Social Media
July 25, 2023: HuffPost: CNN Pens Blistering Obituary For Twitter
"A zombie Twitter, known only as X, reluctantly endures," wrote the network's "Reliable Sources" newsletter in a eulogy-style report on the platform's rebranding.
"A zombie Twitter, known only as X, reluctantly endures," wrote the network's "Reliable Sources" newsletter in a eulogy-style report on the platform's rebranding.
May 21, 2023:
👉Dr Senjay Gupta (CNN) on Gen Z: "In her book, Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, makes the case that Gen Z (or iGen, as she calls them) is growing up in a way that is fundamentally different from previous generations. She told me that some of the biggest behavioral changes ever recorded in human history coincided with the release of the smartphone. Twelfth-graders now are more like eighth-graders from previous generations, waiting longer to take part in activities associated with independence and adulthood, according to Twenge. They are less likely to go out with friends, drive, go to prom or drink alcohol than Gen X 12th-graders were. They are more likely to lie on their beds and scroll through endless social media feeds. They may be physically safer, but the long-term effect on their mental and brain health is a big question mark.
Twenge told me that she “saw just a very, very sudden change, especially in mental health but also in optimism and expectations … between millennials and iGen or Gen Z."
👉Dr Senjay Gupta (CNN) on Gen Z: "In her book, Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, makes the case that Gen Z (or iGen, as she calls them) is growing up in a way that is fundamentally different from previous generations. She told me that some of the biggest behavioral changes ever recorded in human history coincided with the release of the smartphone. Twelfth-graders now are more like eighth-graders from previous generations, waiting longer to take part in activities associated with independence and adulthood, according to Twenge. They are less likely to go out with friends, drive, go to prom or drink alcohol than Gen X 12th-graders were. They are more likely to lie on their beds and scroll through endless social media feeds. They may be physically safer, but the long-term effect on their mental and brain health is a big question mark.
Twenge told me that she “saw just a very, very sudden change, especially in mental health but also in optimism and expectations … between millennials and iGen or Gen Z."
May 10, 2023:
👉Tucker Carlson is taking his show to Twitter because he thinks Twitter is one of the last remaining outlets that still encourages free speech. (always disputable when someone makes that kind of claim). Carlson has a sign-up form on his website that will keep his loyal followers up to date on any pertinent updates regarding the new show. Notice the rightwing logic at play: I have been fired from Fox, MSNBC, and CNN so, clearly, I am the victim and everyone else is wrong. It has been rumored that Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk are working together to launch this new show, Musk went on record stating that there was there wasn’t any sort of deal or contract in place. Apr 17, 2023: AP: CBC ‘pausing’ Twitter after ‘government-funded media’ label
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation paused its use of Twitter on Monday after the social media platform owned by Elon Musk stamped CBC’s account with a label the public broadcaster says is intended to undermine its credibility. Mar 29, 2023: Los Angeles Times: Column: Elon Musk’s Twitter chaos came calling for me
When Elon Musk strode into Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters in October, toting a bathroom sink, it did seem possible that the social media platform might soon be circling the very drain he held in his hands. This week, because Musk is drowning in debt, he shook up the Twitterverse once more. Starting next month, he announced, blue check marks, introduced in 2009 to verify identities and delegitimize impersonators, would officially be available only to those willing to pay $8 a month. And Twitter’s algorithm, he vows, will no longer promote, or recommend, tweets from accounts without blue check marks. 3.29.23 Feb 15, 2023: Fox News: Twitter now allows cannabis companies to advertise
Twitter is the first major social media platform to ease restrictions on ads for cannabis, which is still an illegal substance on the federal level Feb 8, 2023: Bloomberg Law: Twitter Lawyers Find Jobs After Tumultuous Exit Under Musk
Damien Kieran this week joined BeReal as the Paris-based app’s general counsel after he quit his role as Twitter’s deputy general counsel and chief privacy officer in November. Madelyn Jordan-Davis, a former global head of employee relations at Twitter, on Monday became a senior director and associate general counsel for employment and litigation at e-signature company DocuSign Inc. Karen Colangelo is now head of litigation, employment, and intellectual property for OpenSea, a non-fungible token marketplace. Colangelo, who like Kieran announced her new job last week on social media, had most recently been Twitter’s global head of litigation, regulatory and competition. Feb 8, 2023: Politico; ​Ex-Twitter lawyer on Hunter Biden’s laptop: ‘I did not act unlawfully’
Feb 9, 2023: Rolling Stone: Who Is @Catturd2, the Sh-tposting King of MAGA Twitter?
