The definitive Digiday guide to what’s in and out for platforms
There’s rarely a dull moment in platform land but even by those standards, this year has been unusually turbulent.
A new administration in Washington, rising competition, regulatory pressure and economic uncertainty have all collided to reshape the platform landscape. The result is a new, more fragile equilibrium for the companies that once seemed untouchable.
Here’s what’s been going on in the land of platforms over the last year.
In:
Meta’s focus on Superintelligence
Out:
Meta’s focus on the metaverse
In:
YouTube as TV’s heir apparent
Out:
YouTube as Gen Z’s distraction machine
In:
Snap’s mixed reality makeover
Out:
Snap’s AR tunnel vision
In:
X as a video-first platform
Out:
X as a text-based platform
In:
TikTok staying in the U.S. (somehow)
Out:
TikTok being banned in the U.S.
In:
Platforms’ employing AI to moderate content
Out:
Platforms’ employing humans to moderate content
In:
Platforms leaning into free ad-supported streaming TV
Out:
Platforms leaning into premium subscription models
In:
“Free speech” as a tech CEO rallying cry
Out:
“Free Speech” with brand safety fine print
In:
Big tech platforms’ focus on right-leaning Republicans
Out:
Big tech platforms’ focus on left-leaning Democrats
In:
Substack is no longer anti-advertising
Out:
Substack is anti-advertising
In:
Platforms still trying to make social commerce work
Out:
Platforms trying to make social commerce work
In:
Platforms as sports broadcasters
Out:
Platforms as second-screen sidekicks
In:
BeReal sells ads
Out:
Be Real’ “no ads” purity
In:
Brand suitability powered by AI and humans
Out:
Brand safety powered by blocklists
In:
Monetizing distribution, not just attention
Out:
Monetizing attention
In:
Creator partnerships with profit-sharing math
Out:
Creator programs built on exposure
In:
60-second dramas
Out:
60-second ads
In:
Social commerce
Out:
Affiliate marketing
In:
AI agents
Out:
Basic chatbots
In:
AI platforms pursue browsers
Out:
AI platforms pursue ads
More in Marketing
TikTok ad execs are finally talking — just enough to keep Q4 intact
While the U.S. waits for China to sign off on its proposed TikTok deal, platform execs have reassured marketers no changers are coming in Q4.
‘We were getting crushed’: Brands cut back on free online returns to offset tariff costs
Some brands are even eliminating the perk altogether as they try to mitigate the steep costs of the Trump tariffs.
The Rundown: OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas browser aims to turn the internet into a conversation
What marketers need to know about what to expect when the internet becomes chat.