Social Media - Intelligencer

life in pixels May 1, 2019

On the Internet, You Can Run But You Can’t HideSomebody blocking you on Instagram doesn’t mean you can’t still see their posts.

By Madison Malone Kircher

life in pixels Apr. 26, 2019

Joe Biden’s Bad Announcement Tweet Was a Good Boomer PostThe oddly punctuated tweet in which Joe Biden announced his presidency was the most authentic possible format for a 76-year-old man.

By Max Read

studies Apr. 24, 2019

80 Percent of Tweets Come From 2 Percent of AmericansA new survey finds that young Democrats are overrepresented compared to the general population.

By Brian Feldman

social media Apr. 12, 2019

For Democrats, Twitter Is Not Real Life. But It Could Be.Liberals on social media are not representative of the Democratic electorate. But the activists and elites who set partisan agendas never are.

By Eric Levitz

#yachtcocaineprostitutes Apr. 9, 2019

Devin Nunes Has No Idea How Twitter WorksThat hasn’t stopped the congressman from suing people over their tweets.

By Brian Feldman

moderation Apr. 2, 2019

Report: YouTube’s Alt-Right Content Is As Popular As Its MusicFor years, employees warned executives about prioritizing engagement above all else.

By Brian Feldman

life in pixels Mar. 18, 2019

Why We Fake College Applications and Facebook ProfilesRick Singer’s college admissions fixing scheme has a lot in common with scams and catfishing on social media.

By Max Read

just asking Feb. 28, 2019

How Question Prompts Took Over TwitterThe hot new social media trend? Asking people to talk about themselves.

By Brian Feldman

life in pixels Feb. 13, 2019

With Social Media Disinformation, What — and Who — Should We Be Afraid Of?We may have more to fear from wealthy donors than from geopolitical adversaries like Russia.

By Max Read

buzzfeed Jan. 29, 2019

BuzzFeed’s Experimental Era Is OverThe site prided itself on taking risks and shifted media as a result. But it still hasn’t turned a profit.

By Brian Feldman

media Jan. 17, 2019

Is It Time to Regulate Social Media Influencers?Cases of fraud are common in the multi-billion dollar influencer marketing industry. A “Cambridge Analytica moment” could be next.

By Simon Owens

social media Jan. 16, 2019

AOC Will Try to Teach Her Democratic Colleagues to Be Good at TwitterThis may be her hardest task yet.

By Amanda Arnold

pranks Jan. 16, 2019

YouTube Bans Dangerous Pranks Like the ‘Bird Box Challenge’YouTubers are no longer allowed to risk or make anyone fear for their lives.

By Brian Feldman

youtube Jan. 10, 2019

Sentence Reduced for Parents in Abusive YouTube ‘Prank’ VideosHeather and Michael Martin, a.k.a. “DaddyOFive,” lost custody of two of their children in 2017 over their YouTube videos.

By Madison Malone Kircher

facebook follies Dec. 21, 2018

Facebook’s Year of Scandal, Ranked By How Much You Should Actually CareIt’s tough to separate controversy from non-troversy when it comes to Facebook

By Brian Feldman

twitter Dec. 20, 2018

Trump Used to Write Out His Tweets in SharpieIt apparently took him several years to realize he could just post his odious musings himself.

By Amanda Arnold

algorithms Dec. 12, 2018

Algorithms Are Black Boxes — Even to the Tech Companies That Make ThemThe complex webs of code tech companies rely on produce results, but even they don’t know how. It’s time for them to admit it.

By Brian Feldman

social media Dec. 7, 2018

‘Creators’ and the End of Online LeisureA single word has distorted the way users and platforms interact.

By Brian Feldman

select all Dec. 4, 2018

Instagram’s ‘Close Friends’ Take It One Step Closer to Becoming FacebookYou can now post curated Stories for a select group of followers.

By Madison Malone Kircher

god save the teen Nov. 28, 2018

Teens Would Like You to Know Social Media Is Actually Good So Back Off, MomA study of American teenagers shows kids feel overwhelmingly positive about being online and they’re smart enough not to believe everything they read.

By Madison Malone Kircher

life in pixels Nov. 20, 2018

The Decline and Fall of the Zuckerberg EmpireDo we need Facebook?

By Max Read

life in pixels Nov. 14, 2018

Fox News’ Silent War on TwitterThe network has found a way to treat Twitter with the same bitter contempt it’s always treated the New York Times.

By Max Read

religion Nov. 7, 2018

Upload Your Prayers to the Virgin of GuadalupeIn Mexico, the Basilica of Guadalupe offers a digital pilgrimage. It’s not the only holy site to do so.

By Ellen Freeman

global tech Nov. 7, 2018

These ChatBots Help Zimbabweans Find Fuel During a ShortageZimbabwe is experiencing a major gas shortage. Social media platforms like WhatsApp are countering its worst effects.

By Christine Ro

gab Oct. 29, 2018

Gab, the Social Media Site for the Alt-Right, Gets DeplatformedAfter the Pittsburgh shooter was found to have used the site, it was abandoned by its business partners. What does that mean for Twitter?

