Discord Shop is now available for all users to purchase virtual items to customize their profiles and avatars. (Discord) News 

Customize Your Profile and Avatar with Discord’s New Shop!

Discord, a worldwide communication service offering voice, video, and text features, has launched its Shop feature to all users globally. This allows users to enhance their Discord profiles with Avatar Decorations, Profile Effects, and other virtual accessories. Users can make purchases from the Shop through desktop or web apps, while mobile support is currently being developed. Nitro members will enjoy special pricing and access to an exclusive set of items available only to active Nitro members. What’s in store The store is a place where users can find a wide…

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Check out how Internet usage affects individual mental health. Check details of Oxford study here. (REUTERS) News 

Oxford Study Reveals: Is Internet Use Hurting Our Mental Health?

The impact of internet usage on mental health has long been a subject of debate. Despite assertions that social media and internet addiction are prevalent, a recent study conducted by Oxford University suggests that there is no significant global effect on mental health. The research conducted by the Oxford Internet Institute found no conclusive evidence linking internet usage to psychological harm. For a comprehensive understanding of the findings from the Oxford study, explore the details regarding internet usage. About the Oxford Internet Use Survey The Oxford Internet Institute conducted the…

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Nepal said on Monday it would ban China's TikTok, adding that social harmony and goodwill were being disturbed by "misuse" of the popular video app and there was rising demand to control it. News 

Nepal Joins India in Banning TikTok from China

KATHMANDU: Nepal said on Monday it would ban China’s TikTok, adding that “misuse” of the popular video app was disrupting social harmony and goodwill, and there was growing demand for its control. Other countries have already partially or completely banned TikTok, with many citing security concerns. Nepal has registered more than 1,600 TikTok-related cybercrime cases in the past four years, according to local media. Nepal’s Communications and Information Technology Minister Rekha Sharma said the decision to ban TikTok was taken at a cabinet meeting earlier on Monday. “Colleagues are working…

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People fact-checked social media posts more carefully and were more willing to revise their initial beliefs when they were paired with someone from a different cultural background than their own. (REUTERS) News 

Different Perspectives Lead to Deeper Fact-Checking: Study

A recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology, conducted by myself and my collaborators Michael Baker and Françoise Détienne, found that individuals demonstrated a greater inclination to fact-check social media posts and were more open to revising their initial beliefs when they were paired with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. If you’re French, you’re less likely than an Englishman to believe a tweet claiming that Great Britain produces more cheese than France. And if you’re English, you’re more likely than a French person to believe the tweet that only 43%…

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Twitch CEO made efforts to charm angry streamers. (Twitch) News 

Twitch CEO’s Winning Strategy: Charm Streamers with Man, Van, and Plan!

Twitch has been facing competition from YouTube and has been making efforts to retain its top performers by offering them lucrative contracts, revenue cuts, and even Super Bowl tickets. However, due to pressure from its owner Amazon.com Inc. to reduce costs, the company’s new CEO is now exploring a more cost-effective approach to connect with the creative community through a cross-country listening tour. Since taking over in March, Dan Clancy, the platform’s new guitar-playing, folk-loving CEO, has been traveling around the US in a van, meeting with well-known celebrity streamers…

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Chris DeWolfe is a serial entrepreneur, best known for the social networking site MySpace, which he sold to News Corp. in 2005 for $580 million. (Reuters) Space 

AI-Powered Videos: MySpace Co-Founder’s New Company is Making it Happen!

Chris DeWolfe, the co-founder of MySpace Inc., has introduced his newest social-media creation that employs artificial intelligence to transform written content into video format. PlaiDay creates three-second clips for free after a few prompts. For example, typing “1970s male disco dancer” will produce a jumping animated video. Add your photo and the dancer will look like you. “When we started MySpace in 2003, the average person couldn’t create a website,” DeWolfe said in an interview. “Artificial intelligence is the next iteration of community and storytelling.” DeWolfe is a serial entrepreneur…

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The Electronics and Information Technology Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar reacted to the ongoing Meta lawsuit over-exploitation of children and said that social media platforms must ensure they don’t cause harm to Indian citizens. (PTI) News 

Rajeev Chandrasekhar Declares an End to Unpunished Child Exploitation After Meta’s US Lawsuit

