#social-media

#social-media

When a gunman began firing inside an academic building on the Brown University campus, students didn't wait for official alerts warning of trouble. They got information almost instantly, in bits and bursts - through phones vibrating in pockets, messages from strangers, rumors that felt urgent because they might keep someone alive. On Dec. 13 as the attack at the Ivy League institution played out during finals week, students took to Sidechat, an anonymous, campus-specific message board used widely at U.S. colleges, for fast-flowing information in real time.

You can't get to the land of cool without first climbing cringe mountain.- Erica Mallett, New York Times. As dangerous as Everest and as technically demanding as K2, no discussion of the world's most challenging peaks is complete without a mention of Cringe Mountain. But for those willing to undertake the rigorous climb, the rewards waiting at the summit are extraordinary.

He said it would not even be wise to share something like that with your spouse. Now she thinks less of you, and she always will. She's not going to be able to get that out of her head, Walsh said. She might pretend to be sympathetic, or maybe she won't even pretend. What do you want? She's gonna pat you on the head? He continued, She's going to think less of you, and the same goes for anyone you divulge this information to.

Ever wondered what your Instagram feed says about your inner animal? Or why you scroll through TikTok like a cautious deer while your friend posts boldly like a roaring lion? The way we use social media mirrors the same personality traits scientists have found in animals for decades. Just as personality traits like neuroticism, agreeableness and extraversion have been studied in animals, these same traits shape how we present ourselves online.

With the proliferation of social media, the MMA community has become more adept at scrutinizing even the smallest details ahead of big fights. The latest example involves a screenshot of Justin Gaethje taken from a recent video blog where the UFC lightweight contender appears to have sores on his neck and lip. That image has led to rampant speculation that Gaethje might have developed a staph infection ahead of his interim lightweight title clash against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324.

Minutes after Donald Trump announced a large-scale strike against Venezuela early on Saturday morning, false and misleading AI-generated images began flooding social media. There were fake photos of Nicolas Maduro being escorted off a plane by US law enforcement agents, images of jubilant Venezuelans pouring into the streets of Caracas and videos of missiles raining down on the city all fake. The fabricated content intermixed with real videos and photos of US aircraft flying over the Venezuelan capital

Their latest clip features Russian viral drummer Kristina Rybalchenko, aka Kriss, who Drumeo named as its "Instagram Drummer of the Year" back in 2022. Kriss has now amassed one of the largest social media followings of any drummer, even garnering the attention of Fred Durst and Limp Bizkit, who let her premiere one of their songs in a TikTok video.

You spent the year committed to regular workouts and cutting back on ultra-processed foods. Then came the holidays: a time of sedentary indulgence. "You're eating out of your comfort zone, and you're probably out of your fitness routine," Maddie Pasquariello, a registered dietitian in New York, told Business Insider. "Those things combined make people spiral."

Jason Corbett's killer has taken the alias of a Disney princess to share her holiday pictures online

(Photo Credit: @realDonaldTrump on Truth Social) President Donald Trump posted pictures of his braintrust orchestrating the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro inside a Mar-a-Lago war room and many social media users noticed something in the background: a giant TV screen with an X tab open. The fact that Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth were scrolling Elon Musk's platform while the U.S. Military was striking Venezuela led to a wide range of reactions.

Anyone looking for advice on wellness and longevity confronts a tsunami of books, newspaper articles, podcasts, newsletters, and videos from an enormous range of sources: scientific experts, medical practitioners, health systems, journalists, patients, influencers, gurus, quacks. Traditional media offer loads of good advice, often in responsibly edited and well-sourced sections dedicated to "wellness." But the sheer amount of it can be difficult to keep up with, and sometimes the guidance can be downright contradictory.

It's that time of year again, a time of lists and countdowns, of soul-crushing AI brain-vomit ringed by adverts for miracle dental implants. In the spirit of the season the tech website Feedpost produced its own list on New Year's Eve of the Top 100 Kid Influencers on Instagram And YouTube in 2025, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's fine and definitely not strange or creepy [narrator's voice: it is strange and creepy]. Don't think about end times.

According to the 2018 AARP Loneliness and Social Connections Survey study, LGBTQ+ males are at an increased risk for chronic loneliness and commonly usetechnology to socialize with friends. Those participants said they spent too much time alone and engaged in more risky or unhealthy behaviors when lonely. Heterosexuals more often socialize with friends in person. Why is this a difference?

We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism, Mamdani announced to cheers from the supporters during his swearing-in ceremony on Thursday. The comment drew a quick clapback from Dmitriev, the Harvard-educated head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, who directly addressed the self-described democratic socialist via X as comrade. He also panned Mamdani's left-wing ideas with a friendly reminder that collectivism has already been tried.

If you're an entrepreneur or freelancer, building a personal brand and credible reputation is no longer optional if you want to grow your business. A personal brand helps you stand out in a saturated market and establish yourself as a trusted authority, and in turn, helps to drive more revenue. Social media is a key way to build your personal brand and reputation.

