Aubrium Blog
Research, evidence and original analysis on how social platforms work — no listicles, no recycled advice.
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56 articles
Broadcast Channels: the DM megaphone, assessed
Instagram's one-to-many messaging tool reaches followers directly. Meta publishes one usage number and almost nothing about who it works for.
What your brain does when it sees a like — the fMRI evidence
Researchers put people in a scanner and showed them their own posts with likes on them. The reward system lit up. And people copied what was already popular.
The first two seconds: what the hook does, from Instagram's skip signal
Instagram counts how many times a reel was skipped within two seconds of being opened. The signal is named in Meta's own system card, and it feeds a guess about whether the next person will watch.
What your bio actually does — the conversion evidence
The 150 characters everyone rewrites and nobody tests. What Instagram's own ranking documents say about your bio, and what we could not find.
What you actually get for a blue check: Meta Verified vs X Premium vs the rest
X says Premium gets you prioritized ranking. Meta said Verified would boost reach, then pulled it. We read what each platform actually promises, quoted from its own help pages.
Alt text: an accessibility feature, and an SEO claim with no source
Alt text is for screen readers. Instagram said so in 2018. Then the SEO advice started. We read what Instagram actually publishes about search to see if the second claim has a source.
The ad auction has a public formula — and organic reach runs on its twin
Meta publishes exactly how it picks which ad wins. The middle term is the same prediction that decides organic reach. Read the ad mechanics Meta explains openly and you understand the organic ones it does not.
The retention curve: how to read the graph the platform hands you
YouTube shows you exactly where viewers drop off, second by second. Its own help pages explain what the spikes, dips and comparison line count. That curve is the most honest piece of feedback any platform gives you.
The shadowban you can actually check
Instagram publishes a recommendation eligibility status you can see right now. The folklore version of the shadowban has no evidence behind it.
