Startups put OpenAI’s Microsoft advantage to the test: OpenAI is becoming one of the US' most valuable startups over its sensational generative AI. Leadership in the space requires skillful monetization.

Content creation is changing as platforms share ad revenues with creators and all content becomes monetizable. “That’s going to send a wave of quick-hit, low-value content across social media as creators scramble to get more content out,” said our analyst Jasmine Enberg. Enberg predicts smaller creators will shift strategies as they try to earn more from their content.

It took more than a decade for search and social to gain wide market traction, but the timeframe is shortening. Marketers who are slow to embrace emerging platforms will find themselves left behind even faster than before.

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.

Twitter’s turbulent takeover: The Twitter-Musk saga is one of the biggest stories for 2022 that will likely continue into 2023. It could strangle other Musk-owned businesses like Tesla, which Musk is using to sell stock to keep Twitter afloat.

We cut $5.51 billion from our US digital ad spending forecast for 2023, due to the fallout from Apple’s privacy changes, Google’s deprecation of third-party cookies, and a stricter regulatory environment. Along with inflation and a potential recession, these challenges will depress spending until 2025, when it should return to previously projected levels.

“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.”

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.

Advertisers are ditching a tumultuous Twitter in the wake of Elon Musk’s erratic behavior, combined with an underwhelming (or downright concerning) earnings season for Big Tech.

Following a turbulent third quarter in advertising, our updated forecast shows it’s not all bad news.

Social media newcomer BeReal was downloaded 14.7 million times worldwide in September. In January, the app had less than a million downloads, but it’s soared in popularity since then, thanks to its simple premise and focus on authenticity.

Your brand should already be on TikTok. Here are five charts evidencing that point.

Twitter in transition: Upheaval follows the leadership change at Twitter as it grapples with ramping up profits and drumming up advertising revenue just as brands and users question its content moderation policies.

WhatsApp suffers a global outage: The world’s most popular messaging app went dark in various countries, underscoring the fragility of centralized communications and piling on Meta’s troubles as it prepares for its Q3 earnings call.

The digitally native generation does not watch TV the same way baby boomers, Gen Xers, and even millennials might. Here are five tips we picked up at NYC Advertising Week that marketers can use to engage Gen Z with TV.

Among US teens and adults, 15% had a social media account hacked in the past year as of Q1 2022. In the same time frame, 13% had a credit card hacked and 10% fell for an online scam.

One year later, a new headset—and , a whole set of challenges: Nearly one year and $15 billion later, Meta’s vision for the metaverse remains optimistic even if a focus on business and productivity apps seems premature and risky.

Just 18% of US social media users are confident that Facebook protects their privacy and data, down from 27% last year. Confidence is particularly low among the oldest and youngest users surveyed, at 10% within the baby boomer generation and 18% within Gen Z.

For more than half of US social media users, a platform’s privacy and data practices are extremely impactful on their decision to engage with ads on that platform. Other top influences on ad engagement are reliable content and safety. The relevance of the ads themselves is less of a factor.

The average US social buyer will spend $518 via this channel in 2022, up 26.9% from last year. Annual spend will increase by $419 per buyer over the next three years, reaching $937 in 2025.