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Today’s News

SURVEY SAYS

Reddit is on the rise in Pew’s latest survey of U.S. social media preferences

The report: Every year, the Pew Research Center publishes a report detailing social media platform adoption trends among U.S. consumers. The 2025 edition of that survey just dropped, and the most pertinent question is a simple one: Do you ever use any of the following social media platforms?

Here’s how the stats panned out based on answers from 5,022 respondents:

• YouTube saw its market saturation decline slightly to 84%, but retained its title as the most commonly used social platform among U.S. adults.
  
  

• Facebook ranked second with 71% of U.S. adults claiming usage, while Instagram snagged a spot at #3 by reaching 50% of the same demographic.
  
  

• TikTok had the biggest year-over-year increase on the list at 37%.
  
  

• At the end of the day, however, Reddit was the only platform that improved its place compared to last year. The “front page of the internet” is now used by 26% of U.S. adults, and eclipsed Snapchat to finish at #6.

The key demographic: Reddit’s signature threaded comments are useful for AI training purposes, so we can expect the platform to remain relevant as long as the AI bubble doesn’t burst. But if Pew’s findings are to be believed, the future of social media could be dominated by platforms with a different defining quality: their ability to connect with older Americans.

YouTube and Facebook, for instance, topped the saturation ranking because they reach users over the age of 65. Google’s video platform is used by 64% of respondents in that age group (a stat that’s likely tied to its growing dominance on TV screens), while Facebook reaches 57%. No other listed platform is used by more than 20% of U.S. senior citizens.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Artlist just released its AI Trend Report 2026. Here are 3 takeaways to embrace over the next year:

Artlist—a creative technology company empowering creators with the latest AI tools—just released its annual Artlist AI Trend Report. 

Backed by data from industry leaders and over 6,500 creators worldwide, Artlist’s AI Trend Report 2026 is the ultimate resource for forward-thinking brands and creators.

Here are 3 takeaways that show how AI will transform workflows in 2026:

1. The speed of creation has exploded.
Bold ideas can now be visualized in seconds with full-scale concepts and instant feedback. The result: 37% of creators use AI to explore concepts faster and 26% cite quicker post-production.

Check out Artlist’s report here for more insights.

2. Trust is everything.
As AI blurs real from fake, transparency is becoming key to audience retention. Creators openly sharing their AI process are building trust and growing fast. One creator increased their followers by 100% in just 30 days. (More data on that here.)

3. AI has made high-end production accessible to all.
Professional polish is the new baseline—not a differentiator. As a result, creators have shifted focus from execution to strategy, with 63% of creators prioritizing commercial rights and viability.

Access Artlist’s full report for free to stay ahead of the curve in 2026:

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• On December 2, OpusClip will pit human video editors against its AI tool Agent Opus in what it describes as the “first ever LIVE human-AI video creation battle.” (Tubefilter - Partner Story)
  
  

• Twitch is the latest platform to be included under an Australian law that will ban users under 16 years of age from major social media hubs beginning next month. (Engadget)
  

  
  

• The rollout of X’s new “About This Account” feature has stirred up controversy as users react to the unexpected (and possibly inaccurate) locations of accounts dedicated to U.S. political agendas. (TechCrunch)
  
  

• Actress/producer La La Anthony is set to host the first U.S.-based TikTok Awards, which will also feature celebrity and creator presenters like Paris Hilton, Bethenny Frankel, and Josh Richards. (Deadline)

CREATOR COMMOTION

Jacksepticeye says he won’t be hosting Thankmas this year

The announcement: For nearly a decade, Jacksepticeye‘s annual 24-hour charity livestream has been a creator industry institution. Thankmas has raised almost $30 million to date, with donations going to charities like Red Nose Day, New Story, Crisis Text Line, and World Central Kitchen.

This year, however, Jacksepticeye is taking a break from his famed holiday fundraiser. The creator (aka Seán McLoughlin) said in a recent stream that he’s not holding Thankmas in 2025 for two reasons: (1) He’s burnt out, and (2) He recognizes that his viewers are struggling financially right now.

In terms of burnout, McLoughlin explained that “this year was pretty tough physically to get through, and…I’m just not in the headspace for it, so I feel like it’s not a good idea to do it, if I’m just doing it for the sake of it.” (He added that doing charity at all is a “net positive” and that things are more nuanced than just ‘don’t do it if you’re not feeling the vibes’—but that’s not something he wants to litigate now.)

McLoughlin isn’t alone in feeling worn down; a recent study from Creators 4 Mental Health found that 62% of creators are experiencing burnout. But the streamer’s main reason for skipping Thankmas is concern for his fans during a tough economic period:

The future: Thankmas will return in 2026, but it might look a little different from what fans are used to. The biggest change, McLoughlin said, is that he doesn’t “want to do it live anymore…in front of an audience, because honestly it costs a lot to run, and a lot of that money should be going into the charity.”

ELF ACADEMY

pocket.watch is bringing Toys and Colors home for the holidays

The holiday special: pocket.watch has something special in store for kiddos the holiday season. The creator media company (which is known for its work with some of YouTube’s top family channels) has announced a new programming slate for Toys and Colors that includes a 22-minute holiday special.

That special, titled Elf Academy, will introduce the Toys and Colors gang to creators like Lana’s Life and members of the San Diego Padres MLB team. In addition to those celebrity cameos, Elf Academy also features a musical number called “Holey Moly Holiday.”

Elf Academy premiered on November 21 on Ryan and Friends Plus (a streaming hub pocket.watch launched to support another one of its creator partners) and will hit Hulu on November 27. Ryan and Friends Plus will also host Toys and Colors Club, an inclusive addition to pocket.watch’s holiday slate.

The context: With more than 81 million subscribers on its primary channel, Toys and Colors has become one of the biggest children’s media brands on YouTube. It became the most-watched YouTube channel of any type during the 2023 holiday season, and sustained those gains throughout much of 2024.

pocket.watch responded to that growth by upping its investment in Toys and Colors. Now, with holiday shopping in full swing, the media company is ready to reap the benefits of Toys and Colors’ devoted young fanbase.

Recent research from Precise TV has shown that three-quarters of children ask their parents to buy something after seeing it in a YouTube ad, and pocket.watch has the chance to drum up some of that purchase intent through its Toys and Colors holiday slate. “Holey Moley Holiday,” for example, is one of the tracks on the Holiday Hits Snow Day Soundtrack, a seasonal compilation available on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.

LISTEN UP 🎙️

This week on the podcast…

The episode: Is Tubi the new home for top-tier creators? On the latest installment of Creator Upload, hosts Joshua Cohen and Lauren Schnipper sit down with Rich Bloom (GM of Creator Programs & EVP of Business Development at Tubi) to reveal how the streaming giant is funding creator originals and merging Hollywood with the creator economy.

Also on the discussion list: the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s projection that ad spend on creators in the U.S. will top out at $37 billion in 2025. Check out the full episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify for all the details.

The survey: Creator Upload wants your opinion! Take this survey to help us understand who’s tuning in and what you want more (or less) of from the show.

Want to introduce your brand to Tubefilter’s audience? Sponsor the newsletter.

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, James Hale, and Josh Cohen.