Brand Management: TikTok Launches Instagram-Like App, NY Gov. Signs Protective Social Media Bill
Social Networking Service: Testing by The Wall Street Journal and an academic researcher confirmed that accounts for users listed as 13 years old were shown sexually suggestive content on Instagram Reels. The testing was conducted over seven months. Though Meta has dismissed the report, internal testing previously conducted by Instagram’s parent company reportedly showed similar results.
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy acquired an activist stake in Buzzfeed. The announcement of the acquisition led Buzzfeed shares to gain about 20%. Ramaswamy has acquired 8.4% in the media company. However, Ramaswamy is urging the company to take a more conservative approach in its content with suggestions including axing staff, a new focus on video content, and hiring former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Ramaswamy’s suggestion is significant due to Buzzfeed’s liberal-leaning bias. The media company was incredibly popular on YouTube during the mid-2010s, where it often highlighted people of color and LGBTQIA+ voices while criticizing politicians like former president Donald Trump.
The cast of the sitcom Modern Family reunited for a WhatsApp commercial. The four members of the cast in the commercial include Julie Bowen (Claire Dunphy), Ty Burrell (Phil Dunphy), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Mitchell Pritchett), and Eric Stonestreet (Cameron Tucker).
Additionally, WhatsApp has added four new upgrades for its users including video calling for thirty-two people at a time, a feature called “Speaker Spotlight”, screen sharing with audio, and better call quality. The “Speaker Spotlight” feature is meant to enhance the new increase in video call capacity. “Speaker Spotlight” automatically highlights whoever is talking during a video call and bumps their profile to the top of a user’s screen. This feature is common on other video call platforms such as Zoom.
Chinese company Huawei Technologies is expanding its mobile platform HarmonyOS into WeChat and ByteDance. HarmonyOS recently dethroned Apple’s iOS to become China’s second-ranked mobile operating platform. This expansion to support WeChat and ByteDance, China’s two largest social media platforms, would give Huawei an immense boost in popularity and could bump them up to number one.
Users can now join Discord calls directly from PlayStation 5 consoles. Rather than calling separately on a different device, PS5 players can call directly from their system just like other gaming systems have been able to. Other June updates include interface updates for Discord’s mobile app, an expansion to gifting Discord Nitro, a variety of new music services and games.
tiktok
Online Video Platform: TikTok has launched a new Instagram-like app called Whee. Similar to the Meta-owned platform, Whee allows for users to share photos with friends. Features include a photo viewfinder, private messaging, and a feed. Testing appears to still be underway. Though it is available in more than a dozen countries, the U.S. is not included in the list. Additionally, the app is only available on Android, leaving Apple users out of luck.
As Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” sweeps across Europe, TikTok has built an in-app experience for Swifties. Users can add their digital profile frames and create in-app friendship bracelets by completely Swift-themed challenges. Those who complete eleven weeks of tasks will receive a limited-edition Swift-themed profile picture frame. The experience also features video highlights from each stop on the European tour during its eleven-week run. Swifties can view these highlights by clicking on an anchor symbol on Swift content or by interacting with search banners that contain terms related to the Eras Tour.
A lawsuit was recently filed against Twitch claiming its home page and tag system infringed on RazDog Holdings’ patents. Twitch’s main page features a rotating carousel of live streams upon entry, allowing visitors to scroll through its many creators. RazDog Holdings claims that the technology used to power this feature infringes on a patent they filed in 2011. The company also claims that Twitch’s tag and suggested channel systems infringe on a separate patent. They are asking for a trial by jury.
An ex-employee of Kick made claims about the company’s culture of racism, homophobia, and “consistent disrespect”. The streaming platform is known for its free speech absolutist policy which allows for a wider variety of opinions that other video platforms ban in their terms of service. Despite this behavior, allegations of workplace behavior have not been officially released before this employee, known as Melissa, came forward. Melissa claims that “the hard ‘R’” and other slurs are heard frequently at Kick’s office and that the company is purposefully negligent of its underage users. Though many of her complaints have yet to be verified Kick staff have denied her claims. The platform is known for championing creators that oftentimes stream copyrighted material, promote hate speech, and even show pornography. These actions are not allowed on other online video platforms.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy
Industry: New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill targeting social media feeds for minors. The new law, entitled the “Safe for Kids Act”, requires social media companies to restrict addictive feeds for users below 18. The act also bars notifications from social media platforms related to feeds between midnight and 6 AM without parental consent. Additionally, the act requires new age verification and parental consent tools to be set by New York’s attorney general. However, a group representing tech companies has pushed against the act arguing that it would violate the First Amendment by censoring online free speech. In a statement with CBS News, Meta said that while it supports legislation requiring app stores to obtain parental approval to install certain apps, it does not support every aspect of the “Safe for Kids Act” specifically. The new law is expected to take effect 180 days after New York Attorney General Letitia James finalizes exact rules and guidelines. Any social media platforms that do not comply can be fined up to $5,000 per violation by James.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called for warnings on social media platforms for underage users. Murthy’s vision for these warnings is similar to those of tobacco products. “A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe.” The surgeon general wrote these words in an op-ed for the New York Times where he also linked several reports correlating the amount of time children spend on social media with symptoms of mental illness like anxiety and depression. While Murthy acquiesces that research on the subject isn’t 100% conclusive, he remains firm on the subject.
The nation’s second-largest school district voted to ban cellphone and social media use for its students during the school day. The Los Angeles Unified School District passed the bill a day after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for warning labels on social media platforms. The ban will affect over 429,000 students ranging from Kindergarten to 12th grade. The school district has 120 days to develop and present updated cellphone and social media policies.
