Inflation slows, Teens leave Facebook, and cyber M&A down – what’s it mean?

A potpourri of market data that I didn’t want to slip by.

Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the Consumer Price Index rose 8.5% in the year through July, which was lower than the expectation of 8.7%.     It’s also significantly lower than the headline inflation rate following the 9.1% gain in the year through June.   Gas prices too are dropping, as are energy prices broadly.  

Unrelated, in new market data… A Pew Research Center study on teens, technology, and social media found that only 32% of teens aged 13-17 use Facebook at all, but in a previous survey from 2014-2015, that figure was 71%, beating out platforms like Instagram and Snapchat.

Sixty-two percent of teens use Instagram, up from 52% in the 2014-2015 survey. But TikTok, which wasn’t even released at the time of the previous study, is now used by 67% of U.S. teens. Ninety-five percent of teens say they use YouTube.

And my last bit… M&A activity in cybersecurity was down a bit in the first half of the year from a year ago – 148 deals vs. 167 – per Momentum Cyber.    Funding is down too – a lot more – 241 VC deals vs. 269 a year ago, and funding is down to $5.4 billion vs. $6.8 billion.     That’s important because much of the M&A ahead will involve earlier-stage security startups getting acquired by more prominent players, according to security-focused venture investors.  This is from Protocol.  

Each is a tidbit of insight to act on.

First, the concern over the economy may be overblown – and does make good headlines.     Cautious optimism from me, perhaps?

I noted the change in social media behavior as a messaging driver.    If you’re in digital advertising – and we all should be – these are shifts in digital marketing to note.   And potential customers too.

Now the big one – some shift in cybersecurity.   Maybe a little less of a gold rush.   For now, a datapoint to consider.