At this point, it feels like stories have become the most common form of communication when it comes to social media. Creators now maximize their stories as opposed to posts in order to update their followers about their life happenings. While stories on Instagram and Snapchat seem to be soaring high, YouTube is going in the opposite direction and bidding them goodbye. Starting next month, YouTube will no longer support stories.
YouTube bids goodbye to stories
The Google-owned video-streaming giant YouTube will be ending support for stories starting on June 26. The company aims to direct its attention to other essential features like Shorts, Community Posts, Live Videos, and more. YouTube said in a blog post recently – “Starting on June 26, 2023, the option to create a new YouTube Story will no longer be available. Stories that are already live on that date will expire seven days after they were originally shared,”
Additionally, the company also revealed that the creators will be notified about the shutdown of YouTube Stories via a variety of channels including forum posts, reminders in YouTube Studio, in-app messages and more. While YouTube is bidding farewell to stories, the video platform suggested that both “Community posts and YouTube Shorts are great alternatives that can deliver valuable audience connections and conversations”.
According to the company, creators who wish to share lightweight updates, promote new videos and start conversations with their audience can do so effectively with community posts. However, the restriction of not being able to post videos in the community posts may stick out as a sore thumb.
Besides this, the company also believes that YouTube Shorts is the way to go for users who wish to create short-form content and reach a wider audience. YouTube also shared that shorts drive more subscribers to a creator’s channel than stories. In an oversaturation of stories on various social media channels, getting rid of them from the most prominent video-sharing platform is a surprising move, to say the least.
It was just last year before November when a verification mark on your social media profile was a status symbol. Elon Musk introduced Twitter Blue verification where users could pay a certain monthly fee to gain a verified mark, and the celebrated blue tick became accessible to everyone. The controversial decision to allow every user to have a blue tick by just paying a certain amount was termed the democratization of social media by Elon Musk. Now, it looks like Mark Zuckerberg is borrowing a page from Elon Musk and introducing his own verified subscription service titled ‘Meta Verified’
Meta launches ‘Meta Verified’ service
Meta announced yesterday that its launching ‘Meta Verified’ subscription service at $11.99/month on web and $14.99/month on Apple’s iOS. The company will launch in Australia and New Zealand this week with more countries to be added soon. Mark took to Facebook on Sunday night and shared a post revealing the plans for ‘meta Verified’ Check out the excerpt from his post below –
“this week we’re starting to roll out Meta Verified — a subscription service that lets you verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support. This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services. Meta Verified starts at $11.99 / month on web or $14.99 / month on iOS. We’ll be rolling out in Australia and New Zealand this week and more countries soon.”
Simultaneously, a blog post was also shared by Meta where the details of the subscription service were shared. Here are a few benefits users will get with ‘Meta Verified’ –
A verified badge that will help users/creators to confirm they’re the real person and not an impersonator. The verification badge will be provided once the account is authenticated via a government ID
Protection from impersonation with proactive monitoring of notorious users who target people with a growing online following
Easier access to help with common account issues
Increased visibility and reach
Exclusive features which include exclusive stickers for Facebook and Instagram and Facebook Reels with additional free stars a month on Facebook to show support to other creators
A couple of days ago, I heard two of my colleagues talking about the Snapchat streak, and that led me to install the app, and today, Snapchat hit a major milestone, crossing 750 million monthly active users. The achievement highlights the growing popularity of the social media platform, which was first launched in 2011.
Snapchat’s unique features, such as disappearing messages, filters, and lenses, have helped it stand out in a crowded social media market. It has also evolved to include new features such as Stories, Discover, and Snap Map, which have helped keep users engaged and interested in the platform.
Snapchat has also made efforts to attract new users and retain existing ones. The app has expanded its user base by targeting younger demographics with features like Bitmoji, allowing users to create and personalise their avatars and partnerships with popular celebrities and influencers.
The platform has also worked to improve its advertising capabilities, offering a range of ad formats and targeting options to advertisers. The COVID-19 pandemic has also played a role in Snapchat’s growth. Social media usage has increased across the board, with people spending more time at home and looking for ways to stay connected.
