By Lauren Forristal

Spotify announced Thursday the launch of its new “Partner Program” that lets popular podcast hosts monetize their video content.

Spotify’s new program gives qualifying creators on its platform opportunities for extra income beyond just advertising revenue, such as video pay-outs. The program was initially announced back in November and is officially available in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Australia starting Thursday.

The program is expected to enhance Spotify’s video podcast library, likely aimed at competing with YouTube, which currently dominates the overall video space. According to Spotify, over 65% of eligible podcast shows have already enrolled in the Partner Program since the company revealed it at its Now Playing event. This includes Smart Money Happy Hour, The Paranormal Podcast, The Makeshift Podcast, Girls Rewatch Podcast, and more.

Spotify has also begun allowing Premium users to watch video podcasts without ads. It also launched a new tool called Podcast Clips, which are short-form videos uploaded by creators to promote their shows and help users discover them more easily. Since the feature’s launch in select markets in November, the company claims that clips are “33% more effective than previews at converting browsers into engaged listeners.”

Feature Image Credit: Getty Images

By Lauren Forristal

Lauren covers media, streaming, apps and platforms at TechCrunch.

Sourced from TechCrunch

Sourced from OM

Irecently wrote about the future of the browser and Surf, a new app from the creators of Flipboard. Both stories explore the changing nature of the web and its impact on the media landscape. I’m not shy about expressing my frustrations with the establishment media and the ever-present gulf between technology and old media companies. I’ve been involved with the internet and online publishing from the very beginning — even before many big media companies embraced it. Those companies have almost always lagged behind in understanding the shifting reality of what media is, how we consume it, and how it’s distributed.

The widespread lack of understanding among the establishment media allowed Google to become a behemoth. And then they essentially handed the keys to the kingdom to Mark Zuckerberg and Co. They are making the same mistake with the new AI platforms. Despite all the brouhaha about fighting Perplexity or OpenAI, it will amount to nothing more than a short-term squeeze play.

Some media companies are simply signing deals, taking the cash while they can. By doing deals with these platforms and giving them access to their content, most publications might feel they will be rewarded with traffic to their websites. Here’s what Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, said on a podcast:

We can go through it in complex way or the simple way. The simple way is we believe it provides revenue, but more importantly provides a potential traffic source. Provides an avenue for a product partnership that could be very beneficial, and that provides a way for us to help shape the future of AI…

…[Another] part is this very interesting search element, where right now in OpenAI they have browse mode and they can link out to Atlantic stories. They have said that they’re going to build a search product. They have not launched the search product, but they have said they would build it. We have allowed them to include The Atlantic in their search product.

Our view is that if this becomes an important way that people navigate the internet, that it will be better for us to be in it than to not be in it, and also to help shape it than not help shape it.

The Atlantic and its brethren have about as much chance of shaping the future as I do of convincing Elon Musk to focus on playing cricket. The challenge for these publications is more existential.

Unlike search engines, AI platforms are built on precision and summaries. They’re unlikely to be a major source of traffic or advertising revenue. What about getting paid for the summaries OpenAI serves in response to prompts? These prompts will vary widely, as will the responses, breaking the traditional mass-media revenue model. As I explained in my “future of browser” article, information itself is being atomized, which will likely upend the web and media as we know them.

Facebook made big promises to media companies, only to pull the rug from under them. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity are likely to be equally, if not more, ruthless. These platforms won’t need the media for long.

The old media has consistently misunderstood digital transformation, and it’s no surprise that we have a media ecosystem still trapped in old monetization models, where “interruptions” have only grown more aggressive. What began as occasional magazine ads has evolved into a constant barrage across all platforms—from billboard-cluttered webpages to podcast sponsorship breaks and algorithmic social feeds designed for ad delivery.

Social media platforms, built around algorithmic feeds and advertising models, have reduced content discovery to a game of clicks, likes, and engagements. Mass-market media has followed suit, optimizing for sensationalism rather than depth. All of it, from podcasts to news apps, interrupts users constantly with ads, pushing all of us to exhaustion.

In reality, the seeds of media’s destruction are built into its architecture, because outlets must feed advertising systems, not the audience. The media establishment disregards why audiences visit them, and it’s no surprise the system has reached its limits. Too many advertisements, too many interruptions, and too much “content” mean that, as an end customer, you are decoupled from media brands.

