1. Back to Congress — The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft's CEOs over their content-moderation practices. Committee chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, intends to look into allegations of social platforms suppressing conservative political speech. TikTok could add paywall |
2. TikTok is working on a paywall feature as social media companies look for ways to monetize their platforms beyond just ad revenue. The new feature would allow for exclusive content on the app and the ability for creators to charge viewers to watch their videos. |
3. Relationship app Sparks, which intends to add sparks to existing relationships, has rebranded to Flamme and launched new features. Flamme's new AI feature, "Ask Me Anything," is a tool aimed at providing existing couples with new communication options and new date and experience ideas. |
4. Snapchat is going big on AR, as the company announced yesterday the launch of its new "Ray Tracing" feature that enhances realism, creating an additional ultra-realistic quality of AR. Tiffany & Co is the first brand to utilize the tech on Snap's platform for its jewelry through "Tiffany Lock Lens." |
5. Turkey has arrested 78 people over social media provocations and false information following its devastating earthquake. The current law in the country states that citizens can be jailed for three years if they post false information. |
6. Twitter is going green, in a sense, as the company will allow cannabis-related advertising in some U.S. states. The move will allow licensed brands to promote both CBD and THC-related products and services via the platform, offering those companies a new market to potentially attract new customers. Reddit eyes IPO |
7. Social meme and community platform Reddit is still set on plans to go public in 2023. The company, which had once sought a $15B valuation, now expects to IPO sometime in the second half of 2023 at around $6.6B. |