More than 30 US States have taken legal action against Meta Platforms, accusing them of enticing children to use Instagram and Facebook and exposing them to harmful content. In response, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar emphasized the need for social media platforms to take responsibility for the content shared on their platforms and ensure the well-being of Indian citizens. In an interview with NDTV, the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology said, “It is important that (social media) platforms are much more responsible and accountable in what they do, what content…

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The plaintiffs argue Social Media is designed to be addictive, causing depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, and suicide. (Pexels) News 

Youths Achieving Victory in Legal Battle Against Social Media Dependency

A significant ruling in a California court has allowed minors and their parents, who are suing Meta Inc.’s Facebook and other major technology companies over their children’s addiction to social media platforms, to proceed with their lawsuits. A state judge on Friday dismissed most of the claims, but said he would allow the lawsuits to proceed based on claims that the companies were negligent — or knew that the design of their platforms would maximize use by minors and prove harmful. The plaintiffs allege that social media is designed to…

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The bills offered by state leaders are aimed at protecting young people from features designed to keep them endlessly scrolling, endangering their mental health and development. (Pexels) News 

NY Targets Social Media Apps That Keep Kids Online for Too Long

Legislation proposed on Wednesday in New York aims to impose restrictions on online platforms such as Instagram and YouTube regarding the collection and sharing of children’s personal information. Additionally, it seeks to empower parents by allowing them to prevent their children from being overwhelmed by “addictive” content from accounts they do not follow. Bills proposed by state leaders aim to protect young people from features designed to keep them endlessly reeling, endangering their mental health and development, Attorney General Letitia James said. We are now on WhatsApp. Click to join.…

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New Twitch feature blocks banned users from watching streams to enhance safety of users. (REUTERS) News 

Twitch Takes Action to Prevent Banned Users from Viewing Streams

Twitch streamers receive positive news as a recent update introduces a tool aimed at addressing harassment problems on the platform. Users who have been banned can now be blocked from viewing streams, addressing the concerns raised by numerous streamers regarding harassment on Twitch. Previously, streamers could ban users from chatting, but they couldn’t stop them from watching a stream. Now Twitch has listened to feedback and presented a solution. Streamers can activate the “Stop users from watching the stream” feature in the Creator Dashboard’s moderation settings, TechCrunch reported. We are…

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Bluesky was created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey as a side project in 2019. (AP) News 

What Can We Learn from the EU’s Support of Bluesky, a X Competitor?

After Elon Musk drastically reduced Twitter’s workforce, made certain features exclusive to paid users, and rebranded it as X, numerous individuals have been desperately searching for an alternative social media platform. So far, no one has emerged as a clear winner, but EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, alarmed by the misinformation surrounding X, has just made a very public choice to switch to Bluesky – one of X’s lesser-known competitors. What is Bluesky?. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey created the platform as a side project in 2019. Dorsey put five engineers aside…

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When a smaller restaurant unexpectedly goes viral on TikTok or other social media, the sudden demand can be overwhelming. (Pexels) News 

Small Businesses Reap Benefits of Going Viral with Popular Products

The Lexington Candy Shop in New York City, known for its classic menu of burgers, fries, and shakes, has been a beloved establishment for many years. Despite its old-fashioned charm, last renovated in 1948, the diner continues to attract a new generation of fans. In August 2022, the traditional eatery experienced a modern twist when Nicolas Heller, a popular TikToker and Instagrammer with 1.2 million followers, also known as New York Nico, visited and ordered a classic Coke float. Capturing the moment on video, it quickly gained widespread attention, amassing…

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Lawmakers ask questions to social media platforms about their actions on AI-generated political deepfakes (Pexels) AI 

Lawmakers Investigate Meta and X for Failing to Establish Regulations Against AI-Generated Political Deepfakes

Artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes are currently gaining significant attention for their ability to create uncanny scenarios involving celebrities. Examples include Tom Hanks promoting a dental plan, Pope Francis donning a fashionable puffer jacket, and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul casually sitting on the Capitol steps in a red bathrobe. But what will happen next year before the US presidential election? Google was the first major tech company to say it would set new labels for fraudulent political ads created by artificial intelligence that could falsify a candidate’s voice or actions. Now, some…

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"Artificial intelligence has its own merits, but it would be a sad day and sad world if we were to mortgage our ability to think, our ability to make intelligent and, moreover, sensitive choices," Justice further said. (AP) News 

Bombay High Court Judge Warns of Social Media as a ‘Tool of Mass Distraction’

