Social Media

Local interest: Social app Nextdoor saw usage spike during the pandemic, and it's chasing that interest with greater access for users and expanded ad options for brands looking to tap local audiences.

Washington calls off TikTok ban: The Biden administration has recalled the executive orders banning TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps, opting instead for a broader review of foreign-controlled apps.

A notable exit: Facebook’s global ad chief is leaving the company, and some suspect her credibility was key to Facebook weathering its various scandals.

In 2021, the number of monthly Facebook users in the US will increase by less than 1% year over year, the platform’s lowest annual growth rate to date. Much of this deceleration is due to last year’s higher-than-expected growth of 3.3%, which was driven by changes in media habits during the pandemic.

Growing the creator economy: Instagram is adding new monetization opportunities to propel its ecommerce push.

A new Ohio lawsuit seeks to declare Google a common-carrier utility. While the suit will likely fail, it represents the latest novel attempt by state governments to rein in Big Tech in the absence of federal legislation.

Facebook foregoes creator fees until 2023: The platform is delaying taking a cut of subscription and tip revenues, which will help it attract more creators from competing platforms toward its new offerings.

Pinterest gets a Shopping List: The new feature strengthens Pinterest's lower-funnel capabilities, a key ingredient for its social commerce ambitions.

Creator Week: Instagram is holding a virtual event series for creators of all creeds today through Thursday as it works to help them grow, monetize, and stay on its platform.

Sponsored posts made easy: Instagram is updating its Branded Content tools to make it easier for influencers to request approval and share performance insights with brands.

Twitter Fleets get ads: With Twitter tight-lipped about Fleets usage, it's hard to say how popular the ad product will be, but focusing on event marketing could help brands get on board.

Snap and Salesforce partner: The newly-inked deal will let businesses on Salesforce use first-party data to target audiences on Snap, which could improve the company's post-IDFA ad prospects.

On today's episode, we discuss which platforms have the most creator-friendly environments, how influencer marketing is evolving, and what the next stage of the creator economy will look like. We then talk about Pinterest's new livestreaming feature, the popularity of influencer marketing on TikTok, and how companies should navigate social media coming out of the pandemic. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer senior analyst at Insider Intelligence Jasmine Enberg.

Following months of controversy surrounding its privacy policy update, WhatsApp announced it would no longer penalize users for refusing to accept the update’s terms. But for WhatsApp, the reputational damage is done.

Twitter Blue: The platform’s plans for a subscription offering came to light last week, and it’s just one of the many ways Twitter is looking to diversify its revenue stream.

On today's episode, we discuss what the world will look like in 2030. Who will be the digital ad giants, how much shopping will we do online, will bank branches disappear, and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer vice president of forecasting Monica Peart, senior director of forecasting Shelleen Shum, and directors of forecasting at Insider Intelligence Cindy Liu and Oscar Orozco.

The past year has been a whirlwind for many brands as they readjusted their marketing efforts to keep up with the changing landscape. One such brand, direct-to-consumer (D2C) company Peace Out Skincare, learned to be more nimble as it navigated a then-emerging platform—TikTok—and the Gen Z customers it caters to.

Instagram Drops: The company is launching a new section within its Shop tab where users can discover and track product drops. It’s a bid to capture more of the ecommerce activity that originates on the platform.

On today's episode, we discuss how concerned we should be about Netflix's slow start to the year, which activities people will do at home versus in-person (if both were safe and possible), how TikTok can convince people to buy things on its platform, details about a Twitter Blue subscription service, whether a travel recovery already happened, some interesting facts about 'Forrest Gump,' and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer director of forecasting Oscar Orozco, forecasting analyst Peter Vahle, and analyst at Insider Intelligence Blake Droesch.

LinkedIn offers a boost: The platform rolled out new marketing tools to accompany the various features for live events and is offering marketers a way to make good on their organic success.