The feature aims to boost safety, but Meta’s troubled data practices may have already eroded users’ trust.

Instagram integrates with Spotify: Users can now save songs from Reels directly to their Spotify library.

Millennials outpace Gen Z on eight of the 12 digital platforms EMARKETER tracks.

Havas Lynx’s global healthcare influencer offering reflects channel shift: Marketers increasingly devote resources to digital channels that physicians are engaging with, like social media.

Meta introduces new brand safety tools: Brands can now mute comments and block profiles on ads.

Aggressive moderation tactics on Threads are pushing users away, threatening its growth. Competitors like Bluesky and Mastodon stand to benefit from this frustration.

Automated moderation systems on Instagram and Threads are deactivating accounts and mislabeling content, sparking user frustration.

Influencer marketing is a booming industry. But accessing the opportunity requires navigating a complex web of consumer preferences and platforms, and growing pressure to prove ROI.​

Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses can record and identify individuals, feeding AI models, but concerns grow over covert use and lack of transparency in public spaces.

Gen Zers are on a path to take the lead on most platforms, while millennials remain a stable digital population and other generations pick up new habits.

By teaming up with banks, Meta aims to crack down on fraud and restore user trust amid rising concerns over scams on its platforms.

Social media becomes engine for big buys: Platforms’ role in expensive transactions like travel and cars is rising.

B2B digital ad spending is expected to rebound in 2024. Trends in B2B buying behavior, programmatic advertising, and AI use are contributing to the shift in spending toward display, mobile, social media, and video.

Last month, JCPenney announced it was partnering with Bazaarvoice Visual Syndication Network to collect and post user-generated content (UGC) on its website’s product display pages. The department store is hardly the first retailer to recognize the value of UGC—over a quarter (28.4%) of ecommerce marketers in North America believe that images/video from real customers (aka UGC) is the type of visual content that impacts purchase decisions the most, according to a May 2023 survey from Nosto.

Instagram’s value wanes for publishers: Ad spend and content posting drop as WhatsApp Channels gains traction for direct audience engagement.

Apple, Google, and Meta pull services, isolating Russians and shrinking revenue opportunities for creators and advertisers.

The latest fine reflects both Meta’s data mishandling and the EU’s heightened regulatory crackdown on Big Tech.

YouTube is doubling down on social connectivity and AI tools to stay competitive with rivals like TikTok and Meta. The platform’s new suite of features introduced last week include Communities, a fan’s ability to boost creators’ videos, generative AI (genAI) video tools, and gifting. These innovations mimic what’s working on other social media platforms as YouTube seeks to remain social even as it builds out its connected TV business.

A third (33%) of US influencers believe that if TikTok is sold or banned in the US next year, Facebook Reels will become the next major player in short-form video, per August 2024 data by First Insight. Instagram Reels is close, at 32%.

Facebook and YouTube dominate, but the rise of unverified stories poses a challenge to credible reporting.