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Elon Musk's X down for users
4 months ago
- X (formerly Twitter) is back online for many users after an outage.
- The cause of the outage remains unknown.
- Past outages have been linked to broader issues, like Cloudflare disruptions.
- Requests for comment from X often receive automated responses or no reply.
- Elon Musk has previously commented on outages but has not addressed this one.
- An engineer working for Musk posted cryptic messages during the outage.
Slop Is Everywhere for Those with Eyes to See
4 months ago
- The design of our environments influences consumption habits, with platforms like TikTok designed for maximum engagement.
- Overconsumption of content leads to the proliferation of low-quality, AI-generated 'slop'.
- The '90-9-1 rule' highlights that only 1-3% of users create content, exacerbating content supply issues.
- Algorithms flatten curiosity by removing the need to 'hunt' for content, making knowledge seem disposable.
- Creativity isn't scalable, and human-generated content has a productivity ceiling, unlike AI-generated slop.
- Platforms like Vine collapsed when top creators organized and left, showing the power of content creators.
- Modern platforms use black-box algorithms to prevent collective creator influence and maintain control.
- The open web offers a mindful alternative to algorithm-driven consumption, encouraging discovery on one's own terms.
Digg.com Is Back
4 months ago
- Digg is in public beta, focusing on community-driven development.
- Community decides content popularity, not secret algorithms.
- Transparent, explainable systems drive rankings based on community intent.
- User feed is personalized by their community choices.
- Digg emphasizes community ownership and user identity rights.
- Human community managers handle moderation with public audit logs.
- Accountability is built into the platform from the start.
- Commitment to authenticity and human-first social space.
Study: Minimal evidence links social media, gaming to teen mental health issues
4 months ago
- A major study from The University of Manchester found little evidence linking social media use or video gaming to mental health problems in young teenagers.
- The research involved over 25,000 pupils aged 11-14 across Greater Manchester over three school years as part of the #BeeWell programme.
- No evidence was found that heavier social media use or frequent gaming caused increases in anxiety or depression symptoms the following year.
- Girls who gamed more often spent slightly less time on social media the next year, while boys with emotional difficulties were more likely to cut back on gaming.
- The study suggests that young people's online habits may be influenced by their mental state, rather than technology use causing mental health issues.
- The authors emphasize that harmful online experiences (e.g., hurtful messages, extreme content) can impact wellbeing, but screen time alone is not the main issue.
UK consulting on bringing in social media ban for under 16s
3 months ago
- The UK government is consulting on banning social media for under 16s to protect young people's wellbeing.
- Ofsted will gain powers to enforce phone-free policies in schools, with stricter guidance on staff phone use.
- Australia implemented the world's first social media ban for young people in 2025, influencing UK considerations.
- Over 60 Labour MPs and Brianna Ghey's mother support the ban, citing social media's negative impact on real-world interactions.
- Experts caution against the ban, arguing it may not effectively protect children and could push risks to other online areas.
- The consultation will gather views on age checks and limiting compulsive social media features.
- Political parties and unions have mixed reactions, with some welcoming the move and others criticizing delays.
- House of Lords may vote on a proposed ban, with amendments suggesting film-style age ratings for social media apps.
- Researchers highlight insufficient evidence on the effectiveness of age-based bans, advocating for balanced approaches like digital literacy.
- Charities argue blanket bans create a false sense of safety and fail to address underlying online risks.
When "Likers'' Go Private: Engagement with Reputationally Risky Content on X
3 months ago
- X/Twitter changed likes' visibility from public to private in June 2024.
- Study investigates if hiding liker identities increases likes for high-reputational-risk content.
- Two studies conducted: Difference-in-Differences analysis and a survey experiment.
- No detectable platform-level increase in likes for high-reputational-risk content found.
- Survey participants report modest increases in willingness to like risky content under private visibility.
- Results suggest hiding likes produces limited behavioral response at the platform level.
- Gap between user intention and behavior or engagement by high-usage/automated accounts may explain findings.
Leave X – Protect Democracy
3 months ago
- This website hosts the #LeaveX open letter to European politicians and leaders, urging them to abandon X/Twitter.
