Ever since it gave birth to its first anonymous, hateful egg, Twitter has been promising to do something to repair its reputation as a verbal battle royale of vitriolic threats and malicious dog-piling. After a decade of half-steps (and steps back, in some cases), Twitter has now given an actual timeline for when it will implement what it hopes are policy changes that will result in a less menacing social media platform — but can Twitter actually stuff its nasty genie back in the bottle? [More]
Twitter Cracks Down On Nudity, Harassment & Violence… Again
By 10.18.17
For years now, Twitter has been rolling out tool after tool designed to combat harassment and abuse. While the company says these initiatives are working — despite a lack of data — it’s also doubling down on its efforts: Twitter will soon roll out another set of changes to protect users. [More]
Twitter Expands Tweets To 280 Characters For Some Users
By 9.27.17
Did you wake up this morning to find you have a few long-winded friends on Twitter? It’s possible, as the micro-blogging site doubled its long-standing 140-character limit… for some users. [More]
Twitter May Be Testing A Feature That Automates Tweetstorms
By 9.11.17
When posting on Twitter, you’re limited to 140 characters. You can only replace so many words with emojis, which is why people share extended thoughts in the form of “tweetstorms,” or linked Tweets that tell a longer story. This is tricky to put together, though. In an effort to make it easier, Twitter may be testing a way to automate the process. [More]
Hackers Briefly Take Control Of Some HBO Twitter Accounts
By 8.17.17
It’s been a rough few weeks for HBO: Not one, but two unreleased episodes of its hit show Game of Thrones have been leaked online ahead of schedule, and hackers are claiming to hold massive amounts of the company’s data for ransom. And on Wednesday night, a group of hackers temporarily took over various HBO Twitter accounts. [More]
Judge Rules That Politician Violated First Amendment By Banning Critical Commenter
By 7.27.17
With politicians — most notably our current President — using social media to communicate directly to the world, the question is now being asked whether a lawmaker is violating the First Amendment when they actively block people from following them online. One federal court has chimed in, finding that a politician in Virginia crossed the line when she temporarily banned a constituent from commenting on her Facebook page. [More]
Twitter Claims Anti-Abuse Tools Are Working — But Where’s The Data?
By 7.20.17
After launching various new efforts to combat harassment and abuse, Twitter says it’s doing a bangup job of making users feel safer on the platform. But that’s according to internal data, hard numbers the company isn’t sharing — at least, not yet. [More]
Netflix Tweets That New Animated Series Is “R-Rated As F—“
By 7.7.17
When we first saw a Tweet from Netflix that dropped an f-bomb to promote a new program, we assumed that it would disappear from the internet, and we would have a new entry for the Unintended Tweet Hall of Fame, like the time Chrysler’s social media account observed that “no one [in Detroit] knows how to f—ing drive.” Yet the Tweet remains, apparently not the work of a rogue contractor or animation-loving hacker. [More]
The ‘Infinite Campaign’ Creates Absurdly Specific Twitter Ads Based On Your Supposed Interests
By 7.5.17
We may be getting used to seeing targeted online ad campaigns based on our browsing history and social media interactions, but what about ads that are literally nothing more than generic statements of what Twitter’s ad-targeting algorithm thinks about us? [More]
Is Getting Twitter-Blocked By The President A Violation Of Your First Amendment Rights?
By 6.7.17 — Updated: 6.9.17
Many of the strange situations we encounter thanks to the digital media era are really just old problems in new clothes: Your employer was able to find out if you got drunk and embarrassed yourself at a party long before Facebook, for example. But some of the questions of our modern age really are unique. Among them, now: If the President of the United States gets annoyed enough with you that he blocks you on Twitter, has the government just violated your Constitutional rights? [More]
Tweeting Before The Big Game Is Not Going To Help You Win
By 6.6.17 — Updated: 6.9.17
Staying up late and failing to get enough sleep can impair your performance the following day. This includes NBA players who stay up Tweeting, a new report finds. [More]
Everyone Thinks Apple’s HomePod Looks Like Really Expensive Toilet Paper
By 6.6.17
When Apple announced yesterday that it would be joining the likes of Google and Amazon with a Siri-connected speaker that can play music called the HomePod, the reaction was immediate. “It’s expensive!” some said of the $349 price tag. “It’s been done!” others chimed in. “It looks like a roll of toilet paper!” said basically everyone. [More]
Twitter Creates New Inbox For Direct Messages From Strangers
By 5.30.17
Twitter has long allowed users to contact each other privately through Direct Messages, but usually only if the two accounts are following each other. That’s about to change. [More]
Some Vine Users’ Email Addresses, Phone Numbers Exposed
By 5.19.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
Like stumbling onto a bunch of Pitbull songs some ex put in your music library four years ago, the ghost of video-sharing platform Vine continues to haunt the internet. See, even though Vine is dead and gone, its cache of user information is not — and now some of that data has apparently been leaked. [More]
Levi’s Slammed For Referencing AIDS Memorial Quilt To Sell Jeans
By 5.18.17
While it’s always refreshing to see big companies trying to do their part to give back to their customers and support important social issues, sometimes these efforts hit the wrong note. To wit: Levi’s is facing backlash on social media over a Tweet promoting its upcoming Pride collection. [More]
McDonald’s Sorry For Using Grieving Child To Sell Filet-O-Fish Sandwiches
By 5.16.17
McDonald’s has apparently given up on the idea of associating its food with even moderately enjoyable moments in life. Instead, the fast food giant decided to go dark — like, really dark — for a recent ad that markets the chain’s fish sandwich as some sort of replacement for a dead father. [More]
Even Politicians Spend The Day Rage-Tweeting About Comcast
By 4.18.17
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has rarely been shy about sharing his political opinions, but this week the two-time presidential candidate laser-focused his ire at a favorite target for millions of Americans, regardless of their party affiliation: Comcast. [More]
Wendy’s Recipe For A Big Mac: “Dash Of Shame… 2 Spoonfuls Of Disappointment”
By 4.14.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Whatever you feel about Wendy’s food, you have to respect any national brand that’s willing to let its Twitter account behave like that tipsy cousin at a wedding reception who doesn’t really care what you think about their outfit or dance moves. [More]
