Thematic Intelligence - Social Media in Medical Devices - 2023

Social media’s ad-funded business model is under threat

Social media companies will increasingly diversify away from their ad-funded business model in the face of increased regulatory scrutiny. In 2023 alone, Alphabet, Amazon, ByteDance, and Meta were fined a combined $7.7 billion for breaching data privacy laws over their ad-targeting practices. Regulators have also accused them of monopolistic behavior around access to personal data. In 2023, Alphabet, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft were classified as “gatekeepers” under the EU’s latest antitrust legislation.

Smaller, more disparate networks may increase in popularity

Several smaller social networks, such as BlueSky, Damus, and Mastodon, have entered the market following regulatory scrutiny of large social media companies’ business practices and users’ desire for more intimate engagement. The scrutiny has seen the UK launch an investigation into Google’s dominance in adtech, and the EU Commission launched an investigation into Apple and Microsoft. The regulatory crackdown on monopolistic behavior means the super-app model pioneered by Tencent in China is unlikely to be as successful in the West. Consumer demand will also impact attempts to build pools of connected apps, such as Elon Musk’s bid to transform X (formerly Twitter) into a super-app to diversify revenue streams away from personalized ads. Consumers’ increased concern about the use of personal data and content moderation will instead see smaller decentralized apps (dApps) become more popular.

Social media’s impact in medical devices

Social media can be a powerful tool in medical for a number of reasons, such as allowing patients to get together and discuss treatment options and their experiences within the healthcare system. Social media can help promote medical device awareness and understanding through sharing success stories, testimonials, and educational content.

Scope

• This report is a thematic brief, which identifies those companies most likely to succeed in a world filled with disruptive threats. Inside, we predict how each theme will evolve and identify the leading and disrupting companies.
• The report covers the social media theme.

Reasons to Buy

• The publisher's thematic research ecosystem is a single, integrated global research platform that provides an easy-to-use framework for tracking all themes across all companies in all sectors. It has a proven track record of identifying the important themes early, enabling companies to make the right investments ahead of the competition, and secure that all-important competitive advantage.
• Develop and design your corporate strategies through an in-house expert analysis of social media by understanding the primary ways in which this theme is impacting the healthcare industry.
• Stay up to date on the industry’s major players and where they sit in the value chain.
• Identify emerging industry trends to gain a competitive advantage.