However, Snapchat still faces competition from other social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, as they have features similar to those offered by Snapchat, such as Instagram Stories and TikTok’s filters and effects. To stay ahead of the game, Snapchat will need to continue innovating and offering unique experiences for its users.
Crossing 750 million monthly active users is a significant achievement for Snapchat. It demonstrates the platform’s ability to attract and retain a large, engaged user base. With its ongoing commitment to innovation and user experience, the platform is expected to reach 1 billion+ in the next 3 years.
After months of anticipation and doubts about whether Twitter Blue will make its way to India, the premium membership service has finally landed. The controversial Twitter Blue subscription is now available in India where users can now access the company’s paid services by paying ₹650 per month for the website-exclusive platform, and ₹900 for iOS and Android users. Twitter was always known to be a microblogging platform but has been changing its course to becoming a full-fledged social media platform even offering ad revenues under Elon Musk’s leadership. So what is all the hype about? What does Twitter Blue offer to users who will shell out ₹900 per month? Check it out below –
Longer Tweets
A major appeal of Twitter revolved around users having a character limit of 280. However, with the Twitter Blue subscription, users can now send tweets up to 4,000 characters long. This feature also extends to quote tweets and replies. Users can also include media in their longer posts. Arguments on Twitter are undoubtedly going to turn spicy!
Fewer Advertisements
If someone is shelling out ₹900 for a Twitter Blue subscription then the least they can expect is a completely ad-free experience. However, that is not the case with Twitter Blue as they will see fewer ads than the people using the standard version. Under Musk’s Twitter leadership, ads have begun to show up under the replies section which is annoying, to say the least. But now you can pay nearly 1K every month to not see them.
Post Longer Videos
Earlier, users could only post videos up to 140 seconds on Twitter but with Twitter Blue, they can share videos up to 60 minutes. The option to post longer videos has been introduced in order to help content creators and live bloggers monetize their videos on Twitter. An interesting use of this new feature I witnessed on Twitter was users posting full-length movies broken down into two or more parts. I guess we’re watching films on Twitter now?
The verified checkmark
The predominant attraction of the Twitter Blue subscription is users getting the verified checkmark. Though I do not understand the appeal of the checkmark as clicking on it on a user’s profile reveals that it only exists cause the user has subscribed to Twitter Blue. If Twitter wouldn’t be snitching on users for basically buying the checkmark then it would’ve been a different ball game altogether. Besides the Blue tick, users also get access to features like editing tweets, bookmark folders, custom app icons, and NFT profile images.
Hey, social media fanatics, welcome to our channel. Let’s discuss the Social Media Fiasco. What’s happening to the most consumed form of media across the globe? It’s 2023, and social media is more ingrained in our daily lives than ever! Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, WhatsApp, etc., if you are familiar with any of these social media platforms, you are at the right place. As it’s popularly known – The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance. Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. It has changed how we communicate, shares information, and consume news. The role of social media in society is both positive and negative.
On the positive side, social media has allowed individuals to connect with people worldwide. It has also made it easier for people to stay in touch with friends and family living far away. Social media has also played a crucial role in the spread of information, particularly during times of crisis. For example, social media has been used during natural disasters to disseminate important information to affected communities.
However, there are also negative aspects of social media. The constant use of social media has been linked to increased feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Additionally, the spread of misinformation on social media can have serious consequences. For example, false information about COVID-19 has led to confusion and mistrust among government officials and health experts. Another concern is the impact of social media on privacy. Many social media platforms collect user data, which could be sold to third parties for advertising or other purposes. This has raised concerns about protecting personal information and the potential for data misuse.
The impact of social media on society is complex and multifaceted. While it has brought many benefits, it has also created new challenges. It is essential for individuals to be aware of the potential risks and to use social media responsibly. Society must be critical of social media’s role in their lives and ensure they know the potential negative impacts. It’s also important to use the platform responsibly and to be mindful of the potential risks, such as spreading misinformation and protecting personal information. But as we scroll through our feeds, we’re increasingly confronted with a dark side to these social media platforms. From the misuse of user data to the proliferation of misinformation, nudity and inappropriate social influence, a series of scandals question the role of social media in our society.
