Three mannequins looking at computers and tablets in various poses against a light blue background.

An AI experiment made a surprisingly pleasant Twitter

Researchers put 500 chatbots together in a Twitter-like environment and the results were a lot calmer than real-life social media.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • November 16, 2023
A teenage boy looks at his phone; in the background, a grid of blue Discord logos fades away in a gradient against an orange backdrop.

Can Discord clean up the internet’s criminal justice system?

A leading social platform takes a gentler (and admirable, though dangerous) approach to moderating its users.

Ben Berkley • October 24, 2023
Three young people reading on their smartphones against a multicolored background made up of thread.

Threads’ golden opportunity is here — Meta doesn’t seem too interested in taking it

Chaotic as X may be, it’s still the only viable platform for what’s happening right now — unless Threads cares to join it.

Ben Berkley • October 13, 2023
A red coffin-shaped package with a yellow skull on it, reading “Paqui” and “One Chip Challenge” on a red background.

One chip, several problems

Brands can face consequences for dangerous marketing stunts. Paqui’s One Chip Challenge is just the latest.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • September 15, 2023
A plate of avocado toast sits on a wooden tray against a colorful background.

Avocado guy goes viral again and other weird takes from the extremely wealthy

Another gross CEO moment shows off the increasing gulf between classes.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • September 14, 2023
A red play button over a black-and-white swirl background.

Is chasing TikTok a mistake for YouTube?

Some senior staff at YouTube worry that, in chasing TikTok, Shorts is crushing the platform’s long-form content.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • September 6, 2023
fediverse graphic

The fediverse, explained

Some say the fediverse is the future of social media. But it also feels like the good ol’ days.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • August 11, 2023
people looking at phones

Can social media actually drive social good? Guess we’ll find out

Roar Social wants to turn social media into an impactful engine for good causes — and a fun one at that.

Ben Berkley • August 2, 2023
Ronald McDonald

How Grimace horror became a McDonald’s win

TikTokers turned McDonald’s Grimace Shake into horror. It was engagement gold.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • July 19, 2023

A rush to save the memes of Imgur

Imgur’s impending content purge proves the impermanence of the internet.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • May 10, 2023
person looking at phone

The next big app is here — until it isn’t

Chart-topping social apps like BeReal don’t always have a long shelf life.

Ben Berkley • April 26, 2023
France flag

France vs. social media dishonesty

A French bill may require influencers to disclose payments, photo editing, and filters.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • April 7, 2023

Some personal news: LinkedIn is cringe AF

When did LinkedIn turn from a professional networking site to absolute cringe?

Sara Friedman • March 2, 2023
Snapchat daily active users

Snapchat gets the AI treatment

My AI will “write a haiku about cheese” for your friend.

Jacob Cohen • February 28, 2023

These influencers are so fake… no, really

Virtual influencers are on the rise. Are these characters the next Marvel or Disney?

Juliet Bennett Rylah • February 16, 2023

Meta’s board wants new nudity guidelines

Meta’s confusing nudity policies often wrongfully delete posts from women, trans, and nonbinary users.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • January 19, 2023

TikTok’s new plan to avoid getting banned in the US

The app will consider letting Oracle and others police its algorithm.

Mark Dent • January 17, 2023

How LinkedIn’s handling its bots

Social media is teeming with bots and scammers, and LinkedIn is no exception.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • December 12, 2022

The next big thing for influencers is less influencing

As the economy falters, influencers may lose clients and connections with their audiences.

Mark Dent • December 8, 2022

Singles want partners who vote

Tinder’s annual dating survey revealed an interest in political engagement and “situationships.”

Juliet Bennett Rylah • November 30, 2022

Let’s talk about dabloons

TikTok users created a sprawling RPG involving a cat and gold coins.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • November 29, 2022

Facebook took out the trash

In the last year, Meta has cracked down on spammy posts.

Rob Litterst • November 28, 2022

Digits: Twitter math, sports betting, and more

Plus: The Wii U’s anniversary, and a railroad strike.

Jacob Cohen • November 21, 2022

TikTok’s swooping in to grab laid-off talent

But is the move a business need or a reputational one?

Jacob Cohen • November 17, 2022

Twitter users are flocking to Mastodon… but WTF is it?

The decentralized social platform is growing like crazy in the wake of Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover.

Sara Friedman • November 10, 2022

TikTok vs. record labels

TikTok is huge now, and music labels want a bigger piece of the pie.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • November 9, 2022

Digits: Plasma, funerals, and Hallmark

Plus: Funeral homes and AI surveillance art.

Jacob Cohen • September 26, 2022

How Americans get news on socials

How many people get news on social media, and what’s it look like?

Jacob Cohen • September 22, 2022

Why YouTube’s best weapon is its library

Five hundred hours of content are added to YouTube every minute.

Rob Litterst • September 15, 2022

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