The news: Messaging ads are gaining traction as a key opportunity to reach customers at critical moments after Meta debuted ads in WhatsApp. In an exclusive conversation with EMARKETER, Grant Parker, president of omnichannel ad platform Innnovid, offered his take on the future of the messaging medium. Our take: The path forward for messaging ads relies on how well the format integrates with the user experience rather than interrupting it—necessitating that advertisers invest in this opportunity while accounting for consumer attitudes.

XChat introduces file sharing, disappearing messages, and calls—but user skepticism over privacy and vague “Bitcoin-style” encryption may hinder adoption.

Government missteps turned into a viral ad for privacy, giving Signal a rare shot at user loyalty in a market crowded by data-hungry giants.

BuzzFeed’s BF Island aims to redefine social media with AI-driven creativity. But in a market dominated by giants, will it be a fresh start or just another failed pivot?

"In 2025 we are going to see brands think community-first,” according to Jennifer Quigley-Jones, CEO of Digital Voices. One place they will do this is on Instagram Broadcast Channels, the one-to-many messaging feature that allows users to directly engage with followers. As of last week, subscribers of the exclusive direct messaging (DM) channels can now communicate with the creators and brands they follow, similar to how they might use Discord or Patreon.

Social media's new battleground: Messaging apps innovate with features like location-sharing and group chats to capture younger audiences.

The platform introduces stricter controls to curb illegal content but may alienate its privacy-conscious user base.

Pentagon breach is a new low for social media: A classified document leak on Discord, Telegram, and Twitter has serious geopolitical implications. If platforms don’t take action, public sentiment might flatline.

Meta gained a strong hold over the US social media app rankings last year, with Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Facebook all boasting the highest numbers of downloads, according to Apptopia. Messaging app Telegram broke into the top 10 this year, as did relative newcomer BeReal.

As marketers look to increase audience reach and stay away from the whims of any singular platform, private social media networks offer another avenue.

Creators and influencers are looking for ways to diversify platforms in order to increase audience outreach, foster community, and assure they’re not at the whims of any single social media algorithm.

WhatsApp looks to take group messaging to a new level: Communities feature allows separate groups to unite with encrypted communications.

Move over, millennials: The new kids in town, Gen Z, have claimed the crown as most sought-after demographic for brands. With their deep digital nativity and social influence, this generation is making its mark on society and brand strategy.

Our new forecast for global mobile messaging app users shows that the pandemic has accelerated adoption of OTT messaging services, though not in every country nor to the same degree for every app.

eMarketer vice president of forecasting Monica Peart reveals why Facebook Messenger has been slow to take off in Russia.