social media

Stories 101 - 120 | << Prev   Next >>

Oversight Board Slams Meta's Unequal Treatment of VIPs

'Cross-check grants certain users greater protection than others'

(Newser) - An oversight board has found that Facebook and Instagram's VIP program creates an unequal environment where celebrities, politicians, and business partners receive preferential treatment. As NPR reports, "in some cases, their posts are exempted from Meta's rules entirely." Meta ordered a review of its "cross-check"...

Report: Blackout Challenge Is Killing a Kid Per Month

Bloomberg looks at how TikTok's growth goals conflict with moderation needs

(Newser) - Lawsuits linking TikTok to children's deaths only point to a problem that continues to risk lives behind the headlines, according to Bloomberg , which finds the "blackout challenge" has been linked to the deaths of at least 20 children aged 14 and younger within the last 18 months. Fifteen...

Aniston: I Tried &#39;Everything&#39; to Have a Baby
Aniston: I Tried
'Everything' to
Have a Baby
INTERVIEW

Aniston: I Tried 'Everything' to Have a Baby

The years of speculation were 'really hard,' but they helped her 'become who I was meant to be'

(Newser) - In 2016, Jennifer Aniston penned an op-ed describing the daily harassment she faced as journalists obsessed over whether or not she was pregnant. Mostly, she wrote about "the perpetuation of this notion that women are somehow incomplete, unsuccessful, or unhappy if they're not married with children." What...

She's Studying US Via Five Bogus Accounts on Social Media

BBC reporter launches controversial experiment

(Newser) - Larry, a 71-year-old retired insurance broker and Donald Trump fan from Alabama, wouldn't be likely to run into the liberal Emma, a 25-year-old graphic designer from New York City, on social media—even if they were both real. Each is a figment of BBC reporter Marianna Spring's imagination....

Trump Sounds Happy About Musk's Twitter Takeover

Former president praises 'sane hands,' but doesn't say whether he would return if allowed

(Newser) - Twitter is now officially in the hands of Elon Musk , who has said former President Trump's ban from the "left-biased" platform over his comments praising Jan. 6 rioters was a "mistake." The big question now is whether Trump will return to Twitter, where he counted nearly...

Father Attacks Meta After Girl's Death

Molly Russell, 14, was shown harmful content she didn't seek

(Newser) - After an inquest found Friday that material on social media contributed to a London 14-year-old's death while self-harming, her father accused Meta of sending Molly Russell down a "demented trail of life-sucking content" for profit. The coroner said the sites' algorithms delivered harmful content to the teenager that...

Twitter Bows to Long-Sought Request: an Edit Button

But it will only be available to subscribers upon wider launch

(Newser) - It's a major move for Twitter: The platform is finally caving to long-standing pleas from users and adding an edit button. As the New York Times snarks, it "has only been about 15 years, nine months, and 22 days since they started asking for that ability." Most...

Jonah Hill Won't Be Out Promoting His New Film

'Superbad' actor is latest star to step back from social media for his mental health

(Newser) - Tom Holland isn't the only celebrity of late to ditch social media he finds "overwhelming." Superbad and Wolf of Wall Street actor Jonah Hill deleted his Instagram last week, around the same time he announced he's been suffering from anxiety attacks for almost two decades and...

Actor Taking Break From 'Overwhelming' Social Media

Tom Holland of 'Spider-Man' fame says he needs the hiatus for his mental health

(Newser) - Even superheroes get anxious from social media. Just ask Spider-Man star Tom Holland, who announced over the weekend that he's been taking a break from social media to protect his mental health. Elle notes that the 26-year-old UK actor has deleted his Instagram in the past, but this time...

Tommy Lee's IG Posts Have Everyone Doing a Double Take

Motley Crue drummer's full-frontal pic fires up debate over why it was able to stay on platform for so long

(Newser) - If you missed Tommy Lee's full-frontal display on social media earlier this week, no worries—he's now sharing a painting of the photo instead. Meanwhile, some are wondering why Lee's original nude pic was able to stay up online for as long as it did in the...

