This week, Meta announced its Variance Reduction System, which it says will equitably distribute ads via census data and machine learning. The new tech was created in partnership with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), representing the first instance of direct court oversight for Meta’s ad targeting and delivery, according to a DOJ statement.

CES delves into the creator economy: Sessions included topics such as data accessibility and influence of AI, underscoring the rising power of the booming creative class.

Meta’s latest EU fine is more than a minor shakeup: The ruling, which Meta will appeal, could markedly limit its ability to target advertisements.

Our analysts have already shared what they think will be the biggest trends of 2023, but we’re not done with the crystal ball just yet. From patchwork TV measurement to Meta cashing in on its messaging apps, our team revealed some thoughts on what’s to come in the year ahead.

Can a new service help Shopify attract more enterprise retailers? Commerce Components by Shopify allows large retailers to integrate Shopify’s tools and services into their online platforms.

Social buyer penetration is climbing rapidly at TikTok. In the US, the app has already outpaced Pinterest by this metric, per our forecast. By the end of 2023, it will beat Instagram and tie with Facebook.

Q4 was another turbulent quarter for social media: Support for a US ban on TikTok grew; Elon Musk announced he would step down from Twitter once he finds a replacement; and Meta suffered its first-ever major round of layoffs. But there were still bright spots for marketers.

Social commerce sales will reach $107.17 billion by 2025: While Facebook and Instagram will still attract the most buyers, it’s TikTok that’s making the most aggressive moves.

In 2023, 58.5% of Meta’s $121.90 billion of ad revenues worldwide will come from Facebook, per our forecast. The remaining 41.5% will come from Instagram, whose ad revenues are growing faster than Facebook’s, which will decline in 2022. For the next two years, Instagram will continue to outpace Facebook by this measure.

Gen Zers aren’t watching appointment TV. They’re not even the biggest cohort of connected TV users. (That distinction goes to millennials.) Instead, Gen Z is watching short digital videos and looking for new ways to interact with friends. Here are five charts on what Gen Z’s media consumption looks like.

As the ad revenue shortfall deepens, social media’s legacy players face new competition for users, a complicated situation with creators, and a social commerce rewind.

Keeping tabs on shifting consumer habits is paramount for brands in Canada. In 2023, we expect more changes in how media is consumed and what advertisers can do to tap into these new channels.

“Attention must be earned in an instant.” That’s according to our analyst Paul Verna. “The dominant ad formats [on social media] are below 15 seconds and in some cases as low as 3 seconds.”

Social’s share of total digital ad spending will shrink every year through 2024 at an accelerated rate. We

Economic conditions will have a huge effect on the retail, media, and marketing industries in 2023. For companies to succeed, the cost-conscious consumer must be front and center.

Our outlook for social ad spending in 2022 has deteriorated significantly since March. This report breaks down what went wrong in the past nine months, and what’s ahead in the next two years.

Last month, Atlantic writer Ian Bogost posed the incendiary question, “Is the age of social media ending?” No, according to our analysts. But it’s definitely changing, which presents an opportunity to reach younger consumers.

Meta succeeds against US regulators but takes a major blow in the EU: Meta insists that news isn’t part of its business model, but its pivot to Reels hits a major roadblock.

Musk loyalists put to the Twitter stress test: Bedrooms for Musk associates at Twitter’s headquarters, lawsuits, and failed content standards give competing social media platforms an opportunity to attract users.

Things aren’t all that bad for Big Tech: Sustaining pandemic-era revenues was likely never realistic. But major tech companies are still raking in enormous profits, despite Wall Street investors’ outcry.