TikTok continues to attract a lot of attention, both good and bad. The hype around its heavily engaged and coveted Gen Z audience is real. But concerns over alleged privacy violations have made it a target for regulators, and user trust of the platform has suffered as a result.

TikTok integrates Wikipedia snippets into search: A move towards broader search capabilities amidst rising competition with Google.

Douyin, TikTok's Chinese sibling, is about to become China’s largest social platform. It's also crashing the country’s ecommerce party. Already the fourth largest online shopping platform by sales, its market share is rapidly approaching JD.com's.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how advertisers should adjust their plans based on social video time's slowing growth, whether people will spend more social media time on connected TVs, and the ratio between ad spend and time spent on social networks. "In Other News," we talk about whether TikTok can become a more traditional social network and getting paid to watch ads on a new socially conscious social media app. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Debra Aho Williamson.

Key stat: 82% of US creators will earn income from sponsored content this year, down from 91% in 2021, according to Mavrck.

TikTok and Meta still struggle with content moderation: Threads has blocked search terms related to COVID-19, while TikTok cast too wide a net reining in Qanon.

TikTok is rolling out its Shop feature to all 100 million US users (per our May forecast), using a tab on the home screen to drive users to the marketplace and allowing videos directly containing purchase links, in order to drive in-app ecommerce traffic.

Spending on sponsored content will rise 3.5 times faster than social ad spending will this year. Social ad spending, including YouTube, still dwarfs influencer marketing spending, at $83.72 billion versus $5.14 billion in 2023, per our forecasts. But the different spending patterns are a clear indication that creators aren’t tied to social media. The trend holds true on every platform, as marketers continue to shift more budget into influencer marketing, particularly video.

Social networks are ramping up ad loads to rally their stock prices and as they continue to wrestle with AppTrackingTransparency.

While Meta, Google, Apple, and programmatic display are all investment areas for M&C Saatchi Performance, the agency is shaking up some approaches for 2024. “We’re investing in all the tried-and-true performance basics,” said Jonathan Yantz, managing partner at M&C Saatchi Performance. “But we’re most excited about the CTV [connected TV] and influencer/creator spaces, since both are so dynamic now.”

On today's podcast episode, our vice president of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti hosts a mock-debate-style analyst showdown on Meta versus TikTok. Analyst Debra Aho Williamson and director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman go head to head, advocating on behalf of Meta (Debra) and TikTok (Jeremy) to prove which social platform is the bigger threat in three areas: getting people to spend time on each app, meeting advertisers’ needs, and AI innovation.

Retail’s resilience and its outsized role in digital ad spending will help offset the impact of a broader slowdown in growth in the US digital advertising market.

Key stat: US influencer marketing spend will grow more than three times faster than social ad spend in 2023, and it will remain ahead through 2025, according to our forecast.

Effect House by TikTok rolls out: As TikTok broadens its AR horizon, creator incentives play a pivotal role in its evolving digital strategy.

Is social media dead? Not exactly. But it has become “less social and more media,” as Insider reported.

The Hollywood strikes are revealing the full power of creators. They’re accelerating the diversification of platforms and revenue streams, and they will lead to more TV-like content and creator-owned media. Here’s how marketers, social platforms, and media companies should respond.

Reels' next frontier: Instagram's strategic play against TikTok's and YouTube's video offerings, maximizing advertising opportunities.

Shopify looks to competitors for help as growth slows: The company’s partnerships with TikTok and Amazon should help with customer retention and acquisition.

Toy sales growth can be attributed to kids’ shifting interests, the influence of online platforms, and expanding into older audiences. In our recent “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast episode, we dive into trends impacting toy retail sales and how marketers can reach new consumers.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the quick adaptation and rejection of Threads by Instagram users, the complicated costs of bundling streaming services, where TikTok falls on the list of most influential social media apps, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our director of reports editing Rahul Chadha and analysts Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf and Max Willens.