ON A RECENT “Weekend Update” segment for Saturday Night Live, Michael Che relayed the news that Ronna McDaniel had just won a close reelection as chair of the Republican National Committee. He then ran down the list of McDaniel’s failed challengers, including some real ones (MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell) and a few joke picks (Kevin Sorbo, Kyle Rittenhouse). Among the latter was “Twitter user @CAT_TURD_2.” Feb 7, 2023: HuffPost: GOP Senator Suspended From Twitter After Posting Hunting Photo
Twitter suspended the account of Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) on Tuesday after he posted a photo of him and his wife hunting. The social media platform cited a violation of its media policy. Twitter said Daines, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, infringed its rules by uploading a photo to his profile that included “graphic violence or adult content.” The image shows the Montana senator and his wife posing with what appears to be a dead animal. Jan 31, 2023: All Sides: Media Bias Alert: Elon Musk Apologizes for Sharing Paul Pelosi Attack Theory
Earlier this week, authorities released bodycam footage from the attack on Paul Pelosi last October, prompting Twitter owner Elon Musk to apologize for floating an unfounded theory about the attack when it first happened. Jan 31, 2023: Politico: Musk blows off Dems in first Capitol tour as Twitter CEO
Elon Musk’s unannounced, whirlwind tour of Capitol Hill last week had a number of high-profile stops: A happy birthday visit to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and a sit-down with GOP firebrand Rep. Jim Jordan, among others. He even met with White House officials to talk electric cars. One thing it didn’t include: Congressional Democrats. Jan 27, 2023: The Verge: Twitter vows to take ‘less severe actions’ against rule-breaking accounts
Twitter is promising that it’ll take “less severe actions” when disciplining accounts that break its rules; it’ll only suspend Twitter accounts that engage in “severe or ongoing, repeat violations” of its rules. The company also says it’ll be letting anyone appeal suspensions starting February 1st, and that those doing so will be judged using updated standards. Jan 24, 2023: HuffPost: Twitter Revives, Then Bans, Account Of Nazi-Loving Insurrectionist Nick Fuentes
Twitter reinstated and then quickly re-banned the account of Nick Fuentes, the prominent white supremacist who most recently made headlines for joining the antisemitic presidential campaign of rapper Ye. After a year-and-a-half exile from the platform, Fuentes’ account returned Tuesday morning. By Wednesday, it was banned again. Jan 23, 2023
Jan 20, 2023: New York Times: David Crosby, a King of Twitter David Crosby tweeted around 79,000 times in over a decade spent on the platform, a pace that dramatically eclipsed his contemporaries. Credit... twitter 2022-2023 |
Mar 30, 2023: The Indian Express: Meta verified blue tick for Facebook and Instagram to cost Rs 1,450 a month on mobile
Following Elon Musk-owned Twitter’s footprint, social media behemoth Meta recently enabled users to get their Meta accounts (Facebook and Instagram) verified with a blue tick for $14.99 a month in the US. Now, according to reports, Meta Verified will cost a whopping Rs 1,450/month on mobile devices and the same will cost Rs 1,099/month if subscribed from a web browser. Feb 1, 2023: CNBC: Meta shares soar almost 20% on fourth-quarter revenue beat
KEY POINTS
Jan 25, 2023: New York Times: Meta to Reinstate Trump’s Facebook and Instagram Accounts
Just over two years after Donald J. Trump’s accounts were suspended from Facebook and Instagram, Meta, the owner of the platforms, said on Wednesday that it would reinstate the former president’s access to the social media services. Jan 19, 2023: Philadelphia Inquirer: We need a functioning democracy. Teaching media literacy can help. | Editorial The firehose of information distributed on social media is especially pernicious. One study found fake news spreads faster on Twitter than real news. The same goes for Facebook, where a study found misinformation received six times more engagement than factual news. Truth socialMar 23, 2023: Wonderwall: RON DESANTIS, TUCKER CARLSON, ELON MUSK, CHRIS ROCK, PIERS MORGAN AND MORE STARS REACT TO DONALD TRUMP'S LOOMING ARREST AMID STORMY DANIELS HUSH-MONEY SCANDAL
