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

Storm clouds for Big Tech: Following record-high cloud spending, the top cloud providers saw declines in April. Economic upheaval means a rocky road ahead, but cloud demand will endure.

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.

Total time spent with media is more than 10 hours daily on average in Canada this year. In the years ahead, total time will shrink slightly, but digital formats will continue to steal time away from traditional media.

Snap’s investor warning is a worrying sign for social media: The ad-relient industry is feeling the effects of piling changes and weakening economic conditions.

The beauty industry is getting a digital makeover, thanks to Gen Z, viral TikTok trends, AR capabilities, and new consumer behaviors. Brands will need to take a multichannel approach to keep up.

TikTok’s advertising suite is becoming more sophisticated with more ad formats, targeting techniques, and measurement capabilities. In 2022, its ad revenues will rise by 184.4% as new advertisers lean in and existing advertisers spend more.

Our latest forecasts for ad spending in Canada, which include our first-ever estimates for Google and Meta, show strong growth overall and an accelerated shift to digital.

The UK digital ad market is thriving. It will grow 11.9% this year, reaching £25.84 billion ($35.54 billion). Video will be a big contributor to this growth, as will social network spending, which is being disrupted by the likes of TikTok.

How should businesses view these global trends and events? How are behaviors and spending changing? In this report, Insider Intelligence analysts weigh in on the questions they’re being asked by both clients and the media about the shifting landscape in key areas like digital advertising, retail and ecommerce, and financial services.

On today's episode, we set aside the Elon Musk buyout and discuss how Twitter did in Q1: what to make of the overcounting news, how engagement looks, and the most important revenue figure. "In Other News," we talk about whether we'll start to see startups reshaping social media and the biggest takeaway from Snapchat's new flying camera. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Jasmine Enberg.

US TikTok users will spend more time with the social media platform this year than YouTube users will spend on YouTube. This difference will be just about a fraction of a minute but will expand in years to come.

This year, TikTok users in the UK will grow by 12.6% for a total of 17.5 million. TikTok, which overtook Twitter users last year, will surpass Snapchat users by year-end and continue its upward climb.

On today's episode, we discuss whether Snapchat is consistently growing or coasting. "In Other News," we talk about what Snapchat's involvement in the metaverse might look like and why BeReal may be Gen Z's new favorite social media app. Tune in to the discussion with our Briefing director Jeremy Goldman.

Brands and retailers prioritize sustainability for Earth Day, but actions speak louder than words: Amazon, Apple, and Coca-Cola are some of the brands touting their green initiatives this April amid growing consumer concern over the environment.

Once the domain of gamers and young social media users, AR and VR are entering the mainstream. This year, more than a quarter of the US population will use AR and nearly a fifth will use VR. As device-makers improve VR headsets and AR spreads to new use cases, the number of AR and VR users will continue to grow over the next four years, with AR outpacing VR.

TikTok’s hold on the social media industry is impossible to ignore: The video app and other visually oriented platforms thrive with key demographics.

Retailers have long had an eye on augmented reality (AR), but it still has unrealized potential for shopping purposes.

The “TikTok effect” on influencer marketing is palpable, but Instagram and YouTube are still highly relevant venues for creator video.

The metaverse may be far away, but video is here and now on social media—and consumer usage patterns are changing fast.