Why Punch The Viral Monkey Is Inspiring Heartfelt Music, Not Just Memes

The internet is writing original songs about Punch the viral macaque, who found comfort in a stuffed orangutan toy after his mother abandoned him at a Japanese zoo.

The 2026 Winter Olympics Were A Ratings Success. Here’s How Social Media Helped

Recently, NBC announced the entire Winter Olympics broadcast itself was pure gold, scoring over 23 million viewers on average.

Instagram comes to Google TV, if you prefer mindless doomscrolling on a giant screen

After launching on Fire TV, Instagram’s TV app is now available on Google TV in the U.S., as Meta bets that short-form video and passive scrolling belong on the biggest screen in the house.
The post Instagram comes to Google TV, if you prefer mindless …

Discord delays its age verification plans and says ‘we’re listening’ — but it’s too little too late

The backlash on age verification plans has finally forced Discord to act, but it’s not at all what users wanted to hear.

Instagram head pressed on lengthy delay to launch teen safety features, like a nudity filter, court filing reveals

An email chain with Instagram head Adam Mosseri indicated the company was aware of teen safety issues in DMs in 2018, but didn’t launch its unwanted nudity filter until 2024.

Amazon’s AWS Debuts AI Tool That Automates Clipping Live Sports For Social Media

AWS launches Elemental Inference tools to automate finding, clipping, adding meta data and distributing vertical video highlights from live sports events.

Does Big Tech actually care about fighting AI slop?
Does Big Tech actually care about fighting AI slop?

As 2025 drew to a close, Instagram head Adam Mosseri ended the year by doom-posting about AI. “Authenticity is becoming infinitely reproducible,” Mosseri lamented. “Everything that made creators matter – the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn’t be faked – is now accessible to anyone with the right tools.” […]

The Age Verification Trap
The Age Verification Trap

Social media is going the way of alcohol, gambling, and other social sins: societies are deciding it’s no longer kids’ stuff. Lawmakers point to compulsive use, exposure to harmful content, and mounting concerns about adolescent mental health. So, man…

Landmark Child Safety Case Puts Mark Zuckerberg And Meta Under The Microscope

This case could have consequences not just for families and kids, but also for social media companies and how they might be required to do more gatekeeping.

Smart glasses in court are a privacy nightmare
Smart glasses in court are a privacy nightmare

When Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrived at a Los Angeles courthouse on Wednesday, he did so with a team that appeared to be wearing Meta’s camera-equipped Ray-Ban smart glasses. Judge Carolyn Kuhl was concerned. According to CNBC, Kuhl warned anyone recording with the glasses, “If you have done that, you must delete that, or you […]