Let’s start with Instagram, the once-photo-sharing platform owned by Facebook, which has been at the centre of several controversies. Humans are getting better at tricking AI. There’s borderline nudity when you scroll and wide-spread video categories for people of different interests to flood something that matches their psychological and emotional consciousness. Researchers have found that this is, in fact, the most commonly used drug-like service which gives you short doses of dopamine. Mind you, we do not have an unlimited source of dopamine in our brains. Think of it like your energy. Every on your screen that makes you smile or feel something good or disastrously wrong consumes your daily power. Result – The more you scroll, the more you crave. The more you scroll, the more you are depleted from your brain’s happy hormones. This is a significant concern in viewers of all age categories resulting in widespread anxiety, depression and loneliness. AI algorithms are well-defined to be user-specific while also being addictive. Instagram has also been criticised for its role in promoting unrealistic and harmful beauty standards. The platform has been accused of promoting a culture of perfectionism, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy and negative body image.
The most common form of addiction is repetition. Did you find yourself getting bored, instantly reaching out to your phone for some information, and then noticing minutes passed as you scrolled your favourite channels or random videos? In recent years, the platform has been criticised for not doing enough to combat nudity, hate speech and online harassment. Many users have reported feeling unsafe and unwelcome on the platform, and there have been calls for Instagram to do more to combat this addiction. Additionally, Instagram has been scrutinised for not doing enough to protect the well-being of its younger users, who risk developing mental health issues due to the pressure of maintaining a perfect online persona. Twitter, another popular social media platform, has faced its fair share of controversies. The platform has been criticised for not doing enough to combat misinformation. The CEO has a funny bone and particularly in the USA’s Presidential elections blunder. False and misleading information was spread through Twitter, which led to confusion and mistrust among the electorate.
YouTube is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, with over 2 billion monthly active users. However, the platform has been plagued by several controversies in recent years, leading many to question whether it is a viable and safe place for users. One of the most significant issues with YouTube is the proliferation of fake news and conspiracy theories on the platform. A report from the New York Times found that YouTube’s algorithm tends to promote sensational or controversial videos, regardless of their accuracy. This has led to spreading misinformation on the platform, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Limiting 4K content and thousands of ads, sometimes larger than the actual video, do Youtube a fantastic free service with its idiosyncratic elements. The platform has been criticised for not doing enough to remove hate speech and harmful content. YouTube’s advertising problem is also worth mentioning. The platform has been criticised for allowing ads to run on videos that contain hate speech or other offensive content. This has led to several major brands pulling their advertising from the platform, causing a significant loss of revenue for YouTube. In addition to these issues, YouTube has also been criticised for handling children’s content on the forum. The company has faced several legal challenges over collecting data on children and the inappropriate content found on the platform.
In conclusion, YouTube is a social media platform plagued by many controversies in recent years. From spreading fake news and conspiracy theories to hosting hate speech and harassment, the platform has faced several challenges that have led many to question its viability and safety for users. While YouTube and others have made some efforts to address these issues, it remains to be seen whether these changes will be enough to regain the trust of its users. Other social media platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and LinkedIn have also faced similar controversies. Misusing user data, spreading misinformation, artificial idols, nudity and the proliferation of hate speech in many forms, like personal attacks, are issues that affect all social media platforms.
Hope is a waking dream
The good news is that many social media companies are starting to take these issues more seriously. Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and other platforms have begun to invest in new technologies and tools to combat misinformation, and many have pledged to improve transparency and user privacy. However, more needs to be done. Social media has the power to connect us, inform us, and bring us together. But it can also be used to divide us, deceive us, and harm us. It’s time for social media companies to take responsibility for their impact on our society, for people to be more aware and for governments to step in with more robust regulations.
In conclusion, social media has become an integral part of society, but it is essential to be aware of the potential negative impacts and use it responsibly. It has the power to connect people and share information, but it’s important to be mindful of the potential risks and use it to benefit society as a whole. Ultimately, it’s up to us, the users, to be more critical and selective about the information we consume and share on social media and to push for more accountability from the companies that control these powerful platforms. We must use these platforms with caution and consciousness and demand that these companies take more responsibility for their platforms’ impact on our society. Use social media responsibly. Conscious choices will safeguard many unconscious life decisions.