Justice Mahesh Sonak of the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court stated on Saturday that social media and mass media have become a significant source of distraction, but no significant actions have been taken to address this issue. Speaking at a lecture series called ‘GRK-Law Talks’ at G R Kare College of Law in Margao town, Justice Sonak also expressed his preference for remaining uninformed about various matters by avoiding news consumption, as he believes it is preferable to being misinformed. “We live in an age today where we…

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This photo provided by Getty Images shows an example of the company's artificial intelligence image-generator. (AP) AI 

Getty Images Launches AI-Powered Image Generator

Getty Images Holdings Inc., a prominent photography company, is set to launch an artificial intelligence tool that will produce images using its extensive content library. This move aims to address the copyright and ownership issues that have been a challenge for AI technology thus far. Getty, which owns the rights to millions of photos, previously sued Stability AI, the company that popularized the Stable Diffusion image generator, for unauthorized use of images. Getty’s new product, developed with chipmaker Nvidia Inc, is trained on Getty’s own data and aims to avoid…

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In June the Federal Trade Commission released the first update to its Endorsement Ad Guidelines in a decade, with an eye to influencer marketing. (Pexels) News 

Legal Action Against Health Influencers on the Rise: An Overview of Cases Involving Liver King and F-Factor

Joe Loney became captivated when he stumbled upon Liver King, a well-built fitness influencer renowned for his consumption of raw organs. Loney firmly believed that by adhering to a primal diet and engaging in rigorous workouts, he could achieve a similarly chiseled physique like that of Brian Johnson, the influencer’s true identity. Commencing in 2021, Loney adopted a routine of consuming a nearly raw steak on a daily basis, with only occasional breaks every two to three months. Then in December the king confessed to his subjects. He admitted in…

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Head of policy for X in India and South Asia, Samiran Gupta, has resigned amid ongoing disputes with the Indian government over content removal. (REUTERS) News 

Social media giant X’s India and South Asia policy head Gupta steps down-sources

Samiran Gupta, the head of policy for India and South Asia at social media platform X, has stepped down, according to two sources. This significant resignation occurs amidst India’s upcoming elections and the ongoing legal dispute between the company and New Delhi regarding content removal. Gupta was India’s most senior employee at X, formerly known as Twitter, and was responsible for “key policy issues around content” and “defending Twitter’s position on new policy developments and supporting the in-country sales organization,” according to his LinkedIn profile. Gupta, who was named X’s…

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Snapchat is part of a broader strategy shift the company made last year to help generate new moneymaking opportunities. (REUTERS) News 

Snapchat Reaches Halfway Mark of 10 Million Subscribers

Snap Inc. has successfully attracted over 5 million subscribers to its paid service, which grants users exclusive access to new features such as an AI-powered selfie creator for a monthly fee of $3.99. Snapchat, a subscription product, is part of a broader strategy shift the company made last year to help create new monetization opportunities. Adding a paid option to the video sharing app was a significant step in the social media industry, where apps have historically been free. Snap’s bet seems to be working, with the latest subscriber count…

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ISRO is working hard to wake up its Pragyan rover sleeping on the Moon at the Shiv Shakti point, and is hoping for yet another Chandrayaan-3 success soon. (ISRO) Space 

ISRO Prepares to Launch Chandrayan-3 Mission at Shiv Shakti Point – One Day to Go

The Sun is about to rise on the Shiv Shakti point on the Moon, marking a significant moment for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). After working tirelessly, ISRO is now counting down to awaken the Pragyan rover, which has been dormant on the Moon for the past 15 days. The question remains whether ISRO will be successful in rousing the rover to continue the Chandrayaan mission. If the Pragyan Rover manages to endure the harsh lunar night with temperatures as low as -200 degrees and awakens, it would be…

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At the start of the pandemic, with bankers and traders trapped at home for months on end, employees at the country’s largest banks turned to WhatsApp and other outside messaging apps to stay connected. (PTI) News 

PTI Fact Check Joins WhatsApp to Combat Fake News on Broadcast

PTI Fact Check, the fact-checking division of the Press Trust of India (PTI), has established its own WhatsApp Channel to address the issue of fake news and misinformation circulating on social media. By joining this channel, WhatsApp users can remain informed about any false information that may arise on various platforms. The Meta-owned instant messaging platform launched a one-way sending tool in India and over 150 countries last week. PTI Fact Check’s WhatsApp channel provides access to more than 400 fact-checked stories, tips on spotting and checking misinformation and disinformation…

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