Social Media

Instagram quietly passes 2 billion users amid regulatory scrutiny: The embattled platform made no announcement to mark the milestone, which may only exacerbate concerns about its size.

YouTube attempts to keep creators loyal by giving them what they want: As social platforms compete for original content, YouTube follows in Meta’s and TikTok’s footsteps with more robust creation tools.

Removing likes gets a thumbs-up from the marketing industry: By hiding like and dislike counts on social media content, marketers can focus on promoting quality engagement.

Twitter will count 56.4 million monthly US users in 2021, but fewer and fewer in the coming years, per our projections.

2021 was a good year for influencer marketing: TikTok and Instagram dominate as influencer marketing continues to grow, but a new report shows racial disparities in compensation.

Facebook takes after sister app Instagram with new creator tools: Facebook’s new professional features aim to entice users with monetization opportunities amid sluggish audience growth.

The metaverse is open for business in US, Canada: Meta’s Horizon Worlds, available to users 18+, is likely to attract developers seeking an audience for apps and experiences.

Twitter joins Snapchat, Meta, and YouTube in copying TikTok: While the platform has launched many features lately, with Fleets being shuttered after nine months, this latest one faces an uphill battle.

TikTok woos brands and merchants with a new social commerce app: As competition with Instagram heats up, TikTok speeds up product development.

Instagram’s new safety controls for teens could hurt attempts to attract them: The features are intended to halt harmful content, but teens were already losing interest in the platform, and additional limits could be counterproductive.

LinkedIn taps TikTok for workplace advice campaign: Even industries typically seen as more “serious” are finding value in social media and influencer marketing, especially when trying to reach younger audiences.

Pinterest acquisition bolsters video editing capability to attract creators: As social platforms look more and more alike, creators—and the exclusive content they produce—are becoming more important to differentiate offerings.

TikTok's and Facebook’s new features bolster commitment to creator economy: The companies unveiled additional resources amid social media platforms' battle to become creators’ digital homes.

Digital and alternative advertising lift overall ad spending in 2021: As spending returns to pre-pandemic levels, it’s become clear advertisers find emerging channels more appealing than traditional ones.

On today's episode, we discuss the severity of Facebook's young people problem, if we're looking at this issue the wrong way, and whether Instagram can continue to pick up the slack. We then talk about what to make of Twitter's CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey stepping aside and a reordering of teens' favorite social media platforms. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Debra Aho Williamson.

Single’s Day—China’s annual shopping extravaganza in November—is the world’s biggest shopping event, with an estimated RMB 965.1 billion ($139.83 billion) in sales in 2021, according to the China e-Business Research Center. It is also changing the way consumers shop by showcasing new retail concepts such as the metaverse, nonfungible tokens, sustainability, and agile commerce.