Social Media

eMarketer senior analyst Jasmine Enberg joins principal analyst Nicole Perrin to discuss a Pew Research Center survey about Americans’ opinions about social media and the news, and whether people really consider Facebook a go-to source of information about current events.

This is the first installment in an ongoing series of monthly updates on the major social media platforms. The goal of each update is to provide a summary of key developments and what they mean for marketers.

Last month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg sat through a congressional hearing over the company’s Libra cryptocurrency efforts, Instagram launched a standalone messaging app for users, and Twitter banned political advertising on its platform—and that was just a tiny portion of what made the news.

The nature of kids’ screen time has change dramatically since the heyday of Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and today’s screen universe is ever-expanding, presenting parents with new challenges of limiting consumption and monitoring content. New research from the Angus Reid Institute shows that parents in Canada are worried about the potential addictiveness of digital devices.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver and vice president of research Jennifer Pearson discuss young people: why they don't always want to be reachable, how many think their parents are addicted to their devices, why they stay on social media despite resenting it and more.

Even for some luxury brands, authenticity trumps production quality when it comes to influencer marketing. That’s the case for American Express, which uses a mix of long- and short-term influencers to promote its products and services in a way that feels organic to the influencers’ aesthetic.

eMarketer principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson and junior analyst Blake Droesch explain whether people (and advertisers) should get excited about the new social media phenomenon TikTok. They also discuss Instagram’s new messaging app Threads, Facebook’s potential rebrand, Snapchat’s new dynamic ads and more.

eMarketer, in collaboration with Starcom Worldwide and GlobalWebIndex, released its annual Global Media Intelligence Report on key digital trends worldwide this week.

eMarketer forecasting director Shelleen Shum breaks down Facebook’s average ad revenues per user in the UK, including Instagram.

Creators are all over the news, but are they different from influencers? While it’s easy to say yes, it’s hard to say why. For our latest report, “Video Ads in Social Media 2019,” we explored how the two are differentiated.

eMarketer junior analyst Blake Droesch explains Facebook’s mass app removal, new ad initiatives and hiding likes. He also discusses Twitter’s controversial “hide replies” feature, Snapchat increasing the length of video ads and more.

Consumers are often creatures of habit. They know the products and the brands they like—and getting them to try something entirely new can be a challenge.

Creating an alluring social media presence is a tried-and-true strategy for direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands. Not only is social media a cost-effective way to reach consumers, but shoppers are more likely to research a D2C brand by looking at its social content.

eMarketer vice president of forecasting Monica Peart compares our time spent outlook for mobile messaging apps, like WhatsApp, with social network apps.

For hotel marketers, Facebook continues to be the most effective advertising platform for targeting new audiences and driving brand awareness, according to research from travel industry ad platform Sojern.

Influencer marketing is an important part of the marketing mix for most companies, especially those in the retail space. A survey conducted last September by Forbes Insights found that 30.5% of companies worldwide are increasing their focus on influencers as part of the advertising media mix.

Facebook Dating launched in the US last week, giving users ages 18 and older access to typical dating app features like specialized profiles and matchmaking algorithms. Though the dating app space is crowded, Facebook has an opportunity to set itself apart by simplifying what's arguably the most vexing aspect of online dating: setting up a profile.

eMarketer principal analyst Nicole Perrin explains how consumers feel about ads why they feel that way: What ads do they least like? Which ones are they most receptive to? How should advertisers respond? Then, principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson talks about the US launch of Facebook’s dating service, how young people feel about ‘likes’ and the impact of the social platform’s latest data breach.

Video-sharing app TikTok was the darling of VidCon this year. The media latched onto its low-fi approach of seeding creators all over the conference, where fans could easily interact with them. By contrast, YouTube creators were often cordoned off into formal presentations and meet-and-greets.

eMarketer principal analysts Nicole Perrin and Andrew Lipsman discuss the wave of contentious subway ads: What's allowed? What isn't? Why have startups become obsessed with marketing on public transit? They also talk about YouTube's latest FTC fine, a new partnership between TikTok and the National Football League and more.