The news: Social media is a primary gateway for discovery across digital sectors.

• Excluding browsers and search engines, which make up 25% of all inbound traffic, social platforms account for 23% of US traffic to OTT streaming, 21% to gaming, and 15% to sports entertainment, per Sensor Tower’s 2026 State of Web Report.
• Social also accounts for 11% of inbound traffic to shopping websites, making it second only to other shopping sites among non-search sources.

Moments of discovery are happening before consumers enter apps or marketplaces. If influence occurs earlier in the customer journey, then by the time users reach their destination, many decisions around what to try, buy, or trust have been formed.

What it means: Social represents strong connective tissue between entertainment, information gathering, ecommerce, and AI-powered task completion. When community engagement charges organic reach, it becomes critical for marketers to consider search disruption, platform power, and drivers of consumer interest.

The fact that social media is a catalyst for streaming and gaming traffic shows how discovery is supported by content exposure.

• Viewers and players encounter titles and platforms through clips, creators, and trends that combine awareness and conversion.
• Short-form video and creator commentary could be supporting this by helping users form opinions of what they watch or play before buying or engaging.

As social feeds decide what content breaks through, entertainment brands may gain a new discovery layer through social algorithms and influencers rather than relying on their own interfaces.

Recommendations for brands: Social media is more than an upper-level awareness channel—it’s a cross-category intent generator. Media plans that treat social as a standalone channel may underestimate its role in driving downstream behavior. Marketers should measure social’s impact across the full purchase and discovery journey.

• Invest in creator partnerships and community-driven content that power exploration and intent before users actively seek solutions.
• Prioritize content forms that are built for discovery, including short-form video and trend-responsive posts that can surface in feeds.