Nowhere was this more obvious than during the recent election cycle. The news cycle showed that information consumers were ready to move on from tired old content creation, delivery, and distribution models. Who wants to deal with 500 versions of a 500-word article with a sizzling headline and a sliver of actual news? Try sitting through 10 minutes of CNN or any cable show. Screaming, shouting, and superficiality make it easy to tune out traditional media.

It’s hardly surprising people want 60-second summaries on TikTok and headlines on Twitter. A recent Pew Research study found that “about one-in-five Americans – including a much higher share of adults under 30 (37%) – say they regularly get news from influencers on social media.” While social media is known for hot takes and memes, it’s much more than that, as Pew’s study revealed. “Overwhelming majorities say they get all four types of content asked about in the survey: basic facts (90%), opinions (87%), funny posts (87%), and breaking news (83%),” the survey noted.

OpenAI and Claude are demonstrating that we’re entering a phase where individuals will engage with platforms as a singular individual entity. Even if these platforms adopt advertising, each query will generate a unique response, making it difficult to replicate traditional mass media monetization. This represents the newest variation of the game played by Google and Facebook.

Google and Facebook are already showing that by embedding “Ask AI” and “Summaries” into their products, they are ready to produce one-to-one advertising using “Generative AI.” They won’t need to send people anywhere, much like OpenAI or whoever triumphs as a big winner in the AI sweepstakes.

The internet was originally envisioned as a place for connection, collaboration, and discovery. But over time, it has been distorted by business models that prioritize engagement metrics over meaningful interaction. Discovery has long been the open web’s greatest challenge, with search engines turning it into an SEO game and social platforms creating algorithmic echo chambers. AI platforms are making discovery almost irrelevant.

You stay still, but your AI agent goes out and fetches, distils, and synthesizes the content and renders it in whatever format you want — audio, video, or text. This is the future. None of the media business models will work in the future — neither advertising nor paywalls. Today’s content deals, like the one The Atlantic signed with OpenAI, are akin to the sugar high you get from soda. The sugar high is followed by the inevitable crash.

Feature Image Credit: Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

Sourced from OM

By Deepak Bansal

As someone who has spent decades in the digital marketing industry, I’ve witnessed the evolution of marketing tactics and the shift from traditional advertising to an interconnected digital ecosystem. Today, building a successful marketing campaign from the ground up requires creativity, strategy, data-driven decision-making and a deep understanding of your audience.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to crafting a winning campaign from scratch.

Start by defining clear goals.

To create a successful campaign, you need to start with a solid understanding of what you want to achieve. Are you looking to generate leads, drive sales or boost website traffic?

Use the SMART framework—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound—to articulate these goals. For instance, instead of saying, “We want more website traffic,” say, “We aim to increase organic website traffic by 15% over the next three months.”

In one of my recent campaigns, we set a goal to boost lead generation for a B2B client by 20% within six months. This included increasing webinar signups and free trial conversions through targeted LinkedIn ads and email marketing.

Understand your target audience.

You can use resources like social media insights, customer surveys and Google Analytics to gather data on demographics, preferences and behaviour. Develop detailed buyer personas that include information about your ideal customers’ pain points, goals and purchasing triggers.

The more precise your understanding, the better you can tailor your campaign to resonate with your audience. For instance, when working on a campaign for a healthcare client, we developed personas by analysing patient feedback, conducting surveys and using keyword research tools. We discovered that one segment of the audience was highly concerned about affordability, while another prioritized access to cutting-edge treatments. This insight allowed us to craft tailored messaging for each group.

Perform a competitive analysis.

Identify your top competitors, and analyse their digital marketing strategies. What platforms are they using? What types of content do they produce? How do they engage their audience?

You may want to use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs, which can help you better understand your competitors’ keywords, backlinks and overall strategy. This information can then help you identify gaps in their approach and opportunities to differentiate your campaign.

Choose the right channels.

Not every platform will suit your campaign. A B2B campaign might prioritize LinkedIn and email marketing, while a B2C brand might focus on Instagram, TikTok and influencer partnerships. Evaluate where your target audience spends the most time online and focus your efforts there.

Create high-quality content.

Content is king, but consistency and quality are equally important. Make sure you develop a content plan that aligns with your campaign’s objectives, and create materials that add value to your audience. This could include blog posts, videos, infographics, podcasts or social media posts. Don’t forget to optimize your content for SEO to improve visibility in search engines.