- The letter was written on 06 January 2025 and has been translated into various official European languages.
- A petition supporting the letter gathered 3,230 signatures across Europe before closing.
- The letter explains the reasoning behind the initiative to leave social networks.
- Additional resources include an article debunking the argument for staying on social networks to provide opposition.
- Latest posts include alternatives to X, awards, rankings of MEPs still on X, and related articles.
The Internet Doesn't Suck: Blame Big Tech, Not the Internet
3 months ago
- The author, a computer science student, reflects on the impact of social media and technology on society.
- Criticizes current social media platforms for prioritizing profit over user interests, leading to negative societal impacts.
- Argues against completely abandoning social media, highlighting its benefits like staying connected with family and friends.
- Points out the poor state of existing social media platforms and their detrimental effects on society.
- Encourages reimagining social media tools that focus on user experience without manipulative features like the 'attention economy'.
- Attributes the decline in internet quality to corporate monopolies and lack of competition, not the technology itself.
- Highlights the lack of privacy rights in the US, allowing tech firms to exploit user data for profit.
- Mentions anti-circumvention laws like DMCA 1201 and DRM, which restrict user modifications and benefit corporations.
- Calls for systemic changes to prevent the degradation of online platforms, rather than rejecting technology altogether.
Leaving Twitter with Shamir's Secret Sharing Scheme
3 months ago
- Author plans to leave Twitter using Shamir’s Secret Sharing Scheme (SSSS) to block access for one year.
- Password will be split into 7 chunks, requiring 4 to reconstruct, with splits sent via futureme.org, superpost.com, and trusted friends/family.
- Author acknowledges risks like inability to retrieve splits or delete past posts but accepts them.
- Twitter's declining quality and impact on attention are cited as reasons for leaving.
- Author aims to replace Twitter with real-life connections and focus on interests like software, math, football analytics, and movies.
- Current social media stance: Instagram (private), LinkedIn (professional), Twitter (blocked), Bsky (unused), HackerNews (occasional use).
- Long-term goal is to delete Twitter and continue writing long-form content on their blog.
TikTok is officially US-owned for American users, here's what's changing
3 months ago
- TikTok's US spinoff, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, has officially launched under American ownership.
- The new ownership complies with a 2025 executive order, ensuring TikTok's operation in the US with safeguards for national security.
- Changes include comprehensive data protection in Oracle's US cloud, retraining of the content algorithm, and enhanced software assurance.
- The algorithm will be retrained on US user data, potentially altering content recommendations for American users.
- Behind-the-scenes changes focus on privacy, security, and content moderation, with no major visible changes expected for users.
TikTok investigating why some users can't write "Epstein" in messages
3 months ago
- TikTok is investigating why some users can't send the word 'Epstein' in direct messages, despite no rules against it.
- The issue gained attention on social media, prompting California Gov. Gavin Newsom to announce an inquiry.
- The problem arose shortly after TikTok's U.S. operations were sold to a consortium of mostly American investors, including Oracle, led by Larry Ellison, a Trump ally.
- Users speculated about censorship under new ownership, using the hashtag #TikTokCensorship, though TikTok denies any changes to content moderation rules.
- Technical issues, including message blocking inconsistencies and app malfunctions, have been widespread since the ownership change.
- TikTok attributed service disruptions to a data center outage and confirmed ongoing technical challenges.
- New privacy terms under the current ownership now allow TikTok to collect precise location data, similar to other social media platforms.
TikTok censorship claims spark probe of app's handling of anti-Trump content
3 months ago
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a review of TikTok following complaints of censorship related to ICE and a Minneapolis shooting.
- TikTok attributed the issues to a data center outage, denying claims of intentional censorship.
- Users reported problems posting videos, low visibility, or account restrictions when discussing ICE or Trump-critical content.
- TikTok's new U.S. ownership, including Oracle, finalized a deal backed by Trump, raising concerns over editorial influence.
- Celebrities and influencers like Billie Eilish and Megan Stalter accused TikTok of silencing ICE-related content.
- Journalists and political analysts experienced suspensions or low views on political content.
- TikTok's updated privacy policy disclosed access to sensitive data, though these terms were not new.
