Social Networks

Esports and gaming creators represent two distinct but overlapping opportunities for marketers seeking to reach engaged audiences. US esports will reach 35.0 million viewers in 2026 , while platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming have transformed individual streamers into influential brand partners. Yet confusion persists about how these ecosystems work, who the key players are, and how to evaluate partnership opportunities. This FAQ clarifies the esports and creator landscape for marketers planning 2026 strategies. Esports are organized video game competitions among professional players and teams. Like traditional sports, esports feature leagues, franchises, coaches, and players competing for prize pools and sponsorship revenue. Major competitive titles include League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, Dota 2, Overwatch 2, and Mobile Legends. Competitions range from regional leagues to global championships broadcast across Twitch, YouTube, and traditional television. Esports sit at the intersection of competitive gaming, livestreaming, and the creator economy, with many professional players also maintaining personal streaming channels. How large is the esports market? Global esports market revenue is expected to reach $5.1 billion in 2026 , according to Statista, and projected to reach $6.2 billion by 2030. US esports ad spend is expected to reach $270.6 million in 2026, up 5.0%

LinkedIn measured year-over-year growth of skills through skill acquisition — the growth of a skill being added to LinkedIn profiles — and hiring ...

Good evening,. We are all so relieved that our student, Ellie Aghayeva, has been released from federal custody.

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On 28th November, popular communication applications like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, SnapChat, ShareChat, JioChat, Arattai and Josh were formally o r dered by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to ensure that their services only function when the correct Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card is in the phone. They were allotted a period of 90 days to implement the measure, which is going to end on 28th February, and the report had to be submitted in 120 days. Hence, the development will take effect on 1st March (Sunday). The guidelines were released by DoT’s AI & Digital Intelligence Unit, which has been given more power to govern Telecommunication identity User Entities (TIUEs), online services that employ a phone number as an identity. The government issued a warning that noncompliance could result in legal action under the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, the Telecommunications Act of 2023 and other relevant laws. “The SIM-binding regulation stands and we hope all service providers will come on board,” Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia expressed during a conversation at Rising Bharat Summit 2026, referring to the move as “need of the day.” The new telecom safety standards require messaging apps to certify that, when used on different devices

Police and schools are on alert after posts appearing to incite children to fight using knives spread across social media. The “school wars” trend has seen the spread of posts on platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat, which separate schools into red and blue teams and encourage pupils to fight using bladed weapons. At least a dozen accounts encouraging or threatening violence as part of the trend have been removed following police contact. A number of schools, mostly in London, are understood to have written to parents asking them to remain vigilant regarding the trend. In a letter seen by The Independent, one west London school warned the craze is causing “serious concern” and urged parents to check their children’s smartphones “in order to keep our school safe”. Graphics listing schools as ‘red’ or ‘blue’ are circulated on social media (TikTok) The posts divide schools into “red” and “blue” teams and urge children to “jump” anyone they see from an opposing team. In one, seen by The Independent, children are urged to “be violent” and use compass points to attack each other. Others suggest they will get video game-style “points” if they “punch an opp” (opponent) or “stain an opp”.

Instagram announced Thursday that it will begin alerting parents who are enrolled in the company's parental supervision program if their teenagers are repeatedly searching for terms related to suicide or self-harm. Plus: Demand for the 988 crisis hotline is on the rise. AP: Instagram Says It Will Notify Parents If Teens 'Repeatedly' Search For Terms Related To Suicide Instagram said Thursday it will start alerting parents if their kids repeatedly search for terms clearly associated with suicide or self-harm. The alerts will only go to parents who are enrolled in Instagram’s parental supervision program. Instagram says it already blocks such content from showing up in teen accounts’ search results and directs people to helplines instead. (Ortutay, 2/26) Harvest Public Media: Demand For 988 Suicide Prevention Hotline Is Rising  Brent Brewer has a passion for helping his fellow farmers and ranchers handle the stress that comes with agricultural work. He’s known around Oklahoma as someone you can call if you’re struggling with your mental health. “This is a hobby of mine,” said Brewer, who farms and raises cattle in Grant County, Oklahoma. “To help people navigate through tough times and to try to get their legs back underneath them.” (Marks, 2/26)

EBay axes 800 staff after Depop acquisition announcement EBay announced plans to cut 800 positions, 6% of its full-time employees, across the company on Thursday. The plan to lay off staff comes about a week after eBay announced it will acquire clothing resale app Depop from Etsy for $1.2 billion in cash.  Dates for eBay’s upcoming layoffs have not been announced yet. The e-commerce platform had 12,300 staff as of December 2025, and last week reported a 15% revenue increase to $3 billion for Q4. The layoffs are part of eBay’s plans to “reinvest across our business and align our structure with strategic priorities,” according to a company spokesperson. Stagwell’s Agent Cloud expands AI tools Stagwell company Marketing Cloud has expanded AI tools for its Agent Cloud platform, which was founded in 2025 to provide AI-driven data solutions for marketers. New tools include a social intelligence tool to analyze conversations on TikTok and Instagram, a creator discovery tool and a message resonance prediction tool, according to Marketing Cloud’s announcement this morning. Agent Cloud works with AI partners including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Veo.  Snapchat announces The Snappys and creator subs program Snapchat announced its first creator awards show, The Snappys

Photo by Lia Lora | The Triangle Both the good and the bad that fans have come to expect from controversial director, Emerald Fennel, went full-frontal in “Wuthering Heights” (2026). Fennell’s third film, “Wuthering Heights” is a disgusting movie, or one that is absolutely moving, especially if the viewer happens to be 14. It has no sense of historical accuracy, cultural sensitivity, or faithfulness to its source material. Instead it has something else, something movies rarely have anymore: absolute earnestness. The movie makes its plans to violate the original story known from the very first scene with Fennell’s own touch of perverse self-destruction.  “Wuthering Heights” makes no attempt to be faithful to the novel it is based on.  Instead, it dedicates itself to capturing the experience Fennell had reading it for the first time as a young teenager. For fans of movies like “Twilight,” this is one of those rare blends of sincerity and camp that catches viewers off guard. For viewers who are fans of costume, incredible set design, and Charli XCX, “Wuthering Heights” has all they can ask for. For fans of the novel “Wuthering Heights,” this is not for you.   Just like Kathy and Heathcliff, the movie

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