Social Media

TikTok and ByteDance's data practices under fire (yes, again): Lack of controls and exposure of US data in China fuel national security worries.

POSSIBLE conference reveals retail media’s potential with loyalty data: Target’s strategic use of customer info enhances ad trust and multiplies engagement.

LinkedIn doubles down on premium subscriptions: A new offering will let companies boost their pages with AI and other enhancements as the company seeks greater B2B revenues.

Most brands are increasing their influencer marketing budgets. Many creators say brand deals are drying up. Both are true: More money is flowing into influencer marketing, but new high-profile partnerships are harder than ever for creators to come by.

US adults ages 18 to 54 spend more time on TikTok than any other popular social platforms, according to our forecast.

Allegations of a former TikTok data scientist may renew concerns that US data was shared with Chinese parent.

On today's podcast episode (part 1), we discuss why consumers are using GenAI to look up health information, how physicians feel about it, and how this stacks up against other health-related internet searches. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Rajiv Leventhal.

Can Instagram keep up with AI sextortion? New security features for teens are designed to curb the spread of sexual content, but the platform is playing from behind.

Brands critiqued for token Hispanic marketing despite $2.8 trillion potential: HMC campaign urges real respect and understanding of Latino culture.

Cost-effective alternatives to human brand ambassadors have the potential to disrupt the $250 billion influencer economy at the expense of human talent

Cooking recipes are the most popular form of influencer-created social media content, according to 51% of worldwide social media users, per a February 2024 report from Snap Inc. and IPG Magna.

TelevisaUnivision wants vertical video ads on TVs: A new ad format lets brands reuse social ads on the big screen.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how marketers are using GenAI, how its affecting media plans, and whether GenAI’s usefulness for advertisers will be similar to the calculator’s effect on mathematicians. "In Other News," we talk about which platforms users are paying most attention to social media ads on and Chase bank using spending data to help advertisers target folks. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Max Willens.

Meta challenges Nvidia’s dominance with homegrown AI hardware: It’s getting investors’ attention with bold AI moves, but a closer examination shows a potentially shaky foundation.

AI influencers on TikTok could streamline ads but threaten real creator incomes: Balancing innovation and authenticity could prove challenging.

YouTube gives influencers more access to affiliates: A new hub will let creators and brands connect more easily as the platform delves further into ecommerce.

On today's podcast episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss the role of the store for the beauty space, Walmart's involvement in this product category, and how TikTok is changing things. Then, for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank the top three social media trends that have influenced beauty products and how they're marketed. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sky Canaves and Carina Perkins.

Meta’s and OpenAI’s upcoming models will make AI more useful: They’ll be able to think, plan, and take action. The features will boost productivity and escalate AI’s risks

A bipartisan data privacy bill could rewrite the digital ad business: After years of state-level laws muddying the waters, Congress is pulling together.

What Meta’s new AI guidelines say about social media’s future: Meta and others are stuck between bringing genAI to market and struggling with its vast output.