Social media News

Minneapolis - Target Corporation ended its pilot project of placing miniature shopping carts for children in some stores. The kids loved them but the small carts came under fire from parents, employees and other shoppers and their views were made known on social media.

Twitter stock soars amid rumours Google may buy the company

The value of Twitter's stock has climbed more than 20 percent today, propelled by a report that Google and Salesforce are considering a bid to buy the company. It is thought Microsoft and Verizon are other possible suitors in the $13 billion deal.

Social media outrage behind Congressional hearing over EpiPen

By Karen Graham

When Mylan, the maker of the EpiPen raised the price of the life-saving device almost 600 percent, angry parents spoke out on social media platforms, forcing a price reduction, of sorts, and a full Congressional hearing next week.

Facebook Live is coming to the desktop

Facebook has confirmed it is beginning the roll-out of its personal livestreaming service, Facebook Live, on desktop-based devices. A small number of users now have access to the feature. It allows you to broadcast videos using your PC's webcam.

YouTube gets social with new Community tab

YouTube has announced a preview of a feature that will see its platform become more like a social network. Currently available to a handful of select channels, the new Community tab allows users to post text, images, live videos and GIFs in their feed.

Social media giants FB, Twitter join coalition against fake news

By Lucky Malicay

Facebook and Twitter are joining news organizations and technology groups in an alliance that aims to filter out fake news and improve the quality of information on social networks.

Twitter's longer tweets are coming on September 19

Twitter is about to get an update that will allow you to write longer tweets. From September 19, media attachments, quoted tweets and mentions of other users will no longer count towards the character limit, giving you more space to express yourself.

Twitter to live-stream video programs on business, tech, media

By Lucky Malicay

In a move aimed at expanding its audience, Twitter announced it is tapping finance news app Cheddar to deliver live video programs on business, media and technology to its millions of users.

Study finds posting on social media helps improve memory

Ithaca - A study conducted at Cornell University determined posting experiences on Facebook and other social media sites helps improve a person's memory. This was the first study of its kind although it has been known writing down experiences helps improve memory.

Top cities for Tinder users reveal who's using the app

It only takes one person to make your online dating experience a runaway success. But statistically speaking, your chances of meeting that one person go up as the number of potential matches increases.

Report: White supremacists use Twitter with 'relative impunity'

By Brett Wilkins

White nationalists, Nazis and other racists are using Twitter to spread their hateful messages with "relative impunity," according to a newly-released study.

Facebook refuses to wear the label of 'media company'

Facebook is a social network. Facebook is a conglomerate (it owns Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus VR). Facebook is a hardware company. Facebook is a software company.

Snapchat is introducing behavioural targeting

Snapchat is planning to introduce behavioral targeting for advertisers, the company's director of revenue operations Clement Xue revealed in an eMarketer report published earlier this week.

Spectacular talks new song, mixtape, book, social media platform Special

By Markos Papadatos

New York - Former Pretty Ricky and hip hop star Spectacular sat down and chatted with me in Manhattan about his latest projects, which include a new single, book, mixtape and social media platform, Adwizar.

Univision is shutting down Gawker.com

Univision, which bought Gawker Media for $135 million in a government-ordered auction, is shutting down Gawker.com, the company's flagship site, founder Nick Denton told staffers on Thursday. Gawker.com will shutter next week.

What will happen to the $135 million from the sale of Gawker?

Gawker Media has been sold — and with the sale comes questions of what happens next. Late Tuesday, Univision purchased the media company for $135 million following a bidding war with Ziff Davis.

Facebook to make your News Feed more interesting and informative

Facebook has announced it is tweaking its News Feed to show you more "personally informative" stories. The company is aiming to make the News Feed more interesting for each user, increasing engagement by only showing content relevant to each individual.

Australian police cracking down on social media drug dealing

It is not new or unique, but the South Australian Police announced they have arrested four men alleged to have used social media to openly sell drugs. And police say a crackdown on this activity will continue.

Facebook to banish clickbait and spam from your News Feed

Facebook has announced it is updating its News Feed to hide more clickbait stories with deliberately misleading headlines. It said it realises the benefits of authentic communication and is making the change based on extensive user feedback.

Instagram introduces Stories, an almost total Snapchat clone

Instagram has announced a new feature called Stories, a name which might sound a little familiar. There's more in common with Snapchat Stories here than just the name though, as Instagram has almost completely copied Snapchat's original idea.

Social media helps drive healthy eating choices

By Tim Sandle

Birmingham - Regular exposure to healthy eating and good food choices via social media drive changes to the eating habits of people, such as consuming more fruit and vegetables and eschewing fatty food. This is according to a new study.

Twitter, Facebook took stronger action to block pro-attack posts

By Nathan Salant

San Francisco - Social media giants Twitter and Facebook took unprecedented steps last week to stop some users from celebrating carnage from the suspected terror attack in Nice, France.

Smile! Today is World Emoji Day

By Tim Sandle

There's a day for everything, it seems. Today is the turn of social media with World Emoji Day. Events are taking place on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook using the hashtag #WorldEmojiDay.

3 arrested for social media threats to kill cops, whites

On Friday, one day after five police officers were killed in Dallas, three individuals were arrested and charged after it was alleged they threatened to kill police officers and whites. These threats were all made on social media.

Facebook announces encryption is coming to Messenger

Facebook has begun a trial of protecting Messenger conversations with end-to-end encryption, preventing them from being intercepted by third parties before they reach their intended recipient. It will allow it to rival other encrypted apps.

Facebook expands video with trial of offline playback

Facebook is testing a new feature with some users that could reduce your phone bill by allowing you to save videos offline for later viewing. Facebook views video as integral to the future of its platform and has moved to emphasise video content.

From fake photos to fake fireworks, social media speaks out

By Karen Graham

The live fireworks display over Washington D.C. aired by PBS Monday night weren't exactly live, as many social media users were quick to notice, while in Nepal, a picture of a couple from India claiming they climbed Mt. Everest may have been altered.

Facebook Paper is closing down

Facebook has announced it is closing down its news-reading app Paper. The app failed to emulate the success of news aggregators like Flipboard and will be closed down next month two years after its launch. The app has already been pulled from iOS.

DHS wants visitors to U.S. to provide social media accounts