News and Insights
No…This – February 2026
February 18, 2026
Welcome to the latest edition of No…This, our news digest unpacking the need-to-know shifts in communications and marketing.
We have officially moved past the era of curated “polish” and entered the Answer Economy. As traditional search referral traffic dries up, the industry is pivoting toward the raw utility of human-verified experience. This month, we’re looking at the mobile tipping point where Threads finally overtook X, why LinkedIn has emerged as the unexpected king of AI search visibility and how “crisis as strategy” has become the only viable path to protecting a modern reputation.
Ready to dive in?
The End for X? Threads Takes the Mobile Crown
What’s New
The battle of the microblogs has reached a major milestone. For the first time, Threads has surpassed X (formerly Twitter) in daily active users on mobile platforms. Threads now records roughly 141.5 million daily active users on iOS and Android, while X sees ongoing declines in mobile activity. This shift highlights a fundamental decoupling of web-based legacy traffic from the high-engagement, mobile-first audiences that drive modern social influence.
In The News
- TechCrunch, Threads edges out X in daily mobile users, new data shows
- The Verge, Threads overtakes X on mobile, but still lags far behind
- Forbes, Threads Widens Lead Over Musk’s X—Zuckerberg’s Platform Adds Millions
Why CMOs are Going Back-to-Brand in 2026
What’s New
The pendulum is swinging back. After years of hyper-focusing on performance and short-term metrics, marketing leaders are reprioritizing brand building. In an era of AI-generated noise, a strong, recognizable brand identity is becoming the ultimate competitive advantage for 2026. CMOs are recognizing that while performance marketing captures demand, only a resilient brand can create it in an increasingly fragmented digital landscape.
In The News
Harvard Business Review, Customers Expect Empathy. Here’s How to Deliver It.
TikTok’s Trust Crisis and the Rise of Alternatives
What’s New
After TikTok finalized its new U.S. ownership and updated its privacy policy, user trust wobbled fast. U.S. app deletions spiked roughly 150% in a matter of days. Combined with widespread glitches at an Oracle-run data center that made feeds feel “broken,” curious users are looking elsewhere to platforms like UpScrolled, Skylight Social, and Rednote. This mass experimentation proves that even the most powerful algorithms cannot sustain a platform if the underlying pillars of transparency and technical reliability begin to crumble.
In The News
- Business Insider, TikTok says a power outage caused a ‘cascading systems failure’ that messed up its algorithm
- Fast Company, UpScrolled and Skylight rising: Users race to TikTok alternatives after U.S. takeover
Crisis as Strategy: Why Reputation is the Path to Resolution
What’s New
In today’s polarized environment, a crisis shouldn’t just be “managed”—it should be approached strategically. Reputation isn’t just a shield; it is the roadmap to reaching a resolution. Understanding the intersection of public sentiment and corporate values is the only way to navigate a path forward. Modern crisis resolution requires moving beyond defensive posturing to proactively leveraging brand values as the primary vehicle for rebuilding stakeholder trust.
In The News
- PR Daily, Speed is not strategy: Why high-velocity messaging fails in crisis communications
- Forbes, How Brands Can Turn A PR Crisis Into An Opportunity
LinkedIn: The New Powerhouse for AI Search Visibility
What’s New
Traditional SEO is hitting a wall as referral traffic from search engines continues to drop. But there’s a new king of discovery: LinkedIn articles. As AI-powered search engines look for credible, human-verified content, they are increasingly citing LinkedIn as their primary source. On average, in the past 3 months LLMs are citing LinkedIn about 4-to-5 times more than before. This surge in citations means that structured, expert-led LinkedIn content is now a critical component of any strategy designed to win in a zero-click, AI-driven search environment.
In The News
- SearchEngineJournal, LinkedIn Shares What Works For AI Search Visibility
- Search Engine Land, LinkedIn: AI-powered search cut traffic by up to 60%
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