Social Media

LinkedIn increases influencer investments: Its new Creator Mode encourages original content creation, as the platform taps into the growing creator economy.

On today's episode, we discuss Twitter's major initiatives and figure out what the platform will look like after it reinvents itself. We then talk about Facebook's cost-per-thousand (CPM) recovery, TikTok's ecommerce efforts, and a recent study about COVID-19 news on Facebook. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer senior analyst at Insider Intelligence Jasmine Enberg.

Snapchat duets Duets: Remix is the app's answer to TikTok’s Duet feature and will likely roll out to Spotlight, as competition among the short-video venues heats up.

Funding in bio: Linktree, the premier link-in-bio service among influencers and creators, raised $45 million in series B funding, as the rise of social commerce fuels its user growth.

The redditors are going to Canada: The social media company’s new office in Canada marks its second major international expansion after the UK and signals the start of a long-term investment in the market.

For shoe retailer DSW, TikTok is a place to test, learn, and have fun. In this excerpt from our new report, "Marketing in the Short-Video Landscape," Maria Wollenburg, DSW’s manager of social media and content, shares what the company has done on the social platform and what was learned in the eight months since launching its first TikTok paid ad campaign.

On today's episode, we discuss Clubhouse's content and competitors, how the pandemic changed social media, the future of social networking, the potential of Instagram Lite, Facebook launching a kids' version of Instagram, some eerily accurate predictions about 2021 from 100 years ago, and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analysts Jeremy Goldman and Debra Aho Williamson, and forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Peter Vahle.

Before brands embark on short-video marketing, one of their key considerations should be the pros and cons of user-generated content (UGC). Marketers have had to learn to be comfortable with showing their brand messages in the midst of UGC on social media—and that’s been harder than ever, thanks to the recent rise in negativity and misinformation on some platforms. But to excel in the short-video format, especially on TikTok, marketers must also be willing to tap ordinary users for inspiration, participation, and viral distribution.

Microsoft is in talks to acquire the popular chat platform, part of a greater focus by Microsoft on social media.

Facebook makes another brand safety push: The company is launching new tools to help brands combat the sale of counterfeit goods and the inappropriate use of licensed content in its latest effort to alleviate clients’ concerns.

We estimate that one in four US internet users will use TikTok this year, and adult users will spend almost 32 minutes per day on average with the short-video app. Evan Horowitz, co-founder and CEO of creative agency Movers + Shakers, joins eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Nicole Perrin to discuss TikTok's ad products, how advertisers are using the app to build brand equity, and the need to tailor social creative to make sense for each platform.

Never one to miss a wave, Facebook experiments with audio: As expected, the company is working on its own Clubhouse rival as companies double down on social audio.

Twitter opts for community input in dealing with prominent figures: The platform is surveying its users globally for ideas on how to best moderate world leaders in a process reminiscent of Facebook’s development of its Oversight Board.

TikTok gives brands even more resources: The platform rolled out two key features that help businesses better engage with consumers and understand what performs well on the app.

Kidstagram is coming: Instagram’s new, 13-and-under app will help protect kids—and protect the company from legal peril. It could also be a way for the app to attract younger users, especially since it’s losing ground to TikTok and Snapchat among Gen Zers and younger.

Do deepfake ads cross the line? Lay’s is the latest brand to use the technology to personalize campaigns. But advertisers that want in must contend with deepfakes’ increasingly sour reputation.

Social networks will reach almost full penetration among adult Gen Zers this year, or 99.0% of users ages 18 to 24. The next-highest penetration rate will be among the 25-to-34 age bracket, younger millennials, at 90.9%.

YouTube Shorts debuts in the US: The feature may just be another TikTok clone for now, but if YouTube can successfully harness its existing base of video content creators, it could set Shorts apart.