May 28, 2026
Welcome to The L@B Report
Welcome to this month’s issue of The L@B Report from GSG, where we track news and insights at the intersection of digital media and public affairs. In this edition, we examine Google’s push toward AI-powered search agents, why Gen Z is increasingly stepping back from many social media platforms, and influencers as trusted messengers for nonprofits.
This issue of The L@B Report was compiled by Ryan Alexander.
In the News
Search Evolves into Action
Google wants AI to navigate the internet for you.
As reported by Axios, Google is accelerating its shift from traditional search toward AI-powered agents capable of not only finding information but acting on it. Rather than simply generating answers, the company is building systems that can complete tasks, browse the web, and interact with services on behalf of users.
Google’s push also highlights how quickly the competitive landscape is changing. OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and other companies are racing to build AI assistants that serve as primary interfaces for digital life — from shopping and entertainment to productivity and search.
Takeaway
The move reflects a broader transition in how people engage with information online. For years, search engines functioned primarily as discovery tools that directed users to websites. Increasingly, AI platforms are becoming intermediaries that summarize information, recommend actions, and keep users within their own ecosystems.
The shift from “search engine” to “AI agent” could fundamentally alter the economics of the internet. The old model relied on traffic flowing from search engines to websites. The emerging model keeps users inside AI interfaces, reducing the importance of clicks and increasing the importance of being surfaced, cited, or integrated into AI systems themselves.
For communicators, this reinforces a growing reality: visibility alone is no longer enough. Organizations must think strategically about how their owned content, data, and expertise appear inside AI ecosystems where audiences increasingly spend their time.
Gen Z Is Pulling Back from Social Media
Digital natives rethink digital life.
A recent Axios report highlights a new trend: Gen Z, long defined by constant connectivity, is increasingly stepping back from traditional social media use.
According to the report, younger users are showing signs of social media fatigue, citing concerns about mental health, anxiety, algorithmic overload, and the pressure associated with always-on digital culture. Some are reducing screen time, limiting app usage, or migrating toward smaller, more private online spaces.
Takeaway
For years, the assumption was that younger generations would increasingly live their lives online. Instead, Gen Z is deleting social media, buying up dumbphones, and shunning online dating as part of a broader recalibration around digital consumption.
The shift does not mean Gen Z is abandoning digital media altogether. Rather, it reflects changing expectations around how technology should fit into daily life. Younger audiences appear increasingly interested in more intentional, less performative forms of online interaction.
However, not all social media platforms are shunned by younger Americans. According to a February 2026 study by YPulse, 97% of 18–24-year-olds watch videos on YouTube — and 34% of them say they watch daily. What’s more is most of them say they watch YouTube on their television screens, which means even if many are deleting apps and moving to dumbphones, YouTube has become their primary entertainment source in the home. This tracks closely with GSG’s 2025 Consumption Report, which shows 42% of voters — across all ages — watch content on YouTube.
For communicators trying to reach Gen Z, YouTube — not TikTok or Instagram — is increasingly becoming a major touch point for engagement.
Nonprofits Jump on the Social Media Influencer Bandwagon
M&R releases 2026 benchmarks study.
Each year, M&R Strategic Services works with nonprofit partners to release an annual benchmarks study on digital media and grassroots fundraising. This year, the report on social media influencers, is what caught our eye:
58% of Benchmarks participants reported working with social media influencers in 2025.
Of the nonprofits that worked with influencers, 43% used a mix of unpaid and paid influencer content, 33% promoted content solely through unpaid partnerships, and 24% worked solely with paid influencers.
Among nonprofits with paid influencer campaigns, 83% used those partnerships for narrative or persuasion work, 74% for advocacy or volunteer asks, and 61% for fundraising.
Takeaway
As the research points out, influencers are increasingly required for nonprofits and brands to reach key audiences on social media as reach from organic posts has plummeted. This means that some form of paid — whether it be boosting of organic posts or partnerships with influencers — is a must to reach followers and new audiences.
However, paying for social media influencers is not without some controversy, especially when it comes to political marketing. A recent report from The New York Times highlights how the lack of disclosure requirements from both the FTC and the FEC has made influencer marketing in politics a black hole where it is difficult for voters to know whether a social media influencer was paid to make an endorsement.
Our advice to brands, nonprofits, and issue advocacy groups? Be transparent when using influencers — especially since most platforms require it, even if the government does not.
More from GSG
Financial firms are increasingly judged by how they communicate during high-stakes moments — major transactions, market volatility. When companies stay silent, the gap is filled by policymakers, media, and the public. GSG’s latest research examines how key stakeholders evaluate financial firms in these moments, and what effective communication looks like under pressure.
Read more on how to build trust, shape the narrative, and communicate with impact.