Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions

[weatheriscool]

The Supreme Court will decide if state laws limiting social media platforms violate the Constitution
Source: AP

Updated 9:33 AM EDT, September 29, 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether state laws that seek to regulate Facebook, TikTok, X and other social media platforms violate the Constitution. The justices will review laws enacted by Republican-dominated legislatures and signed by Republican governors in Florida and Texas. While the details vary, both laws aim to prevent the social media companies from censoring users based on their viewpoints.

The court’s announcement, three days before the start of its new term, comes as the justices continue to grapple with how laws written at the dawn of the digital age, or earlier, apply to the online world.

The justices had already agreed to decide whether public officials can block critics from commenting on their social media accounts, an issue that previously came up in a case involving then-President Donald Trump. The court dismissed the Trump case when his presidential term ended in January 2021.

Separately, the high court also could consider a lower-court order limiting executive branch officials’ communications with social media companies about controversial online posts. The new case follows conflicting rulings by two appeals courts, one of which upheld the Texas law, while the other struck down Florida’s statute. By a 5-4 vote, the justices kept the Texas law on hold while litigation over it continues.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-cour ... 1ece4dd9d5

[wjfox]

The Moral Case for No Longer Engaging With Elon Musk’s X

5 October 2023 at 11:30 BST

A man was murdered in my neighborhood on Monday. Ryan Carson was waiting at a bus stop with his girlfriend just before 4 a.m. when a man stabbed him repeatedly in the chest. The couple had been at a wedding.

A video of the attack, obtained initially by the New York Post, was soon seized upon by one of X’s newest “stars” — one of those users who has thrived under the new Elon Musk regime at the former Twitter. His feed (which I will not publicize) is a stream of incendiary incidents from around the world, posted several times a day to an audience that is approaching a million followers.

I don’t follow this account, but X’s algorithm makes absolutely sure that I see what it has to say. A senseless murder is apparently a content opportunity not to be missed. The user’s post on Tuesday contained all the ingredients for success: It was timely. It was shocking. It was an innocent 32-year-old man dying on the streets of New York City. It was a chance, duly taken, to write an inflammatory comment on Carson’s work in public policy, as though it had somehow led to this moment, as though he had it coming.

As I rode the subway home to Bedford-Stuyvesant, I watched as the video clocked 1 million views, then 2 million. Up up up. Disgusting replies flooded in by the thousands: That’s what you get for supporting woke policies; should have carried a gun; looks planned. By the time I got home, I had deleted the app from my phone.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/artic ... eddit_wall

[wjfox]

Great news — social media is falling apart

Oct 3, 2023, 11:01 AM BST

I've become a social-media ghost over the past few years. I haven't posted on Instagram since December, I've gone from tweeting several times a day to a couple of times a week, and I haven't signed into Facebook or Snapchat in ages. Looking at many of my profiles, you'd think they were abandoned. And I'm not alone: People are spending less and less time on social media.

For more than a decade, social media has brought people together on a handful of platforms, most notably Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. But in an effort to feed the rapacious desire for growth, these platforms have transformed from places for people to connect to entertainment channels. As the big players have deteriorated into a chaotic mash of shouting and sponsored content, alienated users are decamping for a hodgepodge of platforms.

Like many young people, I've taken refuge in close-knit private circles such as group chats. In these smaller spaces, populated with friends and family, I don't feel the crippling pressure to overshare and harvest my every thought for possible work opportunities. These havens are free from the round-the-clock avalanche of meticulously curated content, ads, and brand campaigns. Instead of the stilted experience of hanging out in a shopping mall, group chats feel more like an intimate dinner at a friend's house.

People are also turning toward a new crop of social-media platforms that have emerged in the past few years to capitalize on the void left by the deterioration of large platforms. Some of the new entrants are trying to recreate the original, clutter-free social experiences big platforms used to offer, while others are experimenting with radical ideas to reboot the concept from scratch.

So far, none of the new sites can compete with the sheer size of the old, centralized networks, but they do offer some hope. As people grow tired of toxic and addictive platforms that undermine real social connection, this new wave of social-focused upstarts could end up producing a healthier online environment.

Whatever you think of social media's future, it's increasingly clear that the big-platform party is over. But instead of spelling the death of social media, it may be the beginning of a better era. Welcome to the Great Social Media Splintering.

https://www.businessinsider.com/social- ... &r=US&IR=T



Hugo Herrera for Insider

[Time_Traveller]

Great news — social media is falling apart

Oct 3, 2023, 11:01 AM BST

I've become a social-media ghost over the past few years. I haven't posted on Instagram since December, I've gone from tweeting several times a day to a couple of times a week, and I haven't signed into Facebook or Snapchat in ages. Looking at many of my profiles, you'd think they were abandoned. And I'm not alone: People are spending less and less time on social media.

