TikTok is undergoing a sweeping reorganization that consolidates control under ByteDance’s Beijing-based leadership. The company’s global content and distribution teams now report directly to Douyin architect Fiona Zhi, who is closely tied to ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming. The change strengthens central oversight just as the US and China approach a potential TikTok ownership deal—but it also raises questions about governance, transparency, and stability. Advertisers are pausing or shifting spend amid uncertainty over who will run TikTok’s US operations and how its algorithm and data policies will evolve. ByteDance’s move reasserts control—but risks reigniting trust concerns in its largest market.

TikTok is increasing subscription revenue shares for US and Canadian creators, now offering these creators as much as 90% of subscription earnings, per a company announcement. Advertisers should maintain strong partnerships with TikTok creators for their ability to connect with large, engaged audiences, but continue exploring other short-form opportunities in the event that the US-exclusive TikTok app causes an audience exodus or has other unforeseen problems.

Instagram is experimenting with its user interface in India, testing a feature where users open the app directly to a Reels feed instead of the traditional photo-first interface, the company confirmed. The brands that stay competitive in the crowded social media landscape will be those who take advantage of short-form’s potential and build ad strategies tailored to the format.

President Trump signed an executive order Thursday approving a proposal to keep TikTok operational in the US under new leadership. Even with a deal set to keep TikTok operational, the app’s new conservative ownership will likely shape the user experience and could impede future growth.

Meta announced new ad options at its Brand Building Summit, focused on Reels and innovative ad formats for Threads, per a blog post. While Meta’s new ad offerings promise more sophisticated placements, they can’t fully offset uncertainty. Marketers could face a scenario where the platform they’re relying on today could operate under massively different constraints tomorrow.

The news: Instagram introduced a linked Reels feature enabling creators to showcase short-form videos in a series for simpler storytelling, per an announcement on its Creators account. The feature follows a trend of creators making Reels series focused on specific storylines and themes, and will allow creators to link both new and previous content, excluding content exclusively shared with subscribers or close friends. Our take: Linked Reels unlocks more opportunities to convey messages with high-production value and an episodic narrative, transforming Reels into a media destination that keeps audiences returning instead of only offering one-off impressions.

The news: Meta’s new auto-translation feature for Reels could simplify global content sharing. The AI-powered translation tool can automatically dub and lip-sync Reels on Instagram and Facebook into other languages, including English, Spanish, and Portuguese. It’s available to Facebook creators with at least 1,000 followers and to all public Instagram accounts. Our take: Creators and brands should lean into short-form multilingual content to maximize audience reach and watch for engagement spikes in views in unexpected regions to identify new markets and audiences worth targeting.

The news: China reiterated that it will not sell TikTok’s algorithm to the US in accordance with Chinese laws as the September 17 sale deadline looms. The announcement comes almost immediately after the White House launched an official TikTok account in a move Chinese officials stated “contradicts the ‘national security threat’ rhetoric.” Our take: With no definitive answer on TikTok’s future in the US, advertisers are in a difficult spot. Divestment risks losing access to audiences motivated to take action—but investing too heavily risks overreliance on a channel that could face major changes.

The news: A recent YouGov study highlighted shifting media consumption habits—and Gen Z is leading the way. Half of Gen Zers make purchases based on social media ads compared with 41% of overall consumers. Gen Z is one of the leaders in time spent with social media, with 28% spending at least 5 hours on social platforms on the average weekday. Our take: As Gen Z proves itself as one of the most valuable demographics for advertisers, brands must tailor strategies to channels and formats that are most likely to connect with these growth drivers.

The news: A report from DoubleVerify unveiled insights on the state of the digital ad landscape as audiences and brands go digital-first. More than three-quarters (77%) say short-form vertical videos (think Reels) perform better than marketers’ campaign baselines, while 75% say the same for social media feeds, 69% for connected TV (CTV), 67% for commerce media networks, and 58% for audio and podcasts. Our take: As time spent with digital grows, advertisers are pushed to invest—but with ad blockers and brand safety remaining concerns, advertisers must rethink how they earn attention and invest in meaningful, trustworthy, and well-placed experiences.

The news: YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, and TikTok each offer unique advantages and drawbacks for gamer ad reach, per HypeAuditor’s 2025 State of Gaming report. Choosing the right platform depends on what kind of impact marketers want to make. Our take: Marketers should boost campaign performance with influencer partnerships on these platforms since creators often understand their audience better than companies do. Track success platform by platform to help tailor ad strategies, capitalize on UGC, and maximize return on investment.

The only certain thing about TikTok’s sale is more uncertainty: Washington keeps kicking the can on a US sale, leaving TikTok to convince advertisers not to panic.

The trend: Instagram is gaining momentum across Asia-Pacific, fueled by India’s 2020 TikTok ban and a projected 10% user growth in that market for 2025. Japan’s forecast has also climbed, with 44.4 million users expected next year. Our take: Instagram’s rise isn’t just reactive—it’s a sign of strong localization and feature depth. With TikTok facing stricter laws in Australia and Southeast Asia, Instagram’s Reels and group-channel tools position it as the more stable, advertiser-friendly option. Brands targeting APAC should reevaluate platform strategies as Instagram captures more of the region’s fast-changing digital attention.

The news: President Donald Trump is expected to sign another executive order extending TikTok’s sale deadline as the current June 19 deadline approaches, marking the third extension since Trump took office. Our take: Trump is likely to continue extending TikTok’s sale deadline—but with each extension, brand confidence plummets further as the platform’s long term sustainability remains shrouded in uncertainty. The brands that will be most successful aren’t those that are crossing their fingers for TikTok’s survival, but those that are investing in contingency plans and platform-agnostic strategies that can pivot quickly.

A successful affiliate strategy means casting a wide net: Captiv8 data shared with EMARKETER shows that each influencer size category has strategic benefits that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Meta's antitrust trial over Instagram and WhatsApp deals winds down: But the trial’s outcome could reshape tech M&A for years to come.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how much the merger with xAI can move the needle for X, if the social platform can recoup the kinds of ad dollars it was making before Elon Musk bought them, and where X users have migrated to (if anywhere). Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, and Analysts Marisa Jones and Emmy Liederman. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

TikTok debuts AI Alive, an image-to-video generation tool: The feature is part of TikTok’s push to maintain dominance in a competitive short-form market.

Social platforms vie for attention at NewFronts: Meta, TikTok, and Snap all debuted ad updates designed to remain competitive amid a backdrop of uncertainty.

The new Account Status dashboard helps explain post visibility, giving Threads an edge over X by offering clarity amid Meta’s evolving content policies.