In yet another important policy change, Twitter has announced that customers will no longer be permitted to link to Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon and different platforms the organisation described as “prohibited.” But the decision generated such instant criticism from everyone with a brain that Musk promised not to make any more…

Among the massive number of Google searches about TikTok, such as “where are TikTok drafts” and “TikTok canvas size”, a new search is rising to the top: Is TikTok safe? And according to some very high level folks who should know, the answer is “no”. (By the way, you access your TikTok drafts folder from your profile page, and the TikTok canvas size is 1080 by 1920.) But back to the question of is TikTok safe: when an FCC commissioner says that TikTok is not only not safe, but should be banned due to ongoing reports of the private data of U.S. TikTok users being funneled to the Chinese government, it at least bears a closer look.

We’re imagining the evolution of the internet which will eventually be called the metaverse. What does metaverse entail? The metaverse concept is a tech-industry wide vision to create a tangible internet. Imagine a web of interconnected virtual spaces that will, in theory, operate much like spaces in the conventional world. In order to transform the internet as it is now into a more tangible space that we can interact with and experience in the same ways that we do real life. To create the metaverse, each of these interactive spaces need to be universally accessible.

If you’ve never found yourself hanging around the horned-rim glasses wearing literary fans or the all in black art crowd, you may not be familiar with the word “meta” and it’s many uses. Its origin story, like many others, takes place in ancient greek mythology. Meta was the first wife of the Athenian king, Aegeus. The word itself, Meta, is derived from μετά, meta, meaning “beyond” or “after”. Meta was the equivalent to the Latin “post-” or “ad-”. However, the contemporary version of Meta is not very old; meta appeared for the first time in 1988. Despite its age, Meta, has many definitions, all of which make it an uncanny name for the future of technology… or rather, of all things.

So a date broker was selling the location-tracking data of people visiting abortion providers. Data about all sorts of things holds value, and in today’s world, your data holds plenty. Like it or not, your data has almost definitely already been bought and sold. Just like mine, just like nearly every other person’s in the good ol’ US of A. Of course, it would be nice if you or I had some say in the matter. Personally, I would not freely consent to my data being bought or sold without providing me a benefit, and that is precisely the reason why I don’t have any say in the matter.

As I write this, in 2022, I realize I used to be afraid of the dystopian state and future that humanity could find itself facing due to tech. I just turned 24, and I hardly remember a world before social media. From a young age, I saw an upcoming fork in the road. One path could lead us to an easier world, a more fair world – a world where automation grants an easier life to all, a world in which we are free to spend our time with our families, with our passions. I yearned for this path. The other path looked much, much more sinister. Mass surveillance, manufactured consent, endless propaganda, a war on truth, a war on freedom of thought, and a limited range of socially acceptable discourse and debate all seemed likely.

Long before Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Tinder, there was HOT or NOT. The social site was founded in 2000 by two buddies, James Hong and Jim Young.

Take a good look at your social media newsfeed. Go on and scroll up or down a bit. You will notice it is full of posts and comments on various issues ranging from political rants to pictures of the latest vacation, or someone showing off their new ride. That is the world we live in, almost run by the internet and social media. Looks like a mix of many things happening there – a parallel yet fully assimilated universe.  But what does this parallel universe tell people about you?  Do your own social media feeds represent who you really are, or is it filling people with half-truths or even lies about you?

If you are wondering just what being the “OG” is or being called a “goat” means these days, and especially on social media or in gaming, you’re not alone. The same goes for if you are wondering why when someone says something’s been a ‘minute’ they seem to mean anything but a short period of time. In fact, it used to be that if someone said that “Joe is a goat” it was not necessarily flattering, let alone a compliment. Now, if someone says that “Joe is the goat”, it’s a huge compliment. In fact it’s as much of a compliment as being called a gangster. Confused? You won’t be, read on.

The Pentagon has announced that it has updated the rules for how it handles situations including when military members post or react on social media expressing support for extremism or extremist groups. The rules, which govern service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, are outlined in the DOD document “Handling Protest, Extremist, and Criminal Gang Activities Among Members of the Armed Forces”. Now if a service member “likes” or “shares” a post in support of extremist activities, they can be held accountable.

Research recently released by Instagram supports claims that the social media site contributes to poor body image among teenaged girls and boys. The results of the studies, commissioned by and released this week by Instagram itself (well, parent company Facebook) suggest, rather than, as they claim, refute the claims made recently that Instagram leads an appreciable percentage of teen girls (in particular) to feel badly about their bodies and themselves.

Clubhouse has finally made direct private messaging available right on the app instead of having to go to IG, it’s called BACKCHANNEL. One of the biggest weaknesses of Clubhouse (the Clubhouse app) has been its complete lack of a way for users to privately message between themselves. With the July 14th update, Clubhouse now officially as a way to private message users without having to leave Clubhouse.

Here’s how to refresh your visible contacts in Clubhouse so that you can invite someone who is new to your iPhone contact list.

‘Deplatforming’ and to ‘deplatform’ have been in the news a lot lately, but what do they mean, and where did they come from? We explain.

Smart entrepreneurs and marketers use social media to promote their products and services, as they have realized these social hangouts are ideal for connecting with customers. And as new platforms keep coming up all the time, it is important for savvy entrepreneurs and marketers to keep an eye out for…