Georgia Meyer

Pressure to demonstrate the commercial viability of social media platforms, particularly for those sites not already owned by major media players, is intensifying. This is all the more resonant in an age where business models are increasingly reliant upon data and hyper-targeting.

The Africa focus at this year’s Midem began in April, with four local forums in South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Congo. This culminated in a focused set of talks, seminars and a keynote on the main conference stage from Tencent Africa.

Last week, 15,000 people converged in Amsterdam for The Next Web’s annual two-day conference. This year’s event comprised streams covering music, the workplace, sport and social media. AI and blockchain’s omnipresence across these spheres was unsurprising.