For more than a decade, social media has brought people together on a handful of platforms, most notably Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. But in an effort to feed the rapacious desire for growth, these platforms have transformed from places for people to connect to entertainment channels. As the big players have deteriorated into a chaotic mash of shouting and sponsored content, alienated users are decamping for a hodgepodge of platforms.

Like many young people, I've taken refuge in close-knit private circles such as group chats. In these smaller spaces, populated with friends and family, I don't feel the crippling pressure to overshare and harvest my every thought for possible work opportunities. These havens are free from the round-the-clock avalanche of meticulously curated content, ads, and brand as campaigns. Instead of the stilted experience of hanging out in a shopping mall, group chats feel more like an intimate dinner at a friend's house.

People are also turning toward a new crop of social-media platforms that have emerged in the past few years to capitalize on the void left by the deterioration of large platforms. Some of the new entrants are trying to recreate the original, clutter-free social experiences big platforms used to offer, while others are experimenting with radical ideas to reboot the concept from scratch.

So far, none of the new sites can compete with the sheer size of the old, centralized networks, but they do offer some hope. As people grow tired of toxic and addictive platforms that undermine real social connection, this new wave of social-focused upstarts could end up producing a healthier online environment.

Whatever you think of social media's future, it's increasingly clear that the big-platform party is over. But instead of spelling the death of social media, it may be the beginning of a better era. Welcome to the Great Social Media Splintering.

https://www.businessinsider.com/social- ... &r=US&IR=T


Hugo Herrera for Insider

Perhaps, one day social media will turn into tiny little groups of your closest family and friends and not loads of people looking at every little thing you do every day or would social media be easier to close its doors for good. With me, I am one of those people now who wouldn't care if this existed or not, wouldn't it be better for all of us if social media never existed in the first place?

[wjfox]

EU warns Elon Musk over ‘disinformation’ on X about Hamas attack

Tue 10 Oct 2023 20.33 BST

The EU has issued a warning to Elon Musk over the alleged disinformation about the Hamas attack on Israel, including fake news and “repurposed old images”, on X, which was formerly known as Twitter.

The letter arrives less than two months after sweeping new laws regulating content on social media seen in the EU came into force under the Digital Services Act.

If Musk, the owner of X, does not comply he can face a fine of 6% of his revenues from X or a total blackout in the EU.

Thierry Breton, the commissioner responsible for the act, wrote to Musk to urge him to ensure “a prompt, accurate, and complete response” to the request to contact Europol, the EU police enforcement agency, and “relevant law enforcement agencies” within the next 24 hours.

Breton reminded Musk that he needed to have “proportionate and effective mitigation measures to tackle the risks to public security and civic discourse stemming from disinformation”.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... ttack-on-x

[wjfox]

[weatheriscool]

X, formerly known as Twitter, will begin charging new users $1 a year to access key features
Source: Fortune

X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, will begin charging new users $1 a year to access key features including the ability to tweet, reply, quote, repost, like, bookmark, and create list, according to a source familiar with the matter

X owner Elon Musk has long floated the idea of charging users $1 for the platform. During a recent livestreamed conversation with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month, Musk said “It’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots.”

The company also published “Not-a-Bot Terms and Conditions” today outlining its plan for a paid subscription service that gives users certain abilities on their platform, like posting content and interacting with other users. This program is different from X Premium, which offers more features like “Undo” and “Edit” for posts for $8 a month.

Read more: https://fortune.com/2023/10/17/twitter- ... tweet/amp/

[wjfox]

Musk considers removing X platform from Europe over EU law - Insider

October 19, 2023

Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, is considering removing the service formerly called Twitter from Europe in response to a new internet platform regulation in the region, news site Insider reported on Wednesday.

The billionaire has discussed removing the app's availability in the region, or blocking users in the European Union from accessing it, a person familiar with the company told the publication.

The European Union in August adopted the Digital Services Act (DSA), which sets forth rules for preventing the spread of harmful content, banning or limiting certain user-targeting practices, and sharing some internal data with regulators and associated researchers, among other things.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/musk ... 023-10-18/

[wjfox]

[raklian]

[Time_Traveller]

The downfall of Twitter

[firestar464]

ok

[weatheriscool]

X launches new $3/mo Basic and $16/mo Premium+ subscription tiers
9 to 5 Mac

X (Twitter) has just launched its new lineup of subscription tiers. The $8 per month ‘Premium’ verified tier remains the default standard, but the new Basic tier comes in at $3 per month as a cheaper option.

Basic does not include a verification checkmark, but you get features like longer posts, edit button, themes and custom app icons. Premium+ is the new high-end option coming in at $16 per month, most notably offering ad-free experience in the For You and Following tabs.

