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Three in four consumers are concerned about fake reviews, according to January 2023 data from Bazaarvoice. Amazon and other retailer websites have a fake reviews problem, and it鈥檚 driving consumers鈥擥en Zers in particular鈥攖o seek information about products on social media sites like TikTok and Reddit.

But the social platform has gained traction and notoriety domestically thanks to an influx of overseas 鈥淭颈办罢辞办 refugees鈥� from the temporary ban in the US. China鈥檚 ecommerce players pivot to Asia-Pacific. As trade tension with the US rises, AliExpress, Shein, Temu, and TikTok Shop have accelerated their push into Asia-Pacific.

TikTok has more affiliate volume, but Reels and Shorts have higher conversions. ByteDance鈥檚 short-form video platform had 262% more affiliate videos than Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts, a reflection of its cultural prominence and reach. Reels affiliate posts dropped 38%鈥攂ut revenue per click rose 42%.

Some of the most prominent social media companies鈥攊ncluding X, Meta, YouTube, and TikTok鈥攁re relying on their users to flag violative and potentially misleading content. While those and other platforms continue to use moderation teams and automated systems, community-based efforts are becoming the norm for lower-severity violations.

Relatively well, but not on par with giants like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. If the platform can convince advertisers that it鈥檚 a positive place to be, it could get a much-needed boost. Pinterest鈥檚 ad revenues are growing steadily, expected to reach $3.86 billion in the US by 2027. Pinterest is benefiting from uncertainty surrounding a potential TikTok ban in the US.

Reddit, unlike most social media platforms, is growing: Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok are seeing engagement drops, per Comscore data.

Influencers face uncertainty amid potential TikTok ban: Most creators have backup plans and are seeing increased engagement on other platforms, with Facebook and Instagram as top alternatives.

TikTok is experimenting with conversational ads. Similar to Meta鈥檚 click-to-message ads鈥攚hich let users chat with a brand on Instagram, Messenger, or WhatsApp鈥�TikTok is testing ads that let users start conversations with businesses in the US. It鈥檚 also testing ads that direct users to Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp to have those conversations.

TikTok continues to attract a lot of attention, both good and bad. The hype around its heavily engaged and coveted Gen Z audience is real. But concerns over alleged privacy violations have made it a target for regulators, and user trust of the platform has suffered as a result.

Amazon is tied with TikTok as the top media platform for advertising, according to Kantar Media research cited by WARC. Consumers favor Amazon ads for their relevance and usefulness, while concerns about over-targeting are waning.

Smaller players and TikTok will lead in growth. If TikTok avoids a US ban, it will grow its ad revenues by 32.1% this year, reaching almost $35 billion. However, given that about 44% of TikTok鈥檚 ad revenues come from the US, its final 2025 figures could end up radically different.

Our take: Meta is using referral and bonus programs as a growth engine to compete with TikTok, YouTube, and other rivals. However, currying platform loyalty with cash could blur the line between authentic posting and affiliate marketing. Epic vs. Apple case opens up options for Spotify app users.

Zooming out: Substack is continuing its push to broaden its offerings and gain more traffic by recruiting YouTube and TikTok creators with dedicated audiences. Substack launched its TikTok Liberation Prize in January, awarding TikToker Aaron Parnas $25,000 for posting a clip persuading TikTok viewers to join Substack.

Facebook (36%) and YouTube (30%) lead the charge in social media news consumption. 19% use Instagram and WhatsApp, and TikTok (16%) outpaces X (12%). Many of those platforms鈥攅specially Facebook, Instagram, and X鈥攈ave loosened content moderation this year, making feeds more vulnerable to misinformation.

TikTok unveils new AI tools: The platform streamlines content creation with avatars and dubbing, highlighting new challenges like deepfakes and transparency in years to come.

TikTok aims to quadruple the size of its global ecommerce business in 2023. But TikTok Shop鈥檚 US rollout has been complicated鈥攁nd that could have implications for the company鈥檚 aggressive goal.

Nearly 50% of social network users in Thailand will be TikTok users, giving the country the highest TikTok penetration in the world, according to our forecast. The US will rank second, with 45.3% of its social users on TikTok. We expect penetration in the US will be as high as 49.1% by the end of 2026.

Elon Musk鈥檚 reign over Twitter stirs chaos and user losses in Asia-Pacific. The region is propping up Facebook user growth that is flagging in most of the world. And TikTok is looming large among marketers as its popularity skyrockets.

TikTok promotes learning and automation at product summit: Simplicity is a big buzzword for TikTok this year, with automation at the heart of simplifying the ad creative process.

In most countries, TikTok bans are currently limited to government devices. But global and international marketers who rely on TikTok need to be ready to pivot their strategies in case a broader US ban causes a ripple effect in other markets.

TikTok evolves into a search engine: A study shows the platform is becoming popular among Gen Z for information and diverse content.

TikTok isn鈥檛 solely driven by its famous algorithm: ByteDance employees can make posts go viral without any disclosures.

Effect House by TikTok rolls out: As TikTok broadens its AR horizon, creator incentives play a pivotal role in its evolving digital strategy.

Bridging the gap between content and conversions: TikTok introduces Attribution Analytics to provide more robust ad measurement insights.