Focusing on TikTok: As the social video platform cuts jobs around the world and deals with the departure of its chief security officer and accusations of data harvesting, we weigh in on what’s next.

Shopify broadens the services it offers merchants: It partnered with YouTube to allow creators and merchants to sell products on their channels and bolstered its logistics platform by buying Deliverr.

On today's episode, we discuss the biggest problem with media, how TikTok is taking on TV, how the newspaper business is getting on, the significance of the iPhone's 15th birthday, why you may buy your next car online, an unpopular opinion about Gen Zers and formal wear, the bestselling video game console of all time, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Dave Frankland and Evelyn Mitchell and director of reports editing Rahul Chadha.

Shopify offered a lifeline for merchants during the pandemic. Now, as the ecommerce environment grows more challenging, the company is devising new strategies to help brands expand their reach.

TikTok reconfigures its social commerce strategy: As western consumers fail to embrace livestream shopping en masse, the social media platform is forced to dial back expansion plans.

Meta’s going back to basics: The social giant is one of many major companies tasked with focusing on key priorities in the second half of the year.

Energy independence undermined: A group is using propaganda to keep other countries dependent on rare-earth minerals from China. As more disinformation looms, social media companies could help stop it.

This year, US adults will spend 25.7% of their social media time on Facebook, down 9.6 percentage points from 2019. As Facebook’s share drops, TikTok’s will continue to grow. US adults will devote 16.7% of their social time to TikTok this year, up 12.2 percentage points from 2019.

In this report, we look at the most important updates among the leading social platforms in Q2 and how those changes will impact marketers.

This year, 4.0 million Gen Zers (born between 1997 and 2012) will become social network users, up 8.4% over 2021.

Cannes notebook: Social media platforms discussed new products, the metaverse, and creators at the June festival.

Ad industry’s spending winners: Google and Meta command a dominant share of the US digital ad market for now, but TikTok and Apple are among the companies that are muscling in.

YouTube’s short-video and commerce ambitions rely on creator adoption and participation. Creators are the lifeblood of YouTube, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that they have the power to move audiences to new features or formats, as well as sway purchase decisions.

On today's episode, we discuss how much Netflix and Disney+ will make from ads, what Snapchat+ is, how best to prevent customers from leaving you and trading down, Facebook's algorithm change to take on TikTok, why Apple and Google are coming for your car, an unpopular opinion about email newsletters, what the new "Squid Game" game show will look like, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Suzy Davidkhanian and Max Willens and director of reports editing Rahul Chadha.

Amid TikTok’s meteoric rise, many marketers may be wondering whether YouTube is still relevant. The short answer is yes. But YouTube will need to carve its own niche in creators, commerce, and short video to stay relevant in 2022 and beyond.

The outspoken business magnate outlined his visions for the Big Tech in a company all-hands.

US social network user growth has slowed to a crawl, and that means the social platforms will compete fiercely for users and engagement. Marketers should optimize their spending to take advantage of shifting consumer behaviors.

Global marketers are set to increase social spend 53% in the next year. It will be increasingly important for marketers to understand how to navigate the complex influencer landscape to build authentic consumer connections.

Total time spent with media per day in the US will decline slightly in 2022, but most pandemic-era gains will be retained. Digital video, subscription OTT services, and smartphones will be among the bigger winners this year.

On today's episode, we discuss how inflation is changing consumer behavior, whether 15-minute delivery is too good to be true, the potential of Apple's realityOS, how much of the information shoppers give retailers is false, the ceiling to spending time on TikTok, an unpopular opinion about buying things from TV ads, pets' roles in Americans' lives, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our senior director of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti, director of reports editing Rahul Chadha, and director of forecasting Oscar Orozco.