Close ...

 ... but no cigar - I'm an adidas man.

look behind the numbers

I think this research offers something for online retailers - but there is something missing. What is the total number of folk being represented here? It is not - for example, 33% of a population - it is a percentage of folk who have purchased from a social media platform. 

Oh, and what does the statement 'purchased on social media' mean? I would say it means that no other website was involved in placing an order and paying for it. If you click on a link on the social media platform which takes you to a website's purchase page, I don't think the purchase was made on the SM platform. I wonder what the respondents thought? 

And finally ... the survey's title. Shouldn't it be; 'Social media platforms that are most popular for shopping'. 

Ad spend well spent?

I've bunched these together because I have no idea what is being advertised in any of them. I would suggest that for at least some of them, the product - or service - is so specialised that actual customers could be identified ... and so contacted directly.

my review? your reviews are hard work

If you want more reviews, make them quick and easy ... don't ask them to write an essay.

Ad spend well spent?

I'll stick with my old MR2 thank you. As always check out the stats at the bottom. A quick glance at the comments show they are mainly folk doing the same as me and taking the p*ss.

i don't find it at all entertaining

Apparently the terms of service for Microsoft's Copilot say it's for entertainment purposes only, that it can make mistakes and may not work as intended ... and that users should not rely on it for important advice.

If you use X - there's a good analysis of the story  by @HedgieMarkets 

how to end problems with social media

March 2026: A court case in the US over a woman's childhood addiction to social media which Meta and YouTube lost brought the dangers of social media into the public realm. Again. Those issues are beyond the scope of this blog's subject area, but halting them is not. The social media platforms exist only by selling advertising on them. And marketers pay for those adverts. Ergo, if marketers stopped buying that advertising space the social media platforms would close. End of problem.  

soulless ...

 ... as if written by a computer 😒

already a member? well join anyway.

I've subscribed to a number of email newsletters - some of which provide me with posts for this blog, others on a range of subjects including sport. Many of these newsletters include links to web pages. 

Those websites must recognise that I've arrived from a subscribed email. So why - usually seconds after the page has downloaded - do I get messages asking/advising me to subscribe to the newsletter?

who wouldn't want something that ...

 ... plugs right into your pipeline via API and having instant access to M4 runners, automated code signing and zero hardware to manage? [and yes, I realise that the end of that sentence doesn't make sense, but I just copies it from the ad😏]

Ad spend well spent?

Anybody any idea what the product in this ad does? Or who would use it? The interaction would suggest that most of the 641 thousand folk who have had it delivered on their 'X' feed are like me and have no idea.

now you see it ... oh, no you don't

One of the first things I advised folk about website design back in the mid 1990s was 'light background, dark text' - black on white is best [like every book you've ever read]. This is why ... I put the red arrow on to help  you find the text 😏]

using ai

A tad off-subject, but On Becoming a Cyborg is the best article on the use of AI that I have seen.

Ad spend well spent?

Binders apparently 🤷 I didn't think they were still a thing in the digital age. 469 thousand 'views' - not cheap.

i said subscribe ... do it now!

On this site the 'subscribe' notice was fixed ie no 'cancel' or 'x'. To get rid of it, you had to sign up. The notice didn't block much of the page, but users couldn't see all of the content.