Social Media

The Nerdy Explanation for Facebook’s ’46 Years Ago’ Glitch

Notice anything weird about your News Feed today? Scores of users are confused by typically smarmy “Friends on Facebook” messages that are celebrating 46 years of friendship. It appears to be a Unix glitch of colossal proportions. Don’t freak out. The world is not going to end because Facebook’s servers are confused about the New…

A Week After India Banned It, Facebook’s Free Basics Shuts Down in Egypt 

Facebook’s “Free Basics” program in Egypt has been shut down, according to Facebook. It’s unclear why the new free internet service stopped working. However, the news arrives a week after the Indian government temporarily banned the program in the wake of ongoing net neutrality concerns. Free Basics is Facebook’s Internet.org project with a new name.…

Facebook and Twitter Say They Ban Terrorism. Well, What the Hell Does That Mean? 

Twitter and Facebook have both explicitly banned terrorist content this year. Yet neither will comment on how they define terrorism. Are they using the FBI’s definition in US code? Or something else? Twitter announced an update to its “Twitter Rules” today, changing the language in its “violence and threats” section to forbid “threatening or promoting…

Should Facebook Really Pay Its Employees to Live Closer to Work?

It’s no secret that thousands of Silicon Valley tech workers who would rather live in San Francisco are being bused in and out of the city every day. But after these policies have come under fire, it appears that a handful those tech companies are trying to encourage employees to live closer to work. With…

You Can Now Order an Uber From Facebook Messenger

Facebook and Uber continue their unstoppable global takeovers with a new partnership, announced today. You can now call for an Uber ride from within the Facebook Messenger app. Tap on an address in a Messenger thread, and up pops “Request a Ride” alongside the familiar “Copy,” “Open in Google Maps,” etc. Or, simply tap the…

Facebook Won’t Change Its “Real Name” Policy but Will Offer a Workaround

For nearly a decade, marginalized individuals—from transgender people to victims of abuse—have begged Facebook to change its “real name” policy. Over a year after apologizing for the controversy, Facebook definitively said it would not change the rules. But it will offer a workaround for some users. In announcing the changes, Facebook was very clear about…

Facebook Is Testing the “Yelp Killer” It Should’ve Launched Ages Ago

Facebook is testing out a new, unannounced tool that allows you to search for all kinds of services in your area. Can Facebook finally kill Yelp? For all its foibles, Yelp has for years remained the defacto source of information about everything from where to go to dinner to where to get your hair done.…

This Private Garfield Facebook Group Is the Last Irony-Free Place on the Internet

The people you meet on the internet are, for better or worse (just kidding it’s always for worse), probably not what they seem. Years of bile and racism and flamewars and the MTV show Catfish have seared this fact into our brains. Yet somehow, while the rest of our hearts hardened into stone, one quiet…

Ted Cruz Might Have Your Facebook Data, Depending on How Broke Your Friends Are 

Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign must love dumb friends. In addition to releasing an app that rewards people for turning over their friends’ personal information, the campaign is leaning on a data analytics company that has paid people $1 for access to their Facebook data and their friends’ data. Cambridge Analytica builds “psychographic profiles” for the…

Facebook quietly announced that its weird app experiment is over, and it will be closing the Creative Labs that led the initiative. That means apps like Slingshot (a Snapchat ripoff) and Rooms (a Reddit ripoff) will no longer be available for download. RIP Creative Labs. We never really knew you. Contact the author at [email protected].…

Mark Zuckerberg Celebrates Birth of First Born Child by Giving Away (Almost) All of His Facebook Shares (Eventually)

In a Facebook post addressed to his recently born first child, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg subtly made two major announcements. One, his wife Priscilla gave birth to a baby girl named Max (short for Maxima). Two, Mark and Priscilla will give away 99-percent of their Facebook shares within their lifetimes. The money will go to…

Facebook Notify Review: The Perks and Pitfalls of a Never-Ending News Stream

Facebook’s Notify, an app that pushes news alerts to your lockscreen, can sometimes be a headache. But when it comes to breaking news, this little app proves its worth. At first, I almost dismissed the app as too niche and kind of annoying when it launched a few weeks back. After all, who but media…

Email Is the New Generation Gap

Two weeks ago, we surveyed 3,670 people online about how they communicate. We discovered a remarkable difference between people over 41, who say they often talk on email more than they do in real life, and younger people who love in-person meetings and use a variety of apps. Is this our first digital generation gap?…

Phuc Dat Bich is a Massive Phucking Faker

The man claiming to be “Phuc Dat Bich”, the Facebook user who had been denied access to the social network as its “Real Name” policy had deemed him a fake, has revealed that the episode was indeed a prank. Real name Tin Le, a 23-year-old from Melbourne, posted to Facebook, explaining how his screenshot of…

Here’s a Reminder Why You Shouldn’t Bother Doing Dumb Facebook Quizzes

When everyone around you is Facebook quizzing, sometime’s it can be hard to resist the lure joining in yourself. But next time, breathe deeply and move on—remembering the privacy implications we’re about to remind you of. You’ve probably seen your friends announcing their most-used words on Facebook, having happily granted a word cloud app access…

Facebook Is Testing a Weird Way to Make Break-Ups Easier

Break-ups suck. There’s no way around it. But now, somewhat perplexingly, Facebook wants to make it easier by offering a tool that will block your ex’s name or photo from showing up and ruining your day. Pro tip: You can also just unfriend them. That’s what all my exes have done to me, and it…

Sadly, Facebook has activated its Safety Check featurefor the second time in five days—this time for the tragic bombing in the Nigerian city of Yola.

Facebook’s “Safety Check” Lets You Locate Loved Ones in Paris

A Facebook feature implemented to help track people after natural disasters has been launched tonight to help people connect with their friends and family after the Paris attacks. If you’re looking for the status of friends who might be in Paris, head to the Safety Check page on your Facebook account. The page will list…

Get Ready for More Ads on Instagram

Facebook is looking down the barrel of a future advertising crisis, so it’s trying to think up new ways to put “buy now” links in front of your peepers. The company’s top brass believe the answers will come from Instagram, Whatsapp, and video. As ad blockers and sponsored content meltdowns rip first-generation web media companies…

Mark Zuckerberg Warns of Too Much Net Neutrality

There is such a thing as too much freedom. If nothing was illegal, people would rob and kill each other! There’s no such thing as too much net neutrality, however. Unless you’re talking to the billionaire son of a dentist who’s trying to make every person on the planet sign up for his internet website.…