Do you think adding a warning label to social media will actually help all the issues they’ve created?
Be quiet: Maybe you want to scroll Facebook at work undetected or you just prefer the sound of silence. On a computer, disable auto-playing videos under Settings and privacy > Settings > Videos. On mobile, it’s Settings & privacy > Settings > Preferences > Media.
Scammers take to the skies
When you rant about that awful layover on social media, you’re painting a target on your back. Scammers are lurking, ready to cash in on your bad flight experience.
🍗 This week in deadly social media trends: “Mukbangs,” aka when an influencer livestreams themselves eating an obscene amount of food. A 24-year-old woman just died in front of her fans after eating 22 pounds of food in a 10-hour binge. The autopsy found a deformed stomach full of undigested food. Awful.
1 in 4 kids
Faces identity theft before they turn 18. And age verification might make the problem much worse. Think about it: To get access to social media, your kid uploads their name, face, and a document or two. One breach and a criminal has it all.
$12,000
To take a four-day class at Harvard. The course, Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports, is open to non-Harvard students and covers the economics of modern-day brands (paywall link) from Nike to MrBeast. Alumni include celebrities looking to build an empire, like Channing Tatum and LL Cool J. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.
A one-man news site beat the national media: This is interesting. John Paul Vranesevich, owner of the Beaver Countian, was the first to learn officers had been stationed inside the building Thomas Crooks fired from and that police were alerted to someone suspicious. Then, the big networks got the news and interviews. Here’s Vranesevich’s story.
When social media can't lie
When Donald Trump was shot, a photo captured the bullet mid-flight. It’s now a rare instance of a picture shared on social media — before anyone could fake it.
Talk to the kids: Influencers and athletes are pushing highly addictive nicotine pouches on social media. They’re marketed to teens as flavored little bags in colorful containers. Brands include Velo, On! and Zyn.
🇺🇸 Disinformation spreading on social media after Trump rally assassination attempt: Some posts, including those from elected officials, baselessly claimed President Biden ordered the shooting or the incident was staged. Do your best to avoid sharing unverified information. No matter which side of the political fence you’re on, it was a very sad day for our country. Prayers up for all.
“Let’s double-click”: The latest corporate buzzword, “double-click” (paywall link), means to dig into something further, like, “I’ll double-click that media plan tomorrow.” Fun fact: The creator of the double-click, Apple designer Bill Atkinson, regrets it. He thinks an extra mouse button would’ve been better.
Too connected: The younger a kid is when they receive their first smartphone, the worse off their mental health is as an adult. Case in point: In the past, young adults were happier than those in middle age. But from 2011 on, there’s a big decline in mental health for younger folks. Not a coincidence: Social media and smartphone usage exploded in the 2010s.
A grieving mom forced off social media: A judge said “to protect minors,” the posts about her 13-year-old daughter’s suicide must be removed. Internet sleuths located the four teens accused of bullying the girl offline and online, and now their families are receiving threats. This happened in a Mississippi town of 20,000 people, but it’s getting national attention.
Crypto scams to watch out for
Tempted by a too-good-to-be-true investment on social media? This July 4th, a crypto scam that fooled millions is exposed.
Social media warning labels
What if your social media app came with a warning label? The U.S. Surgeon General thinks it might be a good idea. Will it make a difference?
Another AI chatbot goes rogue
A social media star creates an AI clone of herself to chat with fans—for a fee. What went wrong? Find out more in this short podcast.
Would Jesus be on social media?
So, would Jesus be on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? This thought-provoking question comes from The Church of England, which set out to find the answer.
Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling on social media
The Supreme Court made a surprising decision on a social media censorship case involving Missouri and Louisiana. Find out why their lawsuit didn’t go as planned.
AI gone wild: A social media influencer created an AI clone to act as a virtual girlfriend. She charged followers $1 per minute for audio chats and raked in $70,000 a week. Then, the AI went rogue, playing along with dark fantasies and initiating explicit conversations the influencer says horrified her. Yeah, I warned you about this.
🥵 He’s lucky he didn’t get boiled alive for a social media pic: A 21-year-old tourist at Yellowstone National Park got seven days in jail and a $1,500 fine for trying to sneak a close-up of the world’s largest geyser. He blew past all the warning signs and got within 15 feet of Steamboat Geyser’s steam vent. What a dope.