Features & insight
Features and insight
Expert analysis, reporting and long reads on the platforms, people and strategies shaping social media.
Universities launch creator economy degrees as brands now compete with institutional credentials for talent
Arizona State, Stanford and Syracuse have formalised the creator economy into academic programmes, creating a credentialled talent pipeline for an industry where most social media professionals report unclear career paths.
TikTok's 48-hour follower test kills broad reach for creators with disengaged audiences
New videos now spend two days with existing followers before the algorithm decides whether they deserve non-follower distribution. For creators who built audiences in the viral era, that changes the job.
Audiences no longer distinguish between creators and journalists, forcing brands to rethink credibility partnerships
A Syracuse University study finds 60% of Americans trust independent news creators as much as professional journalists on political topics, collapsing the distinction brands have used to justify traditional media partnerships over creator deals.
Business Women, Not Girls: Carolina Barbosa on the Skipped Rung and Where Burnout Actually Peaks
Why does burnout peak at social media manager level? Carolina Barbosa connects missing junior roles, unclear strategy and overloaded teams in our Career Ladder research.
YouTube's 20,000 creator survey reveals Europe's €8.4 billion economy is locked out of policy and funding
Two-thirds of European creators receive no government support, despite contributing more to GDP than many legacy sectors. YouTube's Creative Capital report exposes the structural barriers holding back an export economy built by entrepreneurs regulators don't officially recognise.
Meta Creator Marketplace now surfaces intent over follower count, reshaping how brands should brief influencer campaigns
Meta's Creator Marketing Hub prioritises creators who have already tagged brands or expressed partnership interest, shifting discovery away from audience scale. For marketers planning Q4 campaigns, that changes who gets found and how briefs should be structured.
Instagram's 2x Reels speed, launched 18 months ago, signals what YouTube and TikTok already know: audiences want control, not shorter videos
Double-speed playback has rolled out across every major short-form platform since early 2025. The shift isn't about shrinking attention spans, it's about letting viewers decide their own pace, and that changes what social marketers need to optimise for.
Half of US Halloween shoppers bought by early September, forcing brands to rewrite the campaign calendar
US Halloween spending hits $13.5bn in 2026, but NRF data shows 49% of consumers started shopping in September or earlier. For brands still running discovery ads in mid-October, the window where purchase intent was highest has already closed.
