social networks
The fediverse — the name for the social network made of interconnected servers, like Mastodon and others — got another boost of legitimacy Tuesday as the @Potus (President of the…
With over 3 million users and plans to open up more broadly in the months ahead, Bluesky is still establishing itself as an alternative to Twitter/X. However, that hasn’t stopped…
Claim, a social network that lets users earn and trade rewards with friends, raises $4M
Claim, a platform that is both a rewards app and a social network, has raised $4 million in a seed funding round led by Sequoia Capital. The startup is on…
Threads is rolling out its hashtags without the hash symbol globally
Meta’s social network Threads got a major update Thursday as the company started rolling out tags (without the hash symbol) on the platform. Users will be able to tag only…
Bluesky introduced a bunch of updates on Friday to its mobile apps and website, including a new tab to see your own likes, notification support for apps and an emoji…
While platforms like Reddit and Twitter are changing rules and making life difficult for developers of third-party clients, the ecosystem of Mastodon apps is still growing. Today, indie developer Jake…
YouTube’s ‘dislike’ and ‘not interested’ options don’t do much for your recommendations, study says
There is no secret that both viewers and creators are confused by the puzzle that is YouTube’s recommendation algorithm. Now, a new study by Mozilla suggests that users’ recommendations don’t…
Parler forms a new parent company to offer ‘uncancelable’ cloud services
One of the alternative social networks to emerge out of the social media backlash of the Trump era is apparently going to try something new. Parler announced Friday that it…
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Google blocks Truth Social from the Play Store — Will Apple be next?
Google’s decision to block the Truth Social app’s launch on the Play Store over content moderation issues raises the question as to why Apple hasn’t taken similar action over the iOS version of the app that’s been live on the App Store since February. According to a report by Axios, Google found numerous posts that…
It’s not a DAO, it’s a Koop: 21-year-old founder raises $5M for NFT fan engagement
Natalia Murillo was an undergraduate at the University of Southern California when a professor taught her about the cryptographic technique of zero-knowledge proofs. She’s been immersed in web3 and blockchain…
Following its Series A, Poparazzi’s team is readying a new social app that goes beyond photos
The company behind last summer’s hot social app Poparazzi appears to be readying a round two following its $15 million Series A announced in June. A new listing in the App…
Meta and Twitter purge web of accounts spreading pro-US propaganda abroad
In the post-2016 U.S. election world, secretive online campaigns designed to influence global politics are nothing new. And while U.S. adversaries like Russia, Iran and China have been linked to…
Meta officially rolls out its new metaverse ID system
Meta, formerly Facebook, has officially rolled out what it’s calling Meta accounts and Meta Horizon Profiles. The global launch will be gradual, but both “accounts” are to be used in…
Along’s new mobile app lets creators record ‘infinite length’ video collabs
All major social networks, including Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, have their own take on how collaborations should work. But most of these features have constraints like time limits and the…
A new TikTok feature lets creators share TikTok Stories to Facebook and Instagram
Facebook and Instagram may be busy trying to clone TikTok within their own apps as Reels, but a new feature rolling out now from TikTok will see the short-form video…
Snapchat officially introduces parental controls through a new ‘Family Center’ feature
Snapchat today is rolling out its first set of parental controls, after announcing last October it was developing tools that would allow parents to gain better visibility into how their…
Twitter now lets all businesses display location and contact info on their profiles
Twitter announced today that all businesses with professional accounts can now display their location address, hours of operation and additional contact information on their profiles via its Location Spotlight feature.…
Salesforce shutters Hong Kong office, leans on Alibaba in China
Salesforce is repositioning itself in China as it looks to expand the reach of its customer relationship management software in the country. The company is “accelerating” its strategic partnership with…
Study of Facebook friendships explores how economic mobility works in the US
A large-scale study of Facebook data sheds new light on the ties between Americans — and how those relationships in turn shape economic outcomes. A research team led by Harvard…
Tedooo raises $3M to scale its social network for buyers and sellers
Tedooo, a Tel Aviv-based social network marketed toward the trade world, has raised $3 million in seed funding led by Stardom Ventures. The platform is designed to help boost and…
Amazon sues admins from 10,000 Facebook groups over fake reviews
If the reviews of the last completely necessary and not at all superfluous thing you bought on Amazon looked like so much copypasta, there’s a good reason: Fake reviews abound…
Twitter lays off 30% of its talent acquisition team
Twitter laid off 30% of its talent acquisition team today, two months into a companywide hiring freeze. A Twitter spokesperson confirmed these layoffs but declined to share the exact number…
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The next big social platform is the smartphone’s homescreen
BeReal, LiveIn, Locket… what do these new consumer social apps have in common besides a highly ranked position on the App Store’s Top Charts? They engage their users through a combination of push notifications and homescreen widgets, instead of forcing people to spend a long time browsing their app, scrolling feeds or watching creator content.…
If you must conduct layoffs, don’t be a jerk
Since our last column, another smattering of tech startups has laid off employees. We get it. Layoffs happen. But as we conduct yet another week of analysis into a depressing…
Google and Meta closing ads in Russia helped Putin, argues Navalny
Jailed Kremlin critic, Alexey Navalny, has hit out at adtech giants Meta and Google for shutting off advertising inside Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine which he argues has…
Gen Z social app Yubo rolls out age ‘estimating’ technology to better identify minors using its service
Yubo, a social livestreaming app popular with a Gen Z audience, announced today it’s becoming one of the first major social platforms to adopt a new age verification technique that…
Primitives wants to turn your crypto wallet into a social network
Only a handful of “whales,” or big spenders, still own the majority of NFTs. While the digital assets have piqued widespread consumer interest, the user experience associated with actually minting…
Snapchat’s parental control features spotted in development
Snapchat is preparing to introduce a new parental control feature dubbed “Family Center,” which will allow parents to see who their teen is friends with on the app as well…
Twitter will hide false tweets from high-profile accounts during times of crisis
In its ongoing effort to combat misinformation about breaking news, Twitter is rolling out a crisis misinformation policy to ensure that it doesn’t amplify falsehoods during times of widespread strife.…
Twitter tries to woo anxious advertisers with a slate of premium video content at the NewFronts
Twitter returned to the Digital Content NewFronts this evening to pitch its upcoming premium video content slate to advertisers, as it had in previous years. But this time around, the…
