Author: Seb Joseph

The world feels more unmoored than ever, and, predictably, the ad dollars are pulling back in kind.

Marketers have been murmuring about it for weeks. The whiplash of trade tariffs, the slow grime of inflation and the lingering chill of last year’s rate hikes have left them wary, hesitant to commit dollars in a landscape that seems to shift by the day.

The data reflects their hesitation. U.S. ad spending, once projected to grow at a modest clip, is now expected to contract more than previously forecasted. According to Brian Wieser, principal at Madison and Wall, the latest forecast, published today (March 18), places non-political ad spending growth at 3.6% for the year, a notable step down from the 4.5% growth forecast just a few months ago.

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The growing contrast between different creator platforms’ approaches to moderation has made some creators in marginalized groups, such as women, queer creators and creators of color, view Twitch as a digital safe haven.

Creator Joseph “Halfmoonjoe” Birdsong, who identifies as gay and said he has a mostly female and queer audience, focuses most of his time on Twitch, and has deleted his accounts on other platforms such as X, which he left due to its reduced focus on moderation. Four creators told Digiday that they feel Twitch’s focus on moderation has made it the most welcoming platform for content creators of marginalized identities currently.

“I feel safer on Twitch than I do on other platforms,” Birdsong said. 

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