social media
‘Link-in-bio’ company Linktree raises $45M Series B for its social commerce features
If you browse Instagram, you are probably familiar with the term “link in bio.” Links aren’t allowed in post captions, and users are only allowed one URL in their bios, so many create a
Amid pandemic, Middle East adtech startups play essential role in business growth
There is tremendous potential in the Middle East for adtech startups and digital marketing agencies. Although consumers there used to prefer traditional advertising, the internet took over in 2020.
Snapchat is developing its own take on TikTok Duets with a new ‘Remix’ feature
One of the challenges that some would-be TikTok rivals have faced is that they often lack the same robust set of content creation tools, like filters, effects and tools for repurposing others’ c
Twitter is exploring the use of Facebook-style emoji reactions
If you’re old enough to remember the outrage that followed Twitter’s decision to replace stars with hearts (aka likes instead of favorites), then you know that Twitter’s user base ha
Facebook’s Clubhouse rival looks a lot like Clubhouse right now
Facebook is building a Clubhouse rival, The New York Times reported in February. But what that product will look like or how it will work have been questions that have remained unanswered. However, ne
The next era of moderation will be verified
Verification goes beyond the "blue checkmark," and the urgency to implement verification is bigger than just stopping the spread of questionable content. It can also help companies ensure they’re st
Crypto social network BitClout arrives with a bevy of high-profile investors — and skeptics
While much of the recent wave of relentless hype around NFTs — or non-fungible tokens — has been most visibly manifested in high-dollar art auctions or digital trading cards sales, there&#
Clubhouse says its Android launch will take ‘a couple of months’
Social audio app Clubhouse has now promised a time frame of sorts for the launch of its anticipated Android version, following its recent hire of an Android software developer last month. In its weekl
Fraud prevention platform Seon raises a $12M Series A round led by Creandum
Seon, which lets online businesses fight online fraud like fake accounts has raised a $12 million Series A round led by Creandum, with participation from PortfoLion, part of OTP Bank. The funding appe
In expanded crackdown, Facebook increases penalties for rule-breaking groups and their members
Facebook this morning announced it will increase the penalties against its rule-breaking Facebook Groups and their members, alongside other changes designed to reduce the visibility of groups’ p
Instagram adds new teen safety tools as competition with TikTok heats up
Earlier this year, TikTok made an update to its privacy settings and defaults to further lock down the app for its teenage users. This morning, Instagram followed suit with teen-focused privacy update
Clubhouse promises its accelerator participants either brand deals or $5K per month during the program
Amid growing competition from Twitter Spaces and other newcomers, popular social audio startup Clubhouse is making a move aimed at seeding its network with more high-quality content: It’s launch
Big Tech companies cannot be trusted to self-regulate: We need Congress to act
The federal government and regulatory powers need to hold Big Tech accountable to their commitments by immediately enacting policy change.
Twitter Spaces to launch publicly next month, may include Spaces-only tweets
Twitter Spaces, the social network’s Clubhouse rival, is working towards a public launch in April, the company announced in comments made in a public Twitter Space audio room on Wednesday. Accor
Capsule gets $1.5M to build ‘super simple’ decentralized social media
Capsule‘s plan to launch a super simple decentralized social media platform which is safe from censorship by Big Tech has advanced another stage: The nascent startup has closed a seed round of f
Makers of ‘kid’s first virtual world’ Animal Jam targets Gen Z teens with Fer.al debut
Before kids graduate to the expansive virtual worlds in games like Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite, they often get their start in online social gaming with a game like Animal Jam. Here, kids learn to p
TikTok launches ‘TikTok Q&A,’ a new feature for creators to engage with viewers’ questions
Earlier this year, TikTok was spotted testing a new Q&A feature that would allow creators to more directly respond to their audience’s questions using either text or video. Today, the compan
Twitter tests new e-commerce features for tweets
Twitter confirmed it’s testing a new way to display tweets that link out to e-commerce product pages — like products on a Shopify store, for example. With a new Twitter card format, the co
Instagram launches ‘Live Rooms’ for live broadcasts with up to four creators
Instagram today announced it’s adding a much-requested feature to its app with the launch of “Live Rooms,” which allow up to four people to broadcast live together at the same time.
Brandwatch is acquired by Cision for $450M, creating a PR, marketing and social listening giant
Online consumer intelligence and social media listening platform Brandwatch has been acquired by Cision, best known for its media monitoring and media contact database services, for $450 million, in a