The new tiers are also available as yearly subscription options at a ~12% discount compared to paying on a monthly basis. Subscriptions are available
through the X website or as in-app purchases inside the X app for iPhone and iPad, albeit with a 30% higher price to account for Apple’s commission.

https://9to5mac.com/2023/10/27/x-launch ... ion-tiers/

[Time_Traveller]

X launches new $3/mo Basic and $16/mo Premium+ subscription tiers
9 to 5 Mac

X (Twitter) has just launched its new lineup of subscription tiers. The $8 per month ‘Premium’ verified tier remains the default standard, but the new Basic tier comes in at $3 per month as a cheaper option.

Basic does not include a verification checkmark, but you get features like longer posts, edit button, themes and custom app icons. Premium+ is the new high-end option coming in at $16 per month, most notably offering ad-free experience in the For You and Following tabs.

The new tiers are also available as yearly subscription options at a ~12% discount compared to paying on a monthly basis. Subscriptions are available
through the X website or as in-app purchases inside the X app for iPhone and iPad, albeit with a 30% higher price to account for Apple’s commission.

https://9to5mac.com/2023/10/27/x-launch ... ion-tiers/

Who wants to pay for Twitter when it was free.

[weatheriscool]

Mutual fund giant Fidelity wrote down the value of its shares in Twitter/X by another 8% during the month of September, according to a new disclosure.Fidelity, which contributed over $300 million to Elon Musk's $44 billion takeover, decreased the value of its investment by nearly 65% over the first eleven months.

https://www.threads.net/@axios/post/Cy_l9T9JX_m

[weatheriscool]

[Tadasuke]

For whatever reason, on every computer I have access to, and in every browser, tweets in this forum never appear as tweets, only as "Loading Tweet...". For years I tried on every kind of computer, even on Linux, on a smartwatch and on an E-ink reader. I don't understand how other users see these tweets (without opening another tab with a Twitter page). It's a mystery to me.


Now about social media ... I will give examples of my experiences:

In 2018 one of my acquaintances was (automatically, using an app) posting every day his daily running (the exact route, inclination, speed and distance). I felt terrible for not running like he did. Obviously, I did not start running. I just felt worse than usual, I was more depressed. Fast forward 5 years to 2023, I saw photos that now he's obese and spends time with an ugly obese girlfriend. I once again felt really terrible. I was very sad, very anxious and very depressed because of that (after all, I was waiting 20 years for technology to make everyone slim, slender and better-looking). It gave me nothing positive or useful. My weight has not changed. It was 68 kg in 2013, in 2018 and in 2023. I don't run, unless for a bus.

I tried doing some experiments.

Once, when I felt like checking social media, I managed to not do it, and instead just sit in an armchair, doing nothing and just staring at a wall for 3 hours. I felt better. One other time, when I felt like checking social media, I managed to not do it and instead play a video game I planned to play for years, for 3 hours non-stop. I felt better. One another time, when I felt like checking social media, I managed to not do it, and instead go to my grandma and maw her lawn. I felt better. Yet another time, when I felt like checking social media, I managed to not do it and instead go for a 3 hour walk (listening to an audiobook while walking is a good idea too). I felt better.

From my experience, social media either makes you feel worse because someone is doing better than you, makes you feel worse because someone has completely different preferences or a sense of humour or makes you feel worse because someone has a serious unsolved problem you feel sad for. Either way it makes you feel worse and gives you nearly nothing in return. Waste of time.

[erowind]

.

[weatheriscool]

Trump’s Truth Social Has Lost $73M Since Launch, New Filing Shows (Hollywood Reporter)

The company that TMTG is planned to merge with, DWAC, broke out the surprising results in a securities filing Monday.

Since launching in early 2022, former President Donald Trump‘s Truth Social took in $3.7 million in net sales, and lost $73 million.

The numbers are the first time that any internal financial details on the social platform have been shared publicly, and they suggest that while Trump has made Truth Social his primary social media platform, it has not been translating into meaningful revenue for the tech startup, which is owned by Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG).

The numbers were revealed in a new financial disclosure from TMTG’s SPAC merger partner Digital World Acquisition Corp. The filing revealed that in 2022, Truth Social lost $50 million on just $1.4 million of net sales, and through the first 6 months of this year it brought in $2.3 million, but lost $23 million.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/busin ... 235645818/

[caltrek]

Americans Flock to TikTok for News
by Eleanor Hawkins
November 15, 2023

Introduction:

(Axios) The share of TikTok users who consume news through the platform has nearly doubled since 2020, according to new Pew Research Center data.

Why it matters: News organizations, business leaders and brands are being forced to evolve and meet audiences where they are in order to break through.

What's happening: The Pew study shows that news consumers have accelerated their shift toward digital channels in the past year.
• Americans are roughly twice as likely to say they prefer getting news on digital devices (58%) than television (27%).
• Meanwhile, audience preference for radio and print media remains roughly stagnant at 6% and 5% respectively.

State of play: Roughly half of Americans say they get some news from social media platforms.
• News audiences are increasing the most on TikTok and Instagram. Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitch and Nextdoor are also gaining traction as news sources.

Read more here: https://www.axios.com/2023/11/15/tikto ... -us-data