When creating content, I always ask: “What problem does this solve for the audience?” For example, a recent blog series for an education client addressed common student concerns about college applications. This helped to drive organic traffic and position the brand as a trusted authority.

Leverage automation and tools.

Tools like HubSpot, Mailchimp and Hootsuite can help you schedule social media posts, manage email campaigns and track performance metrics. Automation doesn’t mean losing the human touch; instead, it ensures consistent delivery while freeing up time for strategy refinement.

Implement A/B testing.

No matter how well you plan, not every element of your campaign will work perfectly. With A/B testing, you can compare different versions of an email, ad or landing page and identify which performs better. Small tweaks—like changing a call-to-action button’s colour or headline—can significantly impact your results.

I’ve learned that A/B testing is most effective when you want to refine specific elements of your campaign to improve performance. I decide to use A/B testing when a key component, such as a call-to-action, subject line or ad creative, has a significant impact on user engagement or conversions, but I’m uncertain about its effectiveness. For instance, if an email campaign has a lower-than-expected open rate, I would test variations in subject lines to determine which resonates better with the audience.

Some of the best factors to test include:

• Headlines or titles: For emails, landing pages and blog posts, headlines significantly affect click-through rates.

• Call-to-action (CTA): Testing variations in wording, placement or design can yield insights into what drives user action.

• Visual elements: Variations in images, colours or layouts can influence user engagement and emotional response.

• Email content: Testing different lengths, tones or offers in emails can help you identify what leads to higher open or conversion rates.

• Ad copy: Small changes in phrasing or value propositions can make a big difference in click-through rates and engagement.

By starting with a clear hypothesis for each test, you can focus on data-driven decisions to optimize campaign performance.

Monitor and analyse performance.

Use tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Audience Insights and custom dashboards to track your campaign’s performance in real time. Keep track of metrics such as conversion rates, click-through rates and return on investment (ROI). Be prepared to adjust your strategy based on the data.

Engage and interact with your audience.

Digital marketing is a two-way street. Encourage engagement by responding to comments, hosting live sessions or running interactive polls. The more you engage with your audience, the more likely they are to trust your brand and become loyal customers.

For example, in a campaign for a lifestyle brand, we hosted weekly Instagram Q&A sessions to answer customer queries. This strategy helped us boost engagement, and it provided valuable insights into customer preferences.

Refine and optimize.

A successful campaign doesn’t end with execution. Conduct a post-mortem analysis to identify what worked, what didn’t and why. Use these insights to improve your future campaigns and maintain a cycle of continuous learning and optimization.

Building a digital marketing campaign from scratch may seem daunting, but with a structured approach, it’s entirely achievable. Start with clear goals, understand your audience, leverage technology and remain adaptable to data insights. Staying curious and committed to learning is your best strategy for long-term success.

Feature Image Credit: Getty

By Deepak Bansal

Follow me on LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Deepak Bansal, Director of Digital Marketing, Atihsi LLC and CEO & Founder, Clearpath Technology Pvt Ltd. Read Deepak Bansal’s full executive profile here.

Sourced from Forbes

By Jamie Gutfreund

From Short-Form Content To Long-Term Assets

Most brands and media executives still approach TikTok, YouTube, Meta, and Snap as platforms for advertising or one-off creator partnerships. But audiences don’t consume content like they used to. With short-form video now accounting for 80% of all mobile data consumption, people expect entertainment, not advertising.

Social platforms offer more than distribution—they allow brands to own the connection with their audiences by creating formats people want to watch. The lesson for brands? Stop thinking like advertisers and start thinking like producers—invest in stories and formats that build long-term value.

Proof That Branded Content Works

The shift from advertiser to producer marks a new era for brands. Retail giant Target and luxury jeweller Alexis Bittar show how original series can turn marketing campaigns into enduring franchises that deliver ongoing valu

Target’s ‘Teammates of Target’ – Building on the viral YouTube series Husbands of Target, Target and creative studio Portal A extended the franchise into a branded series featuring NFL players Matthew Stafford, Garrett Wilson and WNBA stars Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson. Distributed across TikTok and Instagram, it earned 45 million views, showing that brands don’t have to start from scratch—expanding existing concepts can be a scalable strategy.

