Cyberattacks and overloads disrupt industries: From telecom strikes to service failures, 2024’s outages underline the fragility of tech systems and the urgent need for diversification and resilience strategies.

As social media strengthens its grip on consumers’ digital lives in 2025, political polarization, regulation, and a desire for deeper personalization will shake up the landscape.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss what actually ends up happening to TikTok, what an X and Truth Social alliance might look like, and who TikTok Shop might enter a joint venture with. Tune in to the discussion with Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Vice President and Principal Analyst Jasmine Enberg, and Vice Presidents of Content Suzy Davidkhanian and Paul Verna.

Bluesky, the microblogging alternative to X, has found impressive growth and public interest following the US elections, adding 1 million new users in a single day. However, its murky monetization plans have left its value for marketers unclear.

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

Starting in January, the paper will use AI to flag biases in articles, sparking controversy over whether machines can truly deliver fairer journalism.

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.

The social app’s porous data security could undermine trust. Its decentralized vision won’t matter if users feel their content is AI fodder without consent.

SpaceX and T-Mobile’s direct-to-cell service promises to eliminate vast dead zones, but the cost to consumers could hinder widespread adoption.

On today's podcast episode, why X is continuing to lose users, if they can turn their ad revenue fortunes around, and what the social media platform might morph into next year. 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.

Consumers are submitting medical scans to Elon Musk’s genAI chatbot, Grok: But Grok isn’t trained well enough on medical data, which could create a host of problems for patients.

After Elon Musk took over Twitter and rebranded the platform to X, worldwide ad revenues were slashed in half, from $4.14 billion the year Musk took over in 2022 to $2.00 billion in 2023. EMARKETER forecasts those declines to continue through 2026, the end of our forecast period. But the reelection of Musk’s close ally, President Donald Trump, could change how some marketers think about the platform.

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.

Both apps see user spikes in light of Trump’s win and Musk’s divisive moves, signaling an appetite for other social media models and the potential for new advertising platforms.

Gen Z leads in digital usage by most proportional measures. However, social network use cuts across categories, influencing video viewing and digital buying.

High-income consumers are more likely to discover new brands or products in-store, but they typically make the final purchase online.

With safety leaders leaving, OpenAI’s shifting internal structure prompts concerns over its readiness for AGI and regulatory alignment.