Week in Review: Social Media Didn't Experience the Pandemic Bump You May Have Expected; What Might Come Out of Google's Antitrust Suit?

Many people turned to social media in recent months to stay connected with friends and loved ones and to share information. But the pandemic hasn’t increased the number of people using social networks or messaging apps. November 1, 2020 [Week in Review: Social Media Didn't Experience the Pandemic Bump You May Have Expected; What Might Come Out of Google's Antitrust Suit?]( Many people turned to social media in recent months to stay connected with friends and loved ones and to share information. But the pandemic hasn’t increased the number of people using social networks or messaging apps. There will be 212.1 million social network users in the US this year, up 3.3% over 2019. That’s just a small acceleration over our February forecast of 2.5% user growth. All age groups will see only slight increases in 2020, with the lion’s share of growth coming from people ages 35 and older. The lack of user growth may come as a surprise to those who have seen recent studies showing that consumers are engaging more heavily with social media during the pandemic. =/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7 [Read the full article.]( [Unlocking Your Brand’s Omnichannel Power Through D2C Selling]( While D2C selling can boost revenues, its true power is in its ability to give marketers the insights they need to succeed across channels and replicate success long term. [Read this article, contributed and sponsored by The Shipyard.]( [US Holiday Ecommerce Sales Will Surge 35.8% to $190.47 Billion, Offsetting Brick-and-Mortar Declines](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) Retailers are bracing for a softer holiday season due to the pandemic. They will see, however, a major shift to ecommerce this holiday season. [Read the article.](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) [chart-image](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) [Podcast: What Might Come Out of Google's Antitrust Suit?](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) eMarketer forecasting analyst Eric Haggstrom, principal analyst Nicole Perrin, and research analyst at Insider Intelligence Mariel Soto Reyes discuss the possible outcomes of the US Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit against Google. ["Behind the Numbers" is made possible by Sitecore. Listen in.](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) [chart-image](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) [How Total Media Ad Spend Will Shake Out Around the World](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) Worldwide total media ad spend is expected to record a growth of -4.5% this year to reach $614 billion. This is just slightly up from our previous forecast of -4.9% growth in June 2020, but a sharp contrast to our pre-pandemic estimate of 7.0%. [Read the article.](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) [chart-image](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) [Podcast: A Deep Dive into the Digital Lives of Internet Users Worldwide](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Karin von Abrams discusses our Global Media Intelligence Report 2020, which compiles data and insights about internet users’ digital and traditional media usage across 42 countries. This annual project is a partnership between eMarketer and Starcom, and based on research from GlobalWebIndex. Also joining the discussion are Jason Mander, chief research officer at GlobalWebIndex, and Kelly Kokonas, executive vice president of global data strategy, technology and analytics, at Starcom. ["Behind the Numbers" is made possible by Sitecore. Listen in.](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) [chart-image](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) [Zoom and FaceTime Are Holding Back OTT Messaging App Adoption in the US](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) Pandemic-related stay-at-home mandates have accelerated OTT messaging app adoption in most parts of the world. In the US, however, alternative means of communicating, including Zoom and FaceTime, have hindered usage of OTT messaging services. [Read the article.](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) [chart-image](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) [The Weekly Listen: Quibi's Funeral, Ads Near Political Content, and Facebook Post-Election]( eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver, junior analyst Blake Droesch and vice president of content studio at Insider Intelligence Paul Verna discuss the end of Quibi, Facebook's mini social networks called "Neighborhoods," Uber reclassifying drivers as employees, whether ads near political content affect brand perceptions, the state of Facebook post-election, how long Americans spend looking for things they've lost, a creature that sleeps while moving, and more. ["Behind the Numbers" is made possible by Sitecore. Listen in.]( [chart-image]( [Mobile Payment Adoption Has Been Slow in Western Europe, but the Pandemic Could Be the Catalyst for Growth]( Western Europe—particularly the EU-4—has always been a strong cash culture, and concerns about security have inhibited growth of mobile payments in the region. However, that’s gradually changing in large part because of the pandemic, as more consumers use cashless forms of payment to help curb the spread of the virus. [Read the article.]( [chart-image]( ©2020 eMarketer, Inc. 11 Times Square, New York, NY 10036 eMarketer Week in Review is published by eMarketer, Inc. [Unsubscribe](/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) | [Change email address](/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) | [Advertise](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) [Select "Research Submissions"](=/SL0G3D0Ap0L0MSQ2A0069j7) for potential inclusion in the eMarketer Daily. 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