Youth-Led Movement Says It's Time for Teens to Log Off

Advocates also want lawmakers to help protect users' well-being

(Newser) - Emma Lembke joined Instagram when she was 12. Before long, she was spending six hours a day "mindlessly scrolling" and "absorbing all these unrealistic body images," she told the New York Times in a recent interview. Eating disorders and other problems soon followed, but she couldn’t...

Silent Comedian Is Now TikTok's Biggest Star

Former factory worker Khaby Lame is now TikTok's Biggest Star

(Newser) - A century after Charlie Chaplin's heyday, another man with a gift for silent comedy has become a worldwide star. Khaby Lame, who began making videos when he was laid off from his factory job in Italy early in the pandemic, is now the most-followed person on the most downloaded...

Australian to America: You Need to Be Muted
Australian to America:
You Need to Be Muted
in case you missed it

Australian to America: You Need to Be Muted

Patrick Marlborough unloads in Gawker

(Newser) - Unhappy with the current state of discourse on social media? You're probably not as fed up as Australian Patrick Marlborough, who unloads on American tweeters (and America in general) in a profane and epic rant at Gawker . He recounts how the story of a guy who abruptly quit his...

It's the 2nd Time Britney Spears Has Done This

Star's Instagram account has vanished again amid renewed drama with her father

(Newser) - On Friday, reports emerged that Britney Spears' father wants her to defend under oath the accusations she's been hurling at him on social media, with a request to a judge that Spears give a deposition. Now it appears the 40-year-old pop star may have vanished some of those posts,...

Amber Heard on Depp: 'He's a Fantastic Actor'

Says she understands why jurors believed him, and that she was unfairly represented on social media

(Newser) - The trial may be over , but the conversation around Amber Heard and Johnny Depp isn't. While Depp, 59, marked the end of this particular legal battle with his ex-wife by joining TikTok last week, the 36-year-old Heard hasn't said much in the aftermath, other than her statement immediately...

Sandberg&#39;s Exit Comes Under Shadow of Company Probe
Sandberg's Exit Comes Under
Shadow of Company Probe
THE RUNDOWN

Sandberg's Exit Comes Under Shadow of Company Probe

As Meta looks into alleged misuse of company resources, others debate her legacy

(Newser) - As the dust starts to settle on the Wednesday announcement of Sheryl Sandberg's farewell as chief operating officer of Facebook, now known as Meta, the inevitable "But why, really?" is being bandied about. Sandberg, 52, will remain on the company's board of directors and has said she'...

Kyle Rittenhouse Says He's 'Fueled' by Depp Trial

He's hired Nick Sandmann's lawyer to handle defamation suits

(Newser) - While the two cases are very different—Johnny Depp didn't kill anybody, for a start—the Depp defamation trial has apparently inspired Kyle Rittenhouse to step up his own legal efforts. "Johnny Depp trial is just fueling me, you can fight back against the lies in the media,...

SCOTUS Blocks Texas Social Media Law

HB20 bans social media censorship based on political views

(Newser) - The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to temporarily block a controversial Texas social media law Tuesday—but the court didn't split along its usual lines. The law, HB20, bans social media companies with more than 50 million users from banning users based on their political views, the Hill reports. It...

Trump Returns to Social Media: 'I'M BACK'

Former president posts to Truth Social, not Twitter

(Newser) - Donald Trump returned to the world of social media on Thursday via a post to his own Truth Social platform. "I’M BACK! #COVFEFE," Trump wrote in the post, which was accompanied by an image of him in front of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, reports Fox News...

Obama: Tech Firms Are 'Turbo-Charging Humanity's Worst Impulses'

He says changes need to be made to protect democracy

(Newser) - Barack Obama acknowledged in a speech Thursday that he might never have become president without the efforts of volunteers who organized on "websites like MySpace, Meetup, and Facebook"—but he warned that tech companies are failing to address the darker side of social media. In a keynote speech...

Stories 101 - 120 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser