After a bit of a “summer break,” Social Media in the News is back! And in the past few weeks, there has been a LOT happening, both serious and some things not-so serious:
TikTok’s Future in Doubt
Will it be banned in the U.S.? Will Microsoft buy it? How about Netflix? Will lip-synchers everywhere go somewhere else?
Every day has been something different. And as of this post, Twitter is now expressing interest in buying the company’s U.S. operations.
Pinterest is the Top Social Media Stock So Far
In the weirdness that is 2020, Pinterest is the top social media star on Wall Street. Stock of the site has been up more than 80% at times this year, far and away better than any other social media outlet.
What Now for Social Media Ads?
In July, more than 1,000 companies banded together to boycott advertising on Facebook and other social media outlets in an effort to curb hate speech.
Facebook says the boycott will hurt it’s 3rd quarter earnings, and some analysts say the boycott didn’t really get the message across.
“We call it just this whack-a-mole — and just one boycott versus another boycott, I mean, it’s not enough … Companies have to work together to hold the platforms that we spend money on [to account] and making them transparent … And no boycott on its own is going to get there,” Ann Mukherjee, CEO and chairman of Pernod Ricard North America, told CNBC.
Parents, Take a Pause Before Sharing
How much do you share on social media about your family? Have you ever thought about how it will impact things years from now?
A mother of three, a photographer and a children’s rights lawyer shares her thoughts with the New York Times on why parents need to take a pause on sharing so much of their families’ lives on social media.
Google Might Owe You Money
Did you use Google+? The failed social media experiment (it was actually around for 8 years), may have violated your privacy. A court-mandated settlement has now ordered Google to pay users $7.5 million.
But don’t get too excited. Your payment may only be worth a few gallons of gas …
Ellen is Alive and Well
Every so often, a celebrity will trend on Twitter and the first thought is: Is that person dead? That’s happened quite a bit lately.
In early July, #ripellen was trending, leading many to think the popular talk show host Ellen Degeneres had died.
That, though, was not the case. Some Twitter users found some humor in the trend and posted pictures of other celebrities that only kinda, sorta look like Ellen.
Tim Allen is Alive and Well, Too
And, “Home Improvement” actor Tim Allen is also alive and well after #riptimeallen trended.
He joined in the fun that day with his own tweet:
Larry Bird Tomato Look-a-Like Goes Wild on Twitter
Seen any veggies lately that look like professional athletes? Twitter user @bingowings14 posted a strange photo of a tomato in July that appeared to have eyes, a long nose and a somewhat sad-looking face.
Twitter users immediately jump on the photo to say it looked like former 1980s NBA star Larry Bird.