The internet is full of controversial personalities gaining a platform to voice their opinions and forming a great fan following. it was only a few weeks back when fitness influencer ‘Liver King’ admitted using steroids all while building a $100 million empire propagating against the use of steroids and eating raw meat. On the other hand, Logan Paul’s CryptoZoo NFT Game was exposed to be a ‘total scam’ by YouTuber CoffeeZilla. Now, another social media personality who garnered a massive following for his controversial and misogynistic takes, Andrew Tate, has been taken into custody by Romanian authorities for an alleged human trafficking case.
Andrew Tate in custody
British social media influencer Andrew Tate was detained in Romania on Friday in a human trafficking and rape investigation. This development came only a day after he and climate activist Greta Thunberg got into a social media beef. Tate, a former kickboxer and his brother Tristan Tate were detained. Reports suggest that the Tate brothers have been under criminal investigation since back in April for being linked with an organised crime group.
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Tate is famously known to flex his cars and mansions on social media asking his naysayers ‘How Many Bugattis Do You Own?’ which quickly became a rage among his fans. During his social media feud with Greta Thunberg, Tate was flexing the number of cars he has and received a witty reply from Thunberg. In a response to Thunberg’s reply, Tate posted a video where he could be seen receiving pizza boxes and smoking a cigar. Interestingly, the pizza boxes shown in the video became a vital hint for Romanian authorities to grab Tate as they had the Pizza chain’s address on them which was in Romania. To sum it all up, Andrew Tate doxed himself on the internet while trying to shit-talk a 19-year-old and was taken into custody!
Andrew Tate’s audience is what is popularly known on the internet as the ‘Alpha Male’ community that looks down upon women. Tate caters to a large group of incel men who believe women are below them and should be of service to them. In his videos, the former kickboxer often talks about domestic abuse and how men should ‘control’ women. Several domestic abuse charities have come forward and stated that his videos are capable of radicalising his audience which consists of young men and boys. If anything else, his radical narrative against women is enough for him to be kept away from social media altogether.
It hasn’t entirely been a good year for Facebook’s parent company Meta. This year saw one of Meta’s biggest drops in share prices followed by the mass firing of employees. Now, Meta has agreed to pay $275 million to settle a class-action lawsuit claiming it inappropriately shared users’ information with Cambridge Analytica. For the unversed, Cambridge Analytica is a data analytics firm that was used by the Trump Campaign.
The settlement is a result of a revelations made back in 2018 that information up to 87 million people may have been accessed by third-party firm which filed for bankruptcy back then. On a court filing on last Thursday, the plaintiffs’ lawyers revealed that this is most Facebook has ever paid to settle a private class action. This also marks as the largest recovery ever in a data privacy class action lawsuit. On the other hand, Meta did not admit any wrongdoing and maintains that its users actually consented to the data sharing practices and ultimately did not suffer any damages.
Plaintiffs’ lawyers have now revealed that around 250 million to 280 million may be eligible to payments as part of the class action settlement. However, the amount of the individual payments will depend on the number of people who come forward with valid claims about their data getting compromised.
Facebook’s data leaks to Cambridge Analytica back in 2018 sparked major backlash around the world which later resulted in government investigations regarding the company’s privacy practices for nearly half a decade. This won’t be the first time Facebook has agreed to a monetary fine regarding its data privacy concern. Back in 2020, Zuckerberg had appeared in front of the Congress as a part of the Federal Trade Commission’s privacy case for which the company agreed to pay $5 billion in fine. The court has set a hearing date for March 2, 2023 when a federal judge will give the final settlement approval for the Cambridge Analytica case.
Twitter has seen a number of changes ever since Elon Musk bought the micro-blogging platform for an exorbitant price ($44 Billion to be precise) After shelling out a fortune for Twitter, it was expected that Musk would bring about massive changes to the platform which started off with his promise of ‘Freedom of Speech’ which quickly turned sour as accounts criticising Musk and many journalists started losing their accounts left and right. Then came the Twitter Blue debacle where verified accounts were offered to users at a price of $8 per month. However, the subscription model was then rolled back and is still awaiting a relaunch. Until then, Twitter is figuring out ways to differentiate between legacy verified accounts and Twitter Blue subscribers. The solution? color-coded verified ticks!