- Critics warned of potential political influence under new ownership, citing risks to free speech.
- The sale stemmed from bipartisan concerns over Chinese influence, despite fears of conservative control.
TikTok settles just before social media addiction trial to begin
3 months ago
- TikTok settled a social media addiction lawsuit just before trial was set to begin in California.
- The plaintiff, KGM, alleges social media algorithms caused addiction and harmed her mental health.
- Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Google (YouTube), and Snapchat are also defendants; Snapchat settled earlier.
- The case challenges tech firms' liability under Section 230, focusing on algorithm design and notifications.
- This trial marks a shift in holding social media companies accountable for alleged harms like depression.
- Meta defends its safety tools for teens, but researchers question their effectiveness.
- Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify, reiterating no proven causal link between social media and mental health decline.
- Global scrutiny on social media harms is increasing, with Australia banning under-16s and the UK considering similar measures.
- Legal experts debate whether plaintiffs can prove physical harms are directly caused by content publishers.
- The trial may expose internal company documents, revealing previously shielded information.
Exposed Moltbook Database Let Anyone Take Control of Any AI Agent on the Site
3 months ago
- Moltbook is a social media site for AI agents, dubbed the 'front page of the agent internet.'
- A misconfiguration exposed API keys in an open database, allowing anyone to control AI agents on Moltbook.
- Hacker Jameson O'Reilly discovered the flaw and demonstrated its severity, including the ability to take over any agent.
- Moltbook uses Supabase, an open-source database, which left sensitive data unprotected due to missing Row Level Security (RLS).
- O'Reilly warned Moltbook's creator, Matt Schlicht, but the issue remained unaddressed until after public exposure.
- The vulnerability could have allowed malicious actors to impersonate influential figures like OpenAI's Andrej Karpathy.
- Moltbook has gained attention, with some speculating about AI singularity, though skepticism is advised.
- The incident highlights a 'ship fast, secure later' mentality in tech, risking significant data exposure.
New Dutch government to push for EU social media ban for under-15s
3 months ago
- The new Dutch minority government proposes raising the European minimum age for social media to 15.
- The Netherlands follows France's example in pushing for a de facto social media ban at 15.
- The coalition includes the centrist D66, Christian Democrat CDA, and liberal VVD parties.
- The parties hold only 66 of 150 seats in the Dutch parliament and need additional support.
- They advocate for 'privacy-friendly age verification' for young people on social media.
- The current EU minimum age for social media is 13.
We have lost so much of ourselves to smartphones: can we get it back?
3 months ago
- BJ Fogg's 2003 book 'Persuasive Technology' predicted the influence of portable electronic devices on human behavior.
- The iPhone's launch in 2007 and Fogg's Behavior Design Boot Camps validated his theories on persuasive technology.
- Smartphones and social media have led to increased screen time, with debates on their psychological effects.
- Smartphones gamify human social needs, using unpredictability to make usage compulsive, similar to slot machines.
- Social media platforms manipulate users through social competition and tribal conflict, leading to increased anger and polarization.
- Efforts to regulate social media use, such as Australia's ban for under-16s, are being considered globally.
- The decline in quality of social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook has reduced personal engagement.
- Emerging technologies like LLMs and wearable AI buddies pose new risks for deeper psychological manipulation.
Show HN: Wikipedia as a doomscrollable social media feed
3 months ago
- Xikipedia is a pseudo social media feed that shows content from Simple Wikipedia.
- It demonstrates how a basic non-ML algorithm can learn user preferences locally.
- No data is collected or shared; all data disappears upon refreshing or closing the tab.
- Source code is available on GitHub; discussions can be had on fedi, bluesky, or twitter.
- Users can pick categories or add their own to start.
- Content and images are from random Wikipedia articles, which may include NSFW material.
- Only adults are advised to proceed due to potential NSFW content.
Women Are More Likely Than Men to Endorse Political Violence
3 months ago
- New data challenges the assumption that young men are the primary supporters of political violence, showing women may be more likely to endorse it under certain conditions.
- A survey by the Network Contagion Research Institute found that 67% of left-of-center respondents justified the murder of Trump, while 54% of right-of-center respondents justified the murder of NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
