Social

A controversial Texas law that would open social media companies up to lawsuits from aggrieved users just notched a surprise win. A trio of federal appeals court judges issued the ruling Wednesday, which pauses a temporary injunction that blocked the law from taking effect last year. The law, HB 20, would prohibit tech platforms from

Twitter announced today that it has rolled out a new web video game to make it easier for users to understand its privacy policy. The goal of the game, which is called Data Dash, is to educate people on the information that Twitter collects, how the information is used and what controls users have over

Twitter announced today that it’s rolling out a new “Copypasta and Duplicate Content” policy to clarify how the platform works to combat spam and duplicative content. For context, copypasta refers to an attempt by multiple individuals to duplicate content from an original source and share it widely. The social media giant first revealed in August

Twitter’s future owner weighed in on the social network’s biggest question Tuesday, leaving little room for doubt that if Elon Musk has his way, the platform’s doors will be wide open for Trump. “I do think that it was not correct to ban Donald Trump,” Musk said in an interview at the Financial Times Future

Adobe announced today that it’s introducing a new suite of Creative Cloud Express capabilities to make it easier to plan, schedule, preview and publish social media content across platforms. The company is launching “Content Scheduler” within Creative Cloud Express, which builds on its acquisition of ContentCal in December, as Adobe has integrated ContentCal into Creative

Uber has opted for arbitration to solve a dispute it has with drivers in Kenya over the reduction of commuter fares. The ride-hailing firm asked Kenya’s Supreme Court, in an application, to allow it to solve its issues with the drivers through channels agreed upon in contracts, while stating that it was “improper” for its

TikTok is rolling out a new “Friends” tab that replaces the “Discover” tab in the bottom menu of the app. The company says the new tab is going to roll out to more people over the coming weeks and that it will allow users on the platform to find content from people they’ve connected with.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced today that the platform is going to start testing NFTs with select creators in the United States this week. Mosseri noted that there will be no fees associated with posting or sharing a digital collectible on Instagram. At launch, the supported blockchains for showcasing NFTs on Instagram are Ethereum and

Instagram is testing a new “Get Quote” button with select businesses on its app, Meta announced on Wednesday. The new button allows users to set up custom questions to ask customers prior to starting a conversation. Once customers fill out the questionnaire, they can then quickly request a quote from a business about a product

A federal judge in California dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit against Twitter Friday, dimming at least one avenue the former president and prolific tweeter might have used to get back to his platform of choice. Trump’s argument that the social media company and its then-chief executive Jack Dorsey violated his right to free speech failed to

Meta recently said it would prioritize original content in its algorithms. Now, it’s going to pay for it. To help fend off the TikTok threat, Meta announced this week it now dole additional bonuses to Reels creators who are publishing original content on Facebook. The company warned that this change to payouts could see some

Facebook is shutting down its podcast service on June 3 barely a year after its launch. The social media giant told TechCrunch that it’s also going to discontinue its short-form audio Soundbites feature and its Audio hub in the coming weeks. Facebook will also integrate its Live Audio Rooms offering, which is its Clubhouse clone,

Twitter is rolling out a number of new features for its live audio Spaces product this week. The social media giant is giving hosts and co-hosts on iOS and Android access to analytics about their Spaces. For example, hosts and co-hosts can now get information about how many total live listeners tuned in to the

Microsoft is throwing its weight behind Epic Games in the fight against Apple — and bringing Fortnite back to iOS in the process. The company announced Thursday that it had partnered with Epic to make Fortnite available on Apple devices through its game streaming service, Xbox Cloud Gaming. Fortnite is back, but you still won’t

A group of nearly two dozen investors including Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, crypto exchange Binance and asset management firm Fidelity has invested over $7.1 billion to back the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk’s $44 billion bid to acquire Twitter. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who is also an investor in Tesla, delivered the largest

Twitter returned to the Digital Content NewFronts this evening to pitch its upcoming premium video content slate to advertisers, as it had in previous years. But this time around, the company is faced with a group of media buyers who are worried about the future of the social network as a “brand-safe” platform for their

Spotify announced today it will become the first music streaming brand to have an official presence within Roblox, with the launch of “Spotify Island,” a place where artists and fans will gather to play interactive quests, unlock exclusive content and buy artist merchandise. The new Spotify Island destination in Roblox will actually consist of a

Just ahead of its presentation to media ad buyers later this week at the 2022 NewFronts, Twitter acknowledged in a new SEC filing that its core advertising business could now be at risk as a result of the Elon Musk takeover, in addition to employee hiring and retention efforts and other factors. While Musk’s vision for

Much has been written about Elon Musk’s bid to acquire Twitter, an effort which, despite substantial backing from Morgan Stanley and the approval of Twitter’s board, stands on unsure footing at present. Reporting and punditry have focused on the security implications of the proposed acquisition, as well as Musk’s potential approaches to content moderation and,

Snapchat is adding new assistive devices for Bitmoji avatars to expand its representation options for users. Now, users can add a hearing aid in a variety of colors and choose to have them in one ear or both. Snapchat has also added a selection of its most popular Bitmoji stickers featuring the avatar with a

On Friday afternoon, former Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey turned to the platform that he co-created to speak about its future, days after the company was bought for $44 billion by Elon Musk. In the vague thread, Dorsey said he doesn’t believe in permanent bans, with the exception of illegal activity. “As I’ve said before,

Elon Musk has lined up a new CEO for Twitter and told banks that agreed to help fund his $44 billion acquisition offer about his plans to monetize tweets, according to a new report from Reuters. A source told Reuters that Musk has decided on who he plans to appoint as the new chief executive

Tesla CEO Elon Musk sold around 4.4 million shares of the company on Tuesday, according to regulatory filings published on Thursday. Musk, via Aaron Beckman, his power of attorney, filed a total of five Form 4s with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to cover all 138 individual transactions. The value of the sales in

Snap is partnering with Live Nation to enhance the experience of going to concerts and festivals via its AR technology. The company says the multiyear partnership with Live Nation will “elevate performances beyond stages and screens.” The goal of the partnership is to create a deeper connection between artists and fans via immersive AR created

Good morning, team! We’re working toward the end (?) of the Musk-Twitter saga now that the deal is loosely settled and the social media company’s earnings are out. But the latest round of numerical disclosures from Twitter revealed just how dependent the company is on advertising revenues, which highlights a potential weak spot in the

Do you hear that? It’s the sound of every Meta executive breathing a deep sigh of relief, because unlike last quarter, Facebook’s daily active users (DAUs) are up… a little. For the second time since its rebrand from Facebook, Meta has reported its quarterly earnings. Last time, the Facebook platform reported its first decline in

Meta announced during its Q1 2022 earnings call that Reels, its short-form video feature and TikTok rival, now makes up more than 20% of the time that people spend on Instagram. The company also noted that video, overall, makes up 50% of the time that users spend on Facebook. Although Meta didn’t specify how much

Some believe that online marketing and advertising, as we largely think of them today, are dying a slow death and is getting replaced by something else: the rise of the influencer/creator. Today, one of the companies hoping to make a killing on that shift is announcing some funding and an M&A move to cement its

Instagram is exploring a new feature that lets users pin specific posts to their profile above their photo grid, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. The new feature is currently in the testing phase and is showing up for select users on the platform. Users who have access to the feature are seeing a “Pin to

Twitter’s co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey is poised to receive a significant payday if Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of the social media giant closes, as his Twitter shares would be converted into cash. Dorsey, who has declined to take a salary from the company and instead chose to take a $1.40 annual paycheck,