Alexis Bittar’s “The Bittarverse” – Luxury jewellery brand Alexis Bittar launched a TikTok soap opera-style series set on New York’s Upper East Side. Using humour and guest stars like Susan Sarandon and Coco Rocha, the series showcases its jewellery collections and drove a 41% increase in eCommerce sales year over year

By Jamie Gutfreund

Jamie Gutfreund covers the business of the creator economy. As a CMO and senior executive for leading brands and agencies, Microsoft, Hasbro, Creative… READ MORE

Sourced from Forbes

By Sarah Choudhary

Meta’s staggering $32 billion quarterly ad revenue isn’t just about size; it’s about strategy, systems and execution as well.

Key Takeaways

• While most entrepreneurs look at giants like Meta and assume their strategies are out of reach, the truth is that the same principles can be scaled down and applied to small and medium-sized businesses.
• This isn’t theory — it’s a repeatable framework. Whether you’re running an online store, a SaaS product or a local service business, the strategies Meta uses to dominate can help you achieve weekend sales worth thousands — or even millions — if executed well.
• In this article, I’ll break down these strategies into clear, actionable steps and illustrate them with real-world examples to help you create your high-ROI campaigns.

Meta didn’t build its advertising empire on guesswork. Every dollar spent on ads is optimized for a return. On average, businesses running Facebook and Instagram ads see an 8-12x ROI on every dollar spent.

One thing Meta excels at is hyper-personalization. Every ad isn’t just shown — it’s shown to the right person at the right time with the right message.

Take the case of a boutique ecommerce store selling handmade jewellery. They invested $10,000 in a weekend ad campaign, targeting previous website visitors and cart abandoners. Instead of spraying their ads broadly, they focused on customers who had already shown interest but hadn’t completed a purchase.

The result? $125,000 in sales over 48 hours.

The lesson here is simple:

• Start small, target smart: Identify your warm leads (past visitors, email subscribers, cart abandoners).
• Use retargeting campaigns: Ads that follow up on previous user behaviour are significantly more effective.
• Test multiple ad variations: Meta doesn’t rely on one ad — it runs dozens of versions simultaneously and optimizes in real time.

Turning data into dollars

At the core of Meta’s success is data. The company processes four petabytes of user data daily, turning raw information into actionable insights. But this isn’t exclusive to tech giants — you can replicate it with affordable tools.

For example, a Shopify store owner noticed a 35% cart abandonment rate using Google Analytics. They discovered that customers often dropped off at the shipping details step.

The fix? They removed an unnecessary form field and introduced free weekend shipping.

The store generated $75,000 in additional sales in just one weekend without increasing ad spend.

The power here wasn’t just in having data but in acting on it.

• Set up analytics tools: Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel or heatmap tools like Hotjar can show you exactly where customers drop off.
• Focus on quick wins: Small changes, like simplifying forms or adding one-click checkout options, can yield massive results.
• Refine every weekend: Meta doesn’t stop testing. Every campaign builds on the last one.

The urgency effect

Why do flash sales work? Because urgency is a psychological trigger. Meta understands this deeply, and many of its ad strategies rely on creating urgency and scarcity.

A small SaaS company launched a “Weekend-Only Lifetime Access Campaign” priced at $299. They didn’t just announce the offer — they built excitement.

• Friday morning: They teased the deal via an email campaign.
• Saturday morning: They launched the sale with a bold “48 Hours Only” banner.
• Sunday afternoon: They sent a final reminder email, warning that the sale was ending soon.

The result? $1.2 million in sales over the weekend.

Urgency works because it forces action. To replicate this:

• Make it time-sensitive: Limited-time offers push customers to act now, not later.
• Use clear CTAs: Words like “Buy Now” or “Limited Time Offer” make the action crystal clear.
• Send follow-up reminders: Most purchases during flash sales happen after reminder emails.

Automation: The hidden multiplier

Meta doesn’t rely on human teams for every decision — it relies on automation at scale. The beauty of today’s technology is that automation isn’t just for billion-dollar companies anymore.

Take the example of a fitness coach selling online courses priced at $499. Instead of manually handling inquiries, payments and follow-ups, they set up a system:

1. An AI chatbot handled common questions.
2. Automated emails nurtured leads who signed up but didn’t buy.
3. Payment systems ensured seamless checkout without friction.

Over one weekend, they sold 2,000-course spots, generating $998,000 in revenue.

Automation doesn’t replace human connection — it amplifies efficiency so you can focus on high-impact decisions.

• Use AI for customer support: Chatbots like Tidio or Intercom can resolve inquiries instantly.
• Automate payment systems: Stripe and PayPal ensure smooth checkouts.
• Schedule marketing ahead of time: Use tools like Mailchimp or Buffer to pre-plan campaigns.

Your million-dollar weekend playbook

If you want to replicate the success of Meta and the case studies we’ve covered, here’s a weekend roadmap to follow:

1. Thursday: Launch ads targeting your warmest audience (website visitors, subscribers).
2. Friday morning: Tease your offer via email and social media.
3. Saturday morning: Launch the main flash sale with clear, urgent messaging.
4. Sunday morning: Send reminder emails and retarget ad campaigns.
5. Sunday night: Send a final “last chance” offer email before closing.

Businesses that follow this strategy often see 2-10x ROI on weekend campaigns.

The takeaway: Meta’s playbook isn’t locked away

Meta’s billions aren’t a result of luck — they result from data-driven precision, automation and customer psychology. The strategies that drive their revenue are repeatable and scalable for entrepreneurs at any level.

Here’s your cheat sheet:

• Know your numbers: Track customer behaviour and optimize every touchpoint.
• Act with urgency: Time-limited offers drive immediate action.
• Automate, automate, automate: Remove bottlenecks from your business processes.
• Iterate relentlessly: What worked last weekend might need refinement this weekend.

Meta’s success is a framework, not a fluke. The steps are the same whether your goal is $10,000 or $1 million.

Your million-dollar weekend doesn’t start with hope — it begins with execution.

This weekend, don’t just run a campaign — run a system.

By Sarah Choudhary

Sourced from Entrepreneur

Chinese AI video hits its stride, and suddenly things ain’t what they used to be.

We’ve always known it was coming, what we couldn’t predict is where it would come from and how fast. The best AI video generation technology has now moved from a trickle to a tidal wave of product releases and research.

One name in particular has exploded onto our screens in the past few weeks: Bytedance. The company has just released two stunningly good text-to-video AI models, which rival the best in the world.

For those who don’t know, Bytedance is the infamous owner of TikTok. And now the company has released OmniHuman-1, a new multimodal video generation framework which can take a single image and generate extremely sophisticated video with audio attached. The model is special because of its ability to combine video, audio and lip-syncing in a near perfect match.

We’re not talking about pretty good video here, we’re talking extremely high quality output in every way. The project’s GitHub demo page features a raft of beautifully crafted videos, all taken from a single image plus an audio file. The lip syncing is almost perfect, the image resolution is spectacular, and there are remarkably few glitches in the output that we can see.

The platform is not limited to photorealistic video either, it can produce cartoons, artificial animated objects, animals and even some quite complicated and challenging poses.

In the past few days the company has also dropped Goku, which offers similar text to video quality, but with an interesting twist. First the Goku model only features 8B parameters, which is incredibly small for this kind of quality. It’s clear the company is specifically targeting the advertising market, based no doubt on its massive back catalog of TikTok videos and shopping experiences.

These moves propel the Chinese company into the AI big league, alongside other Chinese AI giants Alibaba, Tencent and DeepSeek. Suddenly the landscape has changed completely in ways no one could have imagined even a year ago.

Other Chinese companies like Kling AI have already shown what’s possible, but the Bytedance tech is different because it comes from a company which probably owns the largest video media library on earth after Facebook.

Meanwhile, Goku also moves AI generation further down the yellow brick road, and targets one of the biggest industries in the world: advertising.

The demo videos on the project page show a range of clips which are quite clearly aimed at short or long form social media advertising applications. Women and men using body products and other cheesy demo clips predominate.

These video tools are not just destined to sell us more products, it’s obvious there’s a much larger agenda at work here. After advertising, the next domino to fall is almost certainly going to be animated art in all its forms. Even if we don’t see full length animations using this technology in the short term, there’s no question that it’s already being deployed as part of the production process.

Before we get too excited we should remember that the computing demands of this kind of AI model are still colossal. There’s a reason it took Sora so long to appear on the market. It’s also important to note that both OmniHuman and Goku exist only in the lab, with no public facing application for anybody to play with. Yet.

However, anyone needing a glimpse into the massive disruption that Chinese AI is bringing to the video animation world, should take a look at Kling AI.

The AI generated video that’s coming out of this publicly accessible commercial service is nothing less than staggering. All generated from a simple text prompt. And in case you think it’s all just ten second clips, take a look at this mock up of a well-known television show.

Bottom line

Last summer mega industry publication The Hollywood Reporter ran a front page story entitled ‘Hollywood at a Crossroads: Everyone Is Using AI, But They Are Scared to Admit It’. The undertone of the article was fatalistic. Basic movie worker’s labor would inevitably be “displaced” first by AI. Followed later by a creeping AI penetration which would consume everything in its path over time. This process has definitely already started.

In the same way digital technology has almost completely unseated analog movie making, AI with its massive cost efficiencies will inevitably perform the same kind of industry disruption. The one certainty is we’ll see these impacts much sooner than any of us expect.

Polish director Besaleel sums up the mood: “I foresee that film and TV productions will eventually employ only leading and perhaps supporting actors, while the entire world of background and minor characters will be created digitally”, The video and movie world is changing folks, and at warp speed 9.

Feature Image Credit: OmniHuman

By Nigel Powell

Sourced from tom’s guide

By Barry Dudley,

As advertising’s leaders of the pack report similarly strong 2024 financials, Barry Dudley decodes their earnings calls and explains how their journeys will drastically diverge in 2025.

Given its strong performance over the previous three quarters, it probably comes as no surprise to hear that Publicis continued that momentum in Q4. Indeed, it came in ahead of its own guidance.

Feature Image Credit: Arthur Sadoun and John Wren / Publicis/Joel Saget/AFP – The Drum

By Barry Dudley,

Barry Dudley is a partner at Green Square

Sourced from The Drum

Sourced from Association of Advertisers in Ireland,

On February 4th, the AAI hosted an insightful Toolkit event featuring economist Jim Power, who explored the far-reaching impacts of Donald Trump’s policies on the US, Europe, and Ireland. From trade disruptions to shifting US-EU relations, the discussion provided valuable takeaways for businesses navigating today’s economic landscape.

If you couldn’t attend—or want to revisit key insights—watch the full session now:

Sourced from Association of Advertisers in Ireland,

By AJ Dellinger

There is an exodus of users who are ditching Meta platforms following the decision to end fact checking.

Apparently not everyone is ready to live in a post-truth world. In the wake of Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that Meta platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads will ditch professional fact-checkers in favour of a Community Notes-style crowdsourcing approach to accountability, searches for deleting Meta accounts have spiked significantly.

Searches for “how to delete Facebook” and “how to delete Instagram” peaked in the days following the announcement that accuracy is no longer a priority for posting on the platforms, according to Google Trends data. Related searches like “how to quit Facebook,” “how to delete threads account,” and “how to delete Instagram account without logging in” have also achieved breakout trend status, meaning they have seen 5,000% increases or higher in interest, as TechCrunch pointed out.

Fittingly, Facebook competitors are also seeing a spike in interest. Bluesky saw a nearly 1,000% increase in searches during the same period that saw people looking to exit the Meta-verse of social apps. Zuckerberg accused people leaving his company’s platforms of “virtue signalling,” presumably because he assumes everyone is as deeply unscrupulous and malleable as he is and wouldn’t do anything simply out of principle.

Alas, for those looking for a landing spot, there aren’t a lot of suitable replacements for platforms like Instagram—or Facebook, for that matter—for folks looking to leave the platforms behind as they turn into post-fact AI slop factories.

Zuckerberg has successfully cornered major parts of the social web, and escaping his grasp is difficult—especially when it requires convincing the people you want to stay connected with to follow suit. Facebook has successfully amassed more than three billion monthly active users globally and Instagram has two billion. Want to chat with your friends? Meta-owned WhatsApp has nearly three billion active chatters and Messenger has more than one billion of its own. Even if you delete your accounts or never made one to begin with, Meta retains data about you and continues to track your activity across the web for its massive digital advertising business.

Of course, that should not stop you from trying to limit your exposure to the tentacles of the monster that is Meta. And just statistically speaking, since you likely landed here by searching something along the lines of “how to delete facebook,” the least we can do is give you what you’re looking for. You get your guide, we get some clicks, and everyone leaves happy.

How to Delete Your Facebook Account

A quick preface here: Facebook, through what could probably best be described as a wilfully inefficient user interface, has created a labyrinthian maze of menus that you have to navigate in order to find the option to delete your account—and that maze will be different depending on what operating system, platform, and version of the Facebook that you are accessing.