By Brian Feldman

mail bombings Oct. 26, 2018

Mail Bombing Suspect Cesar Sayoc Dispensed Memes and Threats on Social MediaThe suspect loves MAGA memes and hates the fake-news media. Very surprising. Wow.

By Brian Feldman

the internet is for porn Oct. 25, 2018

How Smartphones Got a Conservative Nation Hooked on PornIn 2012, three Indian politicians were forced to step down after they were caught watching porn during a session of Parliament.

By Ravi Agrawal

social media Oct. 24, 2018

The Thing I Most Crave on Social Media Is an EndingOnline, these days, the feeling of coming to the end of a feed is so rare, so elusive, that encountering it anywhere is immensely satisfying.

By Cody Brown

not cool Oct. 18, 2018

Tricking Your Readers Isn’t Cute, Even If It’s in the Name of Voter RegistrationIf you see a link on Twitter claiming Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West are splitting up, you might want to think twice about clicking it.

By Madison Malone Kircher

decisions Oct. 18, 2018

Did I Make a Mistake Selling My Social-Media Darling to Yahoo?Yahoo was negotiating to buy Facebook and Del.icio.us at the same time. Zuckerberg famously said no. Del.icio.us CEO Joshua Schachter said yes.

As told to Jake Swearingen

tech boot camp Oct. 17, 2018

Get the Most Out of Your iPhone Camera With This Hidden FeatureDevelopers have unlocked a feature that allows users to capture every bit of information your iPhone camera is capable of.

By Kenny Wassus

select all Oct. 17, 2018

Why Can’t Instagram Get Anybody to Care About IGTV?It’s been months since Instagram launched its longform video hub, with help from popular creators. So why isn’t the YouTube competitor luring users?

By Madison Malone Kircher

life in pixels Oct. 12, 2018

Donald Trump, Kanye West, and the Reign of Human ClickbaitMedia outlets created “clickbait” to stand out in a crowded environment. What’s the psychological equivalent?

By Max Read

technoguilt Oct. 11, 2018

The Algorithm Knows Me. So Why Does It Keep Shaming Me?Algorithm shame: the inescapable feeling of being pigeonholed with almost no one to blame but yourself.

By Noreen Malone

select all Oct. 1, 2018

I Can’t Control My Social-Media Usage. But iOS 12 Can!Using technology to solve my addiction to technology. What could go wrong?

By Jake Swearingen

select all Sept. 20, 2018

Kanye West Is Finally Right About Something: Social Media Shouldn’t Have MetricsA rare moment of Twitter clarity from Kanye West.

By Madison Malone Kircher

select all July 17, 2018

Facebook Can’t Fix Itself Because It Doesn’t Want to Understand the ProblemFacebook won’t get better until it stops genuflecting for the right wing and starts thinking about politics in context.

By Brian Feldman

select all June 27, 2018

The New Gatekeepers of Silicon Valley Are Getting Played by ConservativesTwitter CEO Jack Dorsey is having dinner with conservative activists to “rebuild trust.” But why?

By Max Read

select all June 18, 2018

Astrology, the World’s Oldest, and Newest, Meme TrendAcross social media — particularly on Instagram — a rash of new accounts have emerged wanting to tell you about your celestial self through memes.

By Dayna Evans

select all May 25, 2018

My Ex Blocked Me on Social Media — But He Forgot About VenmoI can’t see pictures of his dog anymore, but I know that he still has the same sh*tty taste in alcohol.

By Melania Hidalgo

the law May 23, 2018

How a Federal Judge Is Laying Down the Law on Trump’s Twitter HabitsOne way to think of it is that she is — rather sneakily — giving him a test.

By Cristian Farias

select all Apr. 13, 2018

An Apology for the Internet — From the Architects Who Built ItEven those who designed our digital world are aghast at what they created. A breakdown of what went wrong.

By Noah Kulwin

the law Mar. 9, 2018

The Newest Frontier in Jurisprudence Is Trump’s Twitter FeedInside a federal courtroom, the government made a potentially precedent-setting argument for letting a social-media jackass do his thing.

By Cristian Farias

select all Feb. 27, 2018

What Is Vero, Where Can I Download It, and Why Is Everyone Using It?Sick of Instagram’s algorithm? People are flocking to this competitor.

By Madison Malone Kircher

select all Dec. 22, 2017

‘The Russia Story,’ as It Happened on Social MediaHow the year’s biggest story was encountered in 2017 by rabid Democrats, recalcitrant Republicans, and everyone else on the internet

By Jordan Larson and Max Read

select all Dec. 18, 2017

Social Media Can’t Stop the Weaponization of Bad FaithSocial media is built on a reputation economy of likes and retweets that’s all too easily weaponized. So why not just get rid of it?

By Jacob Silverman

select all Dec. 15, 2017

Facebook Thinks Social Media Is Bad If You Do It WrongFor the first time, people employed by Facebook have admitted that perhaps using social media does make some people feel awful.

By Jake Swearingen

select all Nov. 30, 2017