThemeAlchemy
Speakers28
ProgramTwo days
FilmWatch
Photos19
Podcast9 episodes
Reads1
Year seven

Who spoke at SOS24.

Previously on State of Social.

Film edited by David May at PAV from footage by Studio Orange.

The short version.

Follow on Instagram
And we had a f$%&ing good time
Dogs or cats?
The haiku that could have been
That’s a wrap on day one

Voted best of SOS24.

Session by session.

9.30 to 9.40am

Remarks

Opening remarks

Meg Coffey

9.40 to 10.20am

Keynote · Ireland

Be on social without being on social

Michael Corcoran

10.30 to 11.10am

Keynote · UK

Why the smartest thing we can all do is be stupid

Paula Bloodworth

11.20am to 12pm

Keynote · UK

How to create true alchemy between brands and gaming

James Whatley

1.10 to 1.40pm

RVR1

The criticality of meaningful connections

Joel Pember

Sponsored by Juicebox

RVR2

Culture or creativity: what comes first? Live podcast

Paula Bloodworth, Ken Leung, Richard Berney

RVR3

Anatomy of an idea

Nia Pericles

1.50 to 2.20pm

RVR1

Why transparency matters: protection and performance in social environments

Imran Masood

Sponsored by DoubleVerify

RVR2

From clickbait to critical thinking: media literacy for a digital future

Taleesha Elder, Larah Kennedy, Meg Coffey

RVR3

Don’t despair, small budgets can unlock big ideas!

Bec Smith

2.30 to 3.10pm

RVR1

The alchemy of experience design: turning customer insight into memorable moments to build trusted brands

Emma Hollins

RVR2

The blank phone and social media account experiment

Josh Taylor

4 to 4.40pm

Keynote · UK

What will digital marketing gold look like in the future?

Tom Goodwin

4.50 to 5.30pm

Keynote · USA

A ‘social first’ state of mind

Lia Haberman

9 to 10am

RVR1

What’s old is new again: how to speak to Gen Z through organic social media

Georgia Tappy

RVR2

Self-care, burnout and the busy mind

Julian Pace

10.15 to 11.15am

RVR1

Managing the social media outrage economy

Larah Kennedy

Sponsored by Quiip

RVR2

Playful is powerful

Richard Berney

RVR3

From diversity angst to brand magic: the messy business of inclusion

Tess Palmyre

11.30am to 12.30pm

RVR1

So you want a viral video strategy? It starts with…

Lily Hoffmann

RVR2

A social media law update

David Stewart

Sponsored by Bennett + Co

RVR3

Universal fan engagement: lessons from fandom to power social community cultivation

Dr Georgie Carroll

1.30 to 2.30pm

RVR1

20% less traffic: how AI answers will change your search marketing strategy

Will Bal

Sponsored by Bonfire

RVR2

Give us your faking attention: the rise and faux of fake OOH

Josh Gurgiel

Sponsored by oOHmedia!

RVR3

The alchemy of branding

Ken Leung

2.45 to 3.45pm

RVR1

Unlock the LGBTIQA+ golden pot at the end of the rainbow

Ashara Wills

RVR2

Tales from the world of the emoji overlords

Jeremy Burge

RVR3

Teach me something and be real with me

Scotty McDonald

4.20 to 5pm

Keynote · USA

The TikTok honeymoon is over (and that’s a good thing)

Dave Jorgenson

Photos by SoCo Studios

Find yourself at #StateofSocial24.

Not in these?Search #StateofSocial24 on Instagram

SOS24 Alchemy mural by Cameron Jones

The mural

Alchemy, magic meets mastery.

Some walls hold up a building. This one held its breath.

Cam Jones took Alchemy, magic meets mastery, and froze it at the exact second before the reveal. A single card hangs between two hands at the centre, the theme on its face, and everything else is pulled into its orbit. Electric blue, teal and violet tear across the canvas like a spell let loose, flinging light in every direction, the State of Social ’24 mark riding the storm.

Then you meet the magicians. Michael, Paula, James, Lia, Tom and Dave, the six keynotes, sketched in fine greyscale and cast as the headline act, mid-trick, facing out. Fire, flight and a flash of steel crackle around them. It doesn’t read like a line-up. It reads like the curtain just went up.

That was the point. Alchemy lives in the moment craft starts to look impossible, and all six of them pulled that off for real on stage. The wall simply got there first. It stopped people mid-coffee, pulled them back on their third lap, and quietly promised what the program would prove: the best magic is just mastery you didn’t see coming.

By Cameron Jones

The podcast

The Alchemists.

A limited series recorded live at SOS24, hosted by Andrés López-Varela and produced by Original Audio.

Play from episode one
  1. 01Get ready for State of Social ’249 minListenHosted by Andrés López-Varela
  2. 02How to get the most out of your State of Social ’24 experience13 minListenHosted by Andrés López-Varela
  3. 03Culture or creativity: what comes first?29 minListenPaula Bloodworth · Richard Berney · Ken Leung
  4. 04Effective storytelling on any budget36 minListenDave Jorgenson · Josh Gurgiel · Bec Smith
  5. 05The power of the big platforms42 minListenMichael Corcoran · Lia Haberman · Jeremy Burge
  6. 06Mental health and social media43 minListenLarah Kennedy · Julian Pace · Tess Palmyre
  7. 07Building bridges: fandom and brands34 minListenDr Georgie Carroll · James Whatley · Dave Stewart
  8. 08The end of search (as we know it)34 minListenWill Bal · Emma Hollins
  9. 09Organic content: the hottest takes34 minListenScotty McDonald · Edwin Smith · Georgia Tappy

Read before the doors opened.

6 February 2024

State of Social ’24: Alchemy, in six words

The SOS24 theme, Alchemy, summed up in six words, from the run-up to State of Social ’24.

SOS24 partners

Epic people. Even better partners.

Choose your era.

Delegate with a backpack smiles at the rail above the Optus Stadium seats, State of Social ’26

SOS26Friction

Delegates walk the corridor to River View Room 2, State of Social ’25

SOS25Refresh

Delegates listen to a session at their tables, State of Social ’24

SOS24Alchemy

Four delegates with drinks and lanyards smile for the camera, State of Social ’23

SOS23Signals

A panel of three on stage with the host at the lectern, the Swan River behind, State of Social ’22

SOS22MVP

Four delegates pose in front of the State of Social backdrop, State of Social ’21

SOS21Chaos

Lanyards and name badges laid out for registration, State of Social ’20

SOS20Think. Imagine. Create.

Three delegates in front of the State of Social backdrop, State of Social ’19

SOS19Where to from here?

Round tables set in the function room with the river outside, State of Social ’18

SOS18Influence. Behaviour. Innovation.

State of Social ’27

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