VR growth is slowing as AR moves into everyday behavior. Smartphones are making immersive content easier to adopt, while headsets still face limits in comfort, use cases, and reach.
Brands’ social missteps could hurt ROI: Consumers want human content and service, while marketers double down on genAI content and automation.
Teens lead in TikTok usage, per our estimates, but a new gov't advisory broadens scrutiny beyond social media, increasing pressure on tech safeguards and pediatric care.
TikTok Shop turns small brands into commerce contenders: 72% of discovered brands are SMBs, reflecting TikTok’s discovery-to-checkout pipeline.
Brand safety gets costlier in EU: Scam ads near legit buys risk reputational damage—and CMOs may demand tougher controls.
Reddit builds a performance case: Beta attribution and unified reporting aim to prove Reddit’s role beyond awareness.
AI discovery lags traffic reality: Organic and social dominate web traffic, giving brands time to test AI before users’ search habits change.
Meta courts creators and cautious advertisers: New content planners and block lists aim to lift originality, time spent, and ad dollars.
TikTok upgrades its ad stack: New search hubs, AI capabilities, and creator tools aim to turn discovery into direct purchases.
Social media is the internet’s front door: Social drives non-search OTT streaming and gaming traffic, moving discovery into feeds.
TikTok builds an always-on ad machine: From genAI video edits to asset selection, it’s centralizing its ad tech to outpace competitors.
Threads turns Meta AI into a public reply engine: Users can tag @meta.ai for answers, pulling Threads toward real-time search—and new ad signals.
Discord sweetens rewarded ads: Nitro bonuses tie premium users closer to Quests, offering brands young, engaged fans.
TikTok tests paid ad-free model in UK: While ad revenues remain stable, creator deals could gain value if subscription adoption climbs.
TikTok turns travel inspiration into bookings: Hotel and experience booking tests a super app model that blends content, commerce, and commission.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the three big questions surrounding Meta right now: Why isn’t Wall Street satisfied with Meta’s seemingly incomprehensible growth? Where should Meta be focusing its AI efforts? And what happens when the company creates an AI version of CEO Mark Zuckerberg? Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Analyst Emmy Liederman and Principal Analyst Max Willens. Listen everywhere, or watch on YouTube and Spotify.
Willingness to pay for social media isn’t signaled by time spent: Lighter users overindex on interest in premium tiers, favoring control and utility over endless feeds.
Meta rewards format discipline: Aligning creative to funnel stage and building for silent viewing can multiply conversions and capture distracted scrollers.
28% of social media users worldwide say their top brand turn-off is posting unlabeled AI-generated content, the No. 1 grievance in Sprout Social's Q1 2026 Pulse Survey, beating engagement bait by 5 points.