That said, if you are on an iPhone or Android device:

1. Click the three-bar “Menu” button on the bottom right of the Facebook app
2. Tap the “Settings & privacy” header
3. If “Accounts Center” appears in this menu, tap it. If it doesn’t, tap “Settings” and the app should redirect you to “Accounts Center” following a popup explaining its function
4. Tap “Personal details”
5. Tap “Account ownership and control”
6. Tap “Deactivation or deletion”
7. Choose the account or profile you want to delete
8. Tap “Delete account”
9. Tap “Continue” and follow the instructions on screen to confirm

If Accounts Center appears for you, you should be able to delete your Facebook and Instagram accounts at the same time, assuming they are linked together.

If you are viewing Facebook on a desktop, the same steps apply, except your first step is to click your profile picture in the top right. From here, find “Settings & privacy” and follow the same steps as above.

Regardless if you are on desktop or mobile apps, if the Accounts Center doesn’t appear for you, do the following:

1. Follow steps 1 and 2 above
2. Once in “Settings & privacy,” tap “Profile Access and Control”
3. Tap “Deactivation and Deletion”
4. Choose “Delete Account” and tap “Continue to Account Deletion”
5. Follow the instructions on screen to confirm

How to Delete Your Instagram Account

If your Instagram account is not linked to your Facebook account, you can delete it separately in the iOS and Android app by doing the following:

1. Tap “profile” or your profile picture in the bottom right
2. Tap  the three-bar “More” menu on the top right
3. Tap “Accounts Center”
4. Tap “Personal details”
5. Tap “Account ownership and control”
6. Tap “Deactivation or deletion”
7. Tap the account you’d like to delete
8. Tap “Delete account” 
9. Tap “Continue” and follow the steps on screen to confirm

If you’re visiting Instagram on desktop, your first step will be to Click “More” on the bottom left of the screen, then click Settings. From there, follow steps 3 through 9 above.

By AJ Dellinger

Sourced from Gizmodo

By Skye Jacobs

Political advertising was a big driver behind the surge

In a nutshell: YouTube achieved record-breaking ad revenue in the fourth quarter of 2024, raking in a staggering $10.4 billion from advertisements alone. This astronomical figure, representing a 13.8 percent increase from the previous year, comes amid mounting user dissatisfaction with the platform’s aggressive ad strategy.

YouTube‘s advertising model has long been a source of frustration for its vast user base. The platform’s approach to monetization, which often involves interrupting videos with unskippable ads, is seen by many as intrusive and detrimental to the viewing experience.

Despite the discontent, the numbers tell a different story. The platform’s ability to generate revenue seems unaffected by user grumbling. That is largely due to its vast content library, much of which is unique to the platform, and thus the lack of comparable alternatives. This captive audience provides a steady stream of ad viewers, even if they are reluctant ones.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai attributed much of the revenue jump to the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Combined spending on YouTube ads by the Democratic and Republican parties was almost double what they spent in the 2020 election, he said. This political advertising bonanza contributed significantly to YouTube’s coffers, with over 45 million people watching election-related content on the platform on election day alone.

Source: App Economy Insights

YouTube offers an escape from its ad-laden experience through its Premium subscription service, priced at $14 per month or $140 per year. However, many users balk at the cost, viewing it as an expensive solution to a problem of YouTube’s own making.

Despite user reluctance, YouTube’s subscription revenues – bundled under Google subscriptions, platforms, and devices in its earnings statement – increased from $10.8 billion in Q4 2023 to $11.6 billion in Q4 2024. According to Anat Ashkenazi, Alphabet’s CFO, subscription products are growing primarily due to increased paid subscribers across YouTube TV, YouTube Music Premium, and Google One.

Now, YouTube is betting big on AI to turbocharge its advertising strategies. Philipp Schindler, chief business officer at Alphabet, highlighted the potential of AI in marketing, citing a case study where Petco utilized AI-powered campaigns on YouTube. The company achieved a 275 percent higher return on ad spend and a 74 percent higher click-through rate than its social benchmarks, Schindler reported.

He also noted that Google AI-powered video campaigns on YouTube deliver a 17 percent higher return on advertising spend than manual campaigns, according to Nielsen analysis.

While this may be music to advertisers’ ears, for users, it could mean even more precisely targeted – and potentially more irritating – ad experiences in the future.

By Skye Jacobs

Sourced from TECHSPOT