Like a pub roast or a needless apology, a car boot sale is a quintessential British pastime; a staple weekend activity for those willing to venture into a field at 6am to flog old DVDs from the boot of their car at 50p a pop. But the Balham organisers, like others across the country, have rebranded the British car boot to represent something slightly more en vogue.

Social-media influencers push self-improvement trends year-round: The spring has " glow up" challenges, as does the summer. Soon after, the high-discipline " Great Lock-In Challenge" and " Winter Arc" videos begin, many of them urging people to get ahead of the "new year, new me" crowd. Or you can attempt a slew of other self-betterment regimens, whenever the spirit calls.

"If a new vaping product or soft drink hits the market and 1 in 20 consumers report suicidal thoughts, public outrage would be swift. Investigations would follow, regulations would tighten, and headlines would be flooded with concern for public health. But when political stress yields similar numbers, the reaction is far more muted; politics doesn't seem to register in the same way," says Smith.

When I was younger, I started an e-commerce grip socks brand called Alpha Grips. It failed, but that's what got me interested in business. I was 12. A lot of kids' first businesses is always something to do with e-commerce, like drop-shipping or clothing brands. Social media does saturate you with that "get rich quick" idea with drop-shipping or crypto. Although 90% of the time it's a scam, it still ignites an interest.

In 2025, the continent's top Facebook markets reveal where the largest user bases are and how gender shapes social media engagement. Despite increasing competition from short-form video platforms such as TikTok and X, Facebook's combination of low data consumption, wide smartphone compatibility, and deep integration with WhatsApp has preserved its dominance in Africa's digital ecosystem. Based on 2025 data from World Population Review, the African countries with the largest Facebook user bases are:

For years, the mostly closed-off lives of the nuns living in a retirement home in Raiano, a mountain village in Italy's Abruzzo region, followed much the same daily rhythm. They woke early, prayed, went to the chapel, had lunch, and perhaps whiled away the afternoon reading. But their routine switched pace when, under pressure from the eldest of the 22 women Sister Maria Chiara, 98 to liven things up, they broke out into social media.

In the early days of Twitter and Instagram, many photographers had, for the first time in the history of photography, unfettered access to brands, event managers, and the public looking to hire a photographer. No longer were potential contracts limited by a photographer's ad budget, marketing reach, or even a formal portfolio.

"Sabre, who goes by Bottleneckloser on Instagram, recently posted side-by-side photos of herself on X depicting her pre- and post-transition. "God I love estrogen," she wrote. Almost three weeks later, Mace shared the post to her official X account and wrote, "Estrogen doesn't love you." She also shared the post on her personal X account and wrote, "Can we get @RobertKennedyJr on this? NO way is this healthy."

Hateful rhetoric such as this harms not only those directly targeted, but also the integrity of civic life on which all communities rely-especially when spread by those elected to lead and govern,

Social media lets us reach people more directly, through Twitter and Facebook and an ever-growing array of new platforms. It used to be B2B and B2C but now it's B2P, with P being people. Social media cuts across channels and is all about engaging with individuals, holding conversations not relying on press releases and launches. There are huge opportunities there, but the 24/7 scrutiny brings new threats, too.

On a Hard Forkin' Christmas, my true love gave to me 12 A.I. bubbles, 11 chimpanzinis, 10 Signal war chats, nine Meta reorgs, eight MechaHitlers, seven White House memecoins, six Roblox scandals, five Bum Bum creams, Bum, bum bum four Humane pins, three code reds, two robot pants, and a bot trained on all our I.P. That's intellectual property. Can Ezra Klein do that? I don't think so.

Non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) should be scrapped as they are no longer fit for purpose, police leaders will recommend to the home secretary. The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and College of Policing will publish a review into public order and hate crime laws next month, in which they will call for NCHIs to be replaced with a new common sense system, as reported by The Telegraph.

Our first-ever Social Media Dictionary offers a deep dive into the words that defined global conversations this year. And what was the word of the year? 'Aura' skyrocketed from relative obscurity to more than 31.9bn impressions, becoming a new cultural touchstone for millions. Boat dance 'Aura' originated in niche online communities, where it was used in early conversations about sports, fashion, and meme culture as a way to playfully talk about someone's vibe and presence.

The 38-year-old Denver resident gets makeup ideas from TikTok videos and other social media content, not salespeople at beauty counters. She uses an AI chatbot to get product recommendations that fit her budget and to see how a certain foundation or lipstick would look on her. When she buys, it's usually from Amazon. "I use Chat GPT as my personal beauty consultant," Kelsey said. "Department stores? I'll walk through one for the decor, but they've basically lost me unless I can get the same product-research experience there that I can get scrolling through my phone at home."

The 38-year-old Denver resident gets makeup ideas from TikTok videos and other social media content, not salespeople at beauty counters. She uses an AI chatbot to get product recommendations that fit her budget and to see how a certain foundation or lipstick would look on her. When she buys, it's usually from Amazon. I use Chat GPT as my personal beauty consultant, Kelsey said.