When Facebook was launched, it felt defiantly 'young' - a fun place for young Millennials to waste time together. But fast forward to today, and the average user age has skyrocketed. As their parents start logging on, teens are abandoning ship. Has Facebook lost its cool?

From messaging to social media to a marketplace to browsing the internet, WeChat is the app the does everything. While Western companies and app developers race to unbundle their services into efficient single-purpose apps, WeChat continues to add feature after feature.

Samba is a video messaging app that automatically records people’s reactions to what they’ve just been sent. With online and mobile conversations gradually becoming more like real-life interactions, people are seeking reassurance from their peers that they fit in.

The explosion of interest in mobile messaging platforms has prompted heated competition to secure the largest and most loyal global user base. From LINE’s stickers to WeChat’s partnership with Lionel Messi, there’s a race to innovate, and fast.

For digital natives, life online is compartmentalised. All our conversations and experiences change according to where we are, and who’s around us. But how do our relationships with different platforms affect the way we express ourselves online?

Social media has found a fertile environment amongst highly sociable Brazilians. The nation has openly embraced these platforms and is fully engaged – people in Brazil typically spend 12 hours a month on Facebook, almost twice the global average. But what's driving this uptake?

Are Brazilians still football obsessed? And are big bums still the beauty standard? In our 2014 / 15 cultural snapshot of Brazil, we demystify cultural myths, shed light on the country’s economic outlook, and explore the emerging and established trends across eleven sectors.

Previously considered a digital blackspot, Brazil is rapidly gaining a reputation as South America's most social media-savvy country. Responding to the shift, telecoms company Claro is offering free access to Twitter.