Social Media

Shopping, streaming, and memes: Top 10 social media trends that ruled 2024

In 2024, India's digital space was abuzz with creativity, commerce, and viral moments. With over 900 million users, India set the pace for global social media trends. Here's what ruled this year

Australia's social media ban for kids sparks debate on advertising ethics

Marketers and platforms face scrutiny as new rules aim to protect children under 16 from online harm

Apple hits out at Meta platforms' numerous interoperability requests

Under the European Union's landmark Digital Markets Act that took effect last year, Apple must allow rivals and app developers to inter-operate with its own services

The influencer economy: Macro, micro, and nano world of influencers

The concluding part of the two-part influencer economy series delves into How marketers can use influencers for a brand and what the challenges are

No returns after investing 8 lakh: Woman quits YouTube, deletes all content

Indian YouTuber Nalini Unagar quit YouTube after three years. She claimed that she invested Rs 8 lakh but earned nothing from Google's video platform

TikTok CEO Chew meets President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago ahead of US ban

The private meeting, confirmed by a source familiar with the discussion, came just hours after Trump suggested he'd somehow try to reverse the ban to save TikTok

China's Instagram-like Xiaohongshu making inroads with e-commerce sales

Xiaohongshu, sometimes compared to Instagram, has long been one of China's most important marketing tools

Judges should avoid social media, refrain from commenting on rulings: SC

Observing that judges have to live a hermit life and work like a horse, the Supreme Court on Thursday said they should refrain from using social media and should not express any opinion about judgments. The oral remarks were made by a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh which was hearing a matter pertaining to the termination of two woman judicial officers by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The top court remarked that there is no place for flamboyance in judiciary. "Judicial officers should not go to Facebook. They should not comment on judgments because tomorrow if the judgment is cited, judge has already expressed one way or the other. "It is an open platform...You have to live life a hermit, work like a horse. So much sacrifice judicial officers have to do. They should not go into Facebook at all," the bench said in an oral observation. Senior advocate R Basant, appearing for one of the terminated woman judge, echoed the views of the bench and said no judicial

Here's why older people are among the biggest users of social media

Facebook remains the most popular among this demographic, serving as a gateway to reconnect with family and long-lost friends

#MenToo trends as netizens seek justice for Atul Subhash. What is #MenToo?

A 34-year-old Uttar Pradesh man committed suicide and left a 24-page death note alleging harassment by his wife, Nikita Singhania, and her relatives. Netizens express outrage, trend #MenToo on X

TikTok offers to pay its users to shop if they boost app downloads

Users can earn $50 for recruiting first-timers to sign up for TikTok and unlock an additional $350 in bonuses if they bring in more

Who is Luigi Mangione, the suspect in killing of UnitedHealth executive

Such posts by a Luigi Mangione, the name New York police have announced as the 26-year-old suspect in last week's killing of a health insurance executive in New York

TikTok inching closer to potential ban in US: Here's all you need to know

TikTok's future in the US appeared uncertain on Friday after a federal appeals court rejected a legal challenge to a law that requires the social media platform to cut ties with its China-based parent company or be banned by mid-January. A panel of three judges on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled unanimously that the law withstood constitutional scrutiny, rebuffing arguments from the two companies that the statute violated their rights and the rights of TikTok users in the US. The government has said it wants ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, to divest its stakes. But if it doesn't and the platform goes away, it would have a seismic impact on the lives of content creators who rely on the platform for income as well as users who use it for entertainment and connection. Here are some details on the ruling and what could happen next: What does the ruling say? In their lawsuit, TikTok and ByteDance, which is also a plaintiff in the case, had challen

Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in US

A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the US. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied TikTok's petition to overturn the law which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January and rebuffed the company's challenge of the statute, which it argued had ran afoul of the First Amendment. The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States, said the court's opinion, which was written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg. Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary's ability to gather data on people in the United States. TikTok and ByteDance another plaintiff in the lawsuit are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, though its unclear whethe

Bluesky isn't new Twitter, its resemblance to old one is drawing users

Though media and popular attention has been focused on Bluesky, Threads, which has nearly 300 million users, saw even more new sign-ups in November than Bluesky's entire user base. Nevertheless, even

Australia banning social media for people under 16: All you need to know

It is an ambitious social experiment of our moment in history one that experts say could accomplish something that parents, schools and other governments have attempted with varying degrees of success: keeping kids off social media until they turn 16. Australia's new law, approved by its Parliament last week, is an attempt to swim against many tides of modern life formidable forces like technology, marketing, globalisation and, of course, the iron will of a teenager. And like efforts of the past to protect kids from things that parents believe they're not ready for, the nation's move is both ambitious and not exactly simple, particularly in a world where young people are often shaped, defined and judged by the online company they keep. The ban won't go into effect for another year. But how will Australia be able to enforce it? That's not clear, nor will it be easy. TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram have become so ingrained in young people's lives that going cold turkey will be ...

US judge who rejected Musk's $56 bn pay deal faces social media backlash

McCormick, the Delaware Chancery Court's chief judge, is an old hand at dealing with Musk-related backlash. In January she got an earful from critics, both in online posts and letters to her chambers

Pakistan govt to implement steps to stop terrorists from using social media

Pakistan government on Tuesday said it will take comprehensive steps to curb the activities of banned terrorist organisations from operating on social media platforms. During a meeting of the National Action Plan (NAP) Coordination Committee, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in collaboration with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the government will work to block the accounts of terrorist groups. Provinces are also expected to implement a cohesive strategy to prevent the usage of illegal SIM cards. Naqvi strongly condemned the recent terrorist incidents in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, calling them "deeply regrettable and condemnable". He said to counter terrorism, the professional capabilities of Counter Terrorism Forces (CTFs) in these regions will be enhanced through full cooperation. The minister said efforts to strengthen law enforcement agencies such as the police and the Frontier Constabulary would be prioritised to improve security. "To imp

Govt blocks record 28,000 URLs in 2024; Facebook, X face maximum takedowns

The Indian government blocked over 28,000 URLs in 2024 under IT Act's Section 69A, targeting pro-Khalistan content, hate speech, and threats to national security across major social media platforms

Age restrictions: Australia's social-media law set to be a case study

The platforms are upset. The ban impacts a large chunk of their user base, and young people are among the most engaged users