Is the grass greener on the other side? We’re not sure, but the sky is most certainly bluer. It’s been almost two years since Elon Musk purchased Twitter, now X, leading people to set up shop on alternative platforms. Mastodon, Post, Pebble (which has already shuttered operations) and Spill have been presented as potential replacements, […]
What is Bluesky? Everything to know about the X competitor. Read More »
Instagram’s latest feature aims to boost user interaction within Stories. The social media platform now allows followers to comment on each other’s Stories, making the experience more community-focused, akin to livestreaming where users can engage in larger discussions. A few users have already spotted the feature, including marketing strategist Taylor Loren (@taylor.loren on Threads). Meta
As more Instagram users engage with Stories, the app adds a comments feature Read More »
The U.S. military is using ads to warn people across Lebanon not to attack the United States or its allies amid rising tensions across the Middle East. Some of those ads have turned up in an unlikely place: the dating app Tinder. Freelance reporter Séamus Malekafzali posted on X screenshots of the ads seen in
The U.S. military’s latest psyop? Advertising on Tinder Read More »
On Friday, the venture firm Andreessen Horowitz tweeted out a link to its guide on how to “build your social media presence,” which features advice for founders on things like “how to find your people” and “how often to post.” The timing of the tweet was ironic given the social media frenzy on Friday after
A16z offers social media tips after its founder’s ‘attack’ tweet goes viral Read More »
An AI social media vetting startup Ferretly has raised $2.5 million in seed funding and is launching a new platform designed to screen election personnel. Founded in 2019, Ferretly leverages AI to scan social media and publicly available online data to uncover potential risks and behaviors that traditional background checks may overlook. The startup is
Grok, not to be confused with the homophonic AI startup Groq that this morning raised over $600 million, spread false information about Vice President Kamala Harris on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter. That’s according to an open letter penned by five secretaries of state and addressed to Tesla, SpaceX and X CEO
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Justice Department are suing TikTok and ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, with violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a law that requires digital platforms to notify and obtain parents’ consent before collecting and using personal data from children under the age of 13. In a press
FTC and Justice Department sue TikTok over alleged child privacy violations Read More »
Pinterest is reimagining its app for the TikTok era. Catering to Gen Z’s demand for video-focused features, the company on Tuesday announced it will now allow users to create short videos of their curated Pinterest boards, designed to be shared on social media. The new addition was inspired by the video-sharing activity that was already
This week while scrolling on X, formerly Twitter, I noticed that I had reposted a series of TechCrunch articles. Except, wait, no, I hadn’t. But someone else using my name had. I clicked on the profile, and there was another Rebecca Bellan, using the same default and header photos as my actual profile: me onstage
X still has a Verified bot problem — this time they came for TechCrunch writers Read More »
Butterflies is a social network where humans and AIs interact with each other through posts, comments and DMs. After five months in beta, the app is launching Tuesday to the public on iOS and Android. Anyone can create an AI persona, called a Butterfly, in minutes on the app. After that, the Butterfly automatically creates
Former Snap engineer launches Butterflies, a social network where AIs and humans coexist Read More »
