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?

With new feed-customization and business tools, it’s primed for deeper user engagement. But as ads roll out, brand safety worries could stall advertiser interest.

Meta wants 1 billion Meta AI users this year: The company is hoping its strong Q4 performance can propel it through a year rife with challenges.

Meta brings ads to Threads: The move marks a strategic push to monetize the app and offer an alternative to TikTok and X.

Instagram is revamping Reels with a follower activity feed while Threads rolls out analytics and tests ads. The moves aim to deepen user engagement and maximize brand exposure.

Social platforms agreed to tighten moderation of hate speech in the EU while loosening rules in the US, risking an unpredictable content environment.

Bluesky’s funding round contrasts with Meta: The smaller social platform is gaining ground, but its ad model remains a question.

Bluesky’s funding round contrasts with Meta: The smaller social platform is gaining ground, but its ad model remains a question.

Meta’s healthcare ad changes go into effect: Healthcare advertisers will need to get creative and experiment with different approaches to effectively reach their target audiences in light of the changes.

Meta’s pivot to community notes offers more free expression but risks spreading misinformation, alienating users, and damaging brand safety for advertisers.

2024 was a year of legitimacy for the creator economy. 2025 will be a year of professionalization, as creator content scales beyond social media and marketers focus on proving the ROI of their growing influencer marketing investments.

Bluesky mulls a future with ads: CEO Jay Graber said the platform could put ads in search results as it searches for revenues.

Its errors show the dilemma of curbing misinformation while protecting users’ rights, especially as pressure mounts under new US leadership.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss whether Bluesky can sustain this user growth momentum, how much of a threat it is to X (Twitter), and if in fact it is Threads that is actually about to snatch the microblogging crown. Tune in to the discussion with Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, and Analyst Daniel Konstantinovic.

xAI’s plan for a standalone app may expand user access, but controversial outputs and app store policies could undermine its adoption and growth.

Threads enhances browsing with custom feeds: faster, simpler feed setup aims to attract users amid bluesky’s accelerating growth.

Rapid user growth highlights demand for decentralized, ad-free feeds, but scalability and monetization remain critical hurdles for long-term success.

Threads gets ads in 2025 and rapidly gains on X: Threads user count is soaring as news publishers and celebrities flee Musk’s platform.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss Meta’s new AI search initiative, what the 2023 “year of efficiency” has meant for 2024, and what to make of Threads at this point. Tune in to the discussion with Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson and Vice President and Principal Analyst Jasmine Enberg.