The definitive Digiday guide to what’s in and out for platforms

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