AI is fueling a banner year for global advertising, pushing digital spending to new heights despite economic and geopolitical stresses. Retail media is surging worldwide, while Meta and Amazon gain ground in the battle for ad dollars.

AI is gaining influence over what consumers discover and consider long before it commands a meaningful share of the digital economy. But existing advantages in reaching consumers, earning trust, and driving transactions still matter.

Social networks still command attention, but time spent growth is slowing. As video reaches its limits and scrutiny intensifies on multiple fronts, platforms are chasing new ways to keep users engaged.

TikTok’s influence across Western Europe keeps expanding, but its biggest opportunities vary by market. This report explores where user growth, advertising, and social commerce are accelerating.

Facebook explores reach metrics: Meta is testing post view counts to help brands assess organic exposure beyond likes and comments.

Gen Alpha is entering its teen years just as scrutiny of social media intensifies. Their habits are taking shape amid new rules, safety concerns, and shifting expectations. And that’s creating fresh challenges for platforms, parents, and marketers.

X grew US unique visitors from 132.5 million in June 2025 to 132.8 million in March 2026 while rivals Threads (-43%) and Bluesky (-44%) both lost ground, undercutting the "X exodus" narrative, according to a May 2026 Comscore report.

Global ad spending is accelerating again, despite geopolitical shocks. Digital is tightening its grip, even as traditional media gets a temporary boost from major events. The sources of growth are shifting across regions—and among platforms.

This FAQ explores the evolving brand safety landscape, risks in creator partnerships and synthetic content, and the tools marketers need to protect their brands in 2026.

Ad spending will surge in 2026 as AI-driven gains and a packed events calendar offset mounting economic strain. Social will lead the way as Meta overtakes Google in net revenues and the wider ad industry closes in on the half-trillion-dollar milestone.

Uneven engagement and time spent on social platforms forces marketers to rethink scale-first social campaigns.

The Senate is tightening teen ad targeting; the House will vote on a bill that bars behavior-based ads for under-17s, pushing brands toward contextual plays.

Instagram is reportedly expanding Meta's ecosystem with Instants, a Snapchat-style app that would add inventory and reach, reinforcing Meta’s ad dominance.

Bluesky prioritizes live conversation over scale: The platform is leaning into real-time events to differentiate from X and Threads.

Threads beats X in daily active users on mobile as Meta’s established ad stack makes Threads a safer long-term bet for community-driven social ads.

Threads and WhatsApp ads are growing as novelty draws interest, but lasting ad spend hinges on better, platform-native formats.

This report presents five of the most intriguing and/or under-the-radar forecasts for 2026 that businesses should be aware of, as compiled by our forecasting team.

The race to succeed Twitter is maturing into a two-lane race. Meta’s Threads has surged to 150 million daily active users, per Meta, while decentralized rival Bluesky has climbed to 40 million users, per TechCrunch. The post-Twitter world is segmenting. Threads offers scale and a burgeoning ad ecosystem, but Bluesky might be better for more organic brand engagement with specific user groups. For brands, the opportunity lies in balance: Use Threads for audience growth and measurable performance and Bluesky to test tone, voice, and authenticity. Together, they offer a preview of where digital conversation and brand storytelling are headed next.

Meta posted $51.24 billion in Q3 revenue, up 24% YoY, with Instagram driving the bulk of growth as Reels, AI discovery, and cross-device formats redefine engagement. Reels now account for half of all Instagram time spent, while Meta’s upcoming CTV app positions it to compete directly with YouTube. Facebook’s US user base remains stable near 181 million, but Instagram’s will climb to nearly 170 million by 2029. For advertisers, Meta’s evolution marks a shift from scale to yield—emphasizing creative iteration, storytelling, and AI-powered optimization across its maturing social and video platforms.