Grey tick mark for government accounts on Twitter
Twitter has begun rolling out a grey tick verification mark for government accounts. Whereas, accounts affiliated with businesses have already received a golden tick mark. This new deployment of the grey tick mark has already been deployed for the honourable PM of India’s Twitter account.
It was back on December 12 when Twitter announced it would be changing the ‘official’ label on business accounts with a golden checkmark. While it also announced that grey checkmarks would be added to government and multilateral accounts, it was applied till now. PM Modi seems to be one of the first political figures around the world to receive the grey checkmark on Twitter.
This is one way to curb the increase in impersonation of popular people on Twitter. It was only a few weeks back when Twitter Blue launched a slew of accounts impersonating Elon Musk himself flooded Twitter, talk about a backfire! However, with drastic changes coming to Twitter, it will be interesting how the social media platform transforms under Musk’s leadership.
There hasn’t been a dull day on Twitter ever since Elon Musk took command of the platform. Only a few days back, Musk stepped on the stage with Dave Chappelle in San Francisco to get brutally booed by people in the audience. It looks like the public booing has brought about a change of heart for Elon who recently took to Twitter and started a poll asking people if he should quit the Twitter CEO position.
Elon Musk’s CEO resign poll
Elon Musk recently took to Twitter and started a poll asking if he should step down as the head of Twitter. If the results are to be believed, it looks like Musk will be quitting the CEO position soon. He’s promised to abide by the results of the poll and so far there have been over 3.8 million people have voted in the poll, with the majority in favour of him resigning as the CEO of Twitter. Talk about digging your own grave!
It looks like Musk has now accepted the fate of having to step down as the Twitter CEO as he followed up the poll by tweeting ‘As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it’
However, his stepping down as Twitter CEO could be a relief for Musk as he is currently the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter. A little decluttering never hurt anyone! Elon does need to divert his attention to Tesla as the company’s stock has plunged 62.55 per cent over the last year, upsetting a number of Tesla shareholders.
It was only yesterday when Elon was spotted in Qatar watching the FIFA world cup final between France and Argentina with Jared Kushner, who is the son-in-law of Donald Trump. It was only back in October when it was revealed that Prince Alwaleed bin Talal from Saudi Arabia and his investment firm was the second-largest investor of Twitter. This has brought about another backlash towards Musk who was already under public scrutiny. In the short time Elon took over Twitter, there has been the Twitter blue controversy, massive lay-offs, suspension of journalists from the platform, the Apple controversy, and much more! It will be interesting to see how things pan out once Elon has stepped down from the CEO position of Twitter, or will he?
What happens when tech giants like Apple and Google decide to drop an application from their app stores? Besides the obvious lawsuits, the banned application or platform takes a major hit when it comes to revenue and adding new users. Something on similar lines was witnessed by Epic Games’ Fortnite when Apple and Google decided to drop the game from their platform. Now, Elon Musk has shared what his plans are for if and when Apple and Google drop Twitter from their respective stores.
Elon Musk’s ‘Alternative Phone’
Musk fanatics are quick to support the billionaire when it comes to almost anything. But, will they buy a phone to use Twitter and prove their loyalty to him? Musk surely thinks so as he recently hinted that he may have to create an alternative phone.
Both Apple and Google charge app developers a fee of 15-30% on all-app transactions. On the other hand, Twitter is all set to roll out the $8 Blue subscription yet again. Since it will be an in-app purchase, Twitter will have to adhere to the rules laid out by Apple/Google to pay up the 15-30% fee. It is not sure whether Musk will retaliate against this practice by the tech giants or simply go with it. Thus, when a known podcast host put forward the idea of Musk making his own smartphone device, the billionaire found it interesting.
Elon Musk tweeted that if it ever comes to the point where Apple and Google kick Twitter out of their respective app stores then he would be left with no other choice but to build his own alternative smartphone. Musk fanatics were quick to jump in and write that he has the potential to revolutionize the smartphone market. Is a Tesla phone in the works? We’ll see!