On March 18, 2023, former President Donald Trump whipped his supporters into a frenzy when he took to his Truth Social social media platform to allege that he, the "leading Republican candidate and former president of the United States will be arrested on Tuesday of next week" — March 21. That date came and went amid reports an indictment was simply delayed. T Jan 27, 2023: ARS Technica: Report: Truth Social ads dominated by fake merchandise, misleading users
Like any social media platform, Truth Social relies on advertising to drive revenue, but as Twitter’s highly publicized struggle to retain advertisers has shown, it’s hard to attract major brands when a company’s content moderation capabilities appear undependable. That’s likely why Truth Social—which prides itself on sparking an “open, free, and honest global conversation” by largely avoiding content moderation altogether—has seemingly attracted no major advertisers. Jan 11, 2023: Salon: Trump seethes on Truth Social after Fox News analyst debunks his lies about Biden classified docs Former President Donald Trump lashed out at Fox News contributor Karl Rove after the longtime Republican strategist argued that Trump's hoarding of classified documents was worse than the classified documents found at President Joe Biden's office. Tik Tok
“If the federal government feels like it’s this important to do, I feel that we as a state government should be implementing the security and protecting our state and county and local constituents across the state in saying, you know, we’re gonna ban TikTok because we’re following what the federal government had basically told us." --Massachusetts Representative Michael Soter 1.12.23 Mar 23, 2023: The Hill: TikTok executive says House hearing ‘felt rooted in xenophobia’
“We’re committed to providing a safe, secure platform, that fosters an inclusive place for our amazing, diverse communities to call home. It’s a shame today’s conversation felt rooted in xenophobia,” Vanessa Pappas, TikTok’s COO, wrote on Twitter. “Thank you to our employees who work tirelessly to protect our platform & community.” Jan 12, 2023: Ellen Fleming: WWLP: MA Rep. proposes bill to ban TikTok on government owned devices
Jan 10, 2023: Jewish News of Northern California: How long before new TikTok users see Nazi content? 75 minutes, says Jan. 6 committee
The committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol wanted to test how fast it took a social media user to get to radical content. The answer, when it came to TikTok and Nazis, was just over an hour Jan 5, 2023: USA Today: Andy Cohen, Michael B. Jordan and the problem with the dead celebrities TikTok prank
Andy Cohen is not dead. Michael B. Jordan is not dead. But if you weren't paying attention to the news and someone told you they were, would you believe them? It's the latest trend engulfing TikTok feeds, with the hashtag #celebritydeathprank at more than 200 million views on the platform. Kids, in particular, are pranking their parents. Dec 25, 2022: The Hill: TikTok bans on government devices raise questions about platform’s future TikTok is getting banned from a growing number of federal and state devices, underscoring how political winds are turning against the platform given worries about China and raising questions about its future. MastodonDec 24, 2022: The Verge: Mastodon 101: how to follow (and unfollow) other accounts The torrent of former tweeters streaming toward alternative social networks seems to be ongoing, and the social network that is probably gaining the most attention is Mastodon. This open-source network of independent servers (called “instances”) had jumped to 2.5 million users between October and November — and is continuing its ascent. YoutubeDec 23, 2022: Adweek: YouTube Nabs NFL Sunday Ticket Package, Ending DirecTV's Three-Decade Run
The NFL’s coveted Sunday Ticket package has a home in streaming for the first time. Google and the NFL reached an exclusive multiyear deal to bring all out-of-market Sunday afternoon NFL games broadcast on Fox and CBS to YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels. March 31, 2021: The Verge: YouTube has removed Steven Crowder from its Partner Program indefinitely
Two weeks ago, after YouTube revealed its definition of hate speech was so narrow that it couldn’t remove a wildly racist tirade for being wildly racist, we wondered out loud what it would take for YouTube to stop promoting conservative commentator Steven Crowder as an official YouTube Partner and allowing him to profit from those tirades. Jan 8, 2020: Abby Ohlheiser: Washington Post: TikTok has become the soul of the LGBTQ Internet |
