Social Media Trends in 2026

Learn about how social media is changing the way people spend, shop, and connect and what that means for brands heading into 2026. Join Pulse Advertising Co-Founder and CEO Chris Kastenholz for an exclusive session breaking down the biggest trends every marketer should know.

Today, consumers spend 40% of their time on social media, while marketing budgets still dedicate only 23% to it. That 17-point gap is where the next wave of growth begins.

We’ll explore why traditional budgeting models are falling behind consumer behavior, how social commerce is reshaping entire industries, and what lessons global platforms like Douyin offer as they already drive over 50% of all e-commerce transactions and more than $480 billion in 2024.

Whether you focus on budgets, brand strategy, or campaign execution, this session will show how to turn social attention into measurable business results.