- Women were significantly more likely than men to support political violence, being 21% more likely to justify Mamdani's murder and 15% more likely to justify Trump's murder.
- Tolerance for violence was strongly linked to heavy social media use and a belief in America's terminal decline, rather than traditional extremism or biological sex differences.
- The rise of 'punitive femininity' describes how moral concern transforms into punitive actions, fueled by online outrage, emotional manipulation, and moral certainty.
- Social media platforms amplify outrage and absolutism, flattening moral complexity and glorifying condemnation.
- Historically, women have played a stabilizing role in moral and civic life, but social media is eroding norms of restraint, even among groups associated with moral caution.
- Addressing social stability requires reducing the rewards for moral outrage and support for violence.
Unsealed Court Documents Show Teen Addiction Was Big Tech's "Top Priority"
3 months ago
- Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok designed social media products to addict children and teens, disregarding known harms.
- Internal documents reveal strategies like targeting teens during school hours and creating 'private modes' for plausible deniability.
- Meta's 'Teen Ambassador Program' recruited teens to promote platforms in schools, offering incentives and requiring NDAs.
- Google's YouTube autoplay feature was identified as potentially disrupting sleep patterns, with minimal effective wellbeing tools.
- Snapchat's internal research showed widespread use among under-13 users, despite age restrictions.
- TikTok acknowledged rampant compulsive usage, especially among younger users sensitive to social rewards.
- Tech companies coordinated with groups like the National PTA and FOSI to control narratives around youth social media use.
- Expert reports concluded that platforms were not designed to be safe for children, with ineffective age verification and parental controls.
- Internal discussions compared social media to drugs and slot machines, acknowledging their addictive design.
State Department will delete Xitter posts from before Trump returned to office
3 months ago
- The State Department is removing all posts on its public X accounts made before President Trump returned to office on Jan. 20, 2025.
- Posts will be internally archived but require a Freedom of Information Act request for public access, differing from typical government archiving practices.
- The Trump administration has previously removed information conflicting with the president's views, including environmental data, health information, and references to marginalized groups.
- The White House has revised historical accounts of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and replaced COVID-19 resource sites with a 'Lab Leak' narrative.
- The removal aims to control future messaging, affecting posts from Trump's first term, Biden, and Obama administrations.
- State Department claims the move limits confusion and promotes unified messaging, preserving history while advancing current goals.
- Concerns arise about reduced transparency and accessibility of historical government communications.
- The directive applies to all active State Department X accounts, including embassies, ambassadors, and bureaus.
- Critics argue the removal erases public records of diplomacy, cultural exchanges, and policy engagements.
- Other federal agencies, like the CIA, have also taken down public resources without explanation.
- Trump's messaging strategy treats social media content as governance, with some agencies sharing extremist rhetoric and conspiracy theories.
- Trump faced backlash for a racist post, later deleted, which the White House initially defended as an 'internet meme.'

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#social media

Elon Musk's X down for users

Slop Is Everywhere for Those with Eyes to See

Digg.com Is Back

Study: Minimal evidence links social media, gaming to teen mental health issues

UK consulting on bringing in social media ban for under 16s

When "Likers'' Go Private: Engagement with Reputationally Risky Content on X

Leave X – Protect Democracy

The Internet Doesn't Suck: Blame Big Tech, Not the Internet

Leaving Twitter with Shamir's Secret Sharing Scheme

TikTok is officially US-owned for American users, here's what's changing

TikTok investigating why some users can't write "Epstein" in messages

TikTok censorship claims spark probe of app's handling of anti-Trump content

TikTok settles just before social media addiction trial to begin

Exposed Moltbook Database Let Anyone Take Control of Any AI Agent on the Site

New Dutch government to push for EU social media ban for under-15s

We have lost so much of ourselves to smartphones: can we get it back?

Show HN: Wikipedia as a doomscrollable social media feed

Women Are More Likely Than Men to Endorse Political Violence

Unsealed Court Documents Show Teen Addiction Was Big Tech's "Top Priority"

State Department will delete Xitter posts from before Trump returned to office