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TikTok Confirms Employees Can Decide What Goes ‘Viral’

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Going viral on social media isn’t as organic as you think — at least not on TikTok.

It was confirmed over the week that TikTok’s U.S. employees could determine what goes “viral” on the social media platform, Forbes confirms. Claims of the ability surfaced with the announcement of the new “heating” feature that can help introduce emerging influencers on the platform.

MORE: Lil Yachty Announces ‘Let’s Start Here’ Album for Jan. 27

Jamie Favazza, a spokesperson for TikTok, told Forbes that increasing views to particular videos isn’t the only reason for heating. TikTok will also “promote some videos to help diversify the content experience,” he said.

Favazza also suggests TikTok doesn’t do it that often, claiming only “.002% of videos in For You feeds” are heated. According to an internal document obtained by Forbes, however, heated videos reportedly make up “around 1-2 percent” of “total daily video views.”

MORE: Remember When They Wanted to Ban TikTok? It’s Already Starting To Happen

Rumors of the ability to boost videos have been circulating for years. Facebook, the parent company of TikTok, allegedly knew it was showing inflated view counts and didn’t fix it right away to help entice advertisers and media companies to its platform.

The report comes as TikTok is facing heavy competition from platforms like YouTube and Instagram. TikTok’s lack of transparency around heating makes it hard to tell which videos got to the top organically.

The post TikTok Confirms Employees Can Decide What Goes ‘Viral’ appeared first on The Source.

GloRilla Denies Pregnancy Rumors

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Memphis star GloRilla turned some heads in the media after pregnancy rumors started to swirl online, and to say she denies them is one thing. Moreover, she dispelled rumors in a pretty strong way that had fans and users either laughing or confused. Most recently, she dropped a new track with Gloss Up titled “BestFrenn” where she puts her bestie above her boo.

ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 9: GloRilla performs onstage during “Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert” at State Farm Arena on December 9, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)

Furthermore, the 23-year-old rapper took to the Meta comments, of all places, to say that she’s not carrying a baby. Her exact words, however, had fans quaking.

“Now why am I trending ?????” she asked on Facebook. “Don’t forget I blocks tf outta people [laughing emojis] don’t get blocked for 4 laughs.” It seems she was taking aim at people making jokes about her trending status in the comments. After all, she has a lot to be trending for. Just a couple of days ago, she tributed the late Gangsta Boo at her funeral with some inspiring words about her legacy.

Also, she just dropped “On Wat U On” with fellow Memphis magnate Moneybagg Yo, a track that they’re both feeling very stoked on. Regardless of all her success that people might’ve referenced on the Metaverse, eventually Glo caught up. Eventually, she responded in the comments.

“And y’all slow af I was jp in dat picture,” she wrote, referencing a picture of her that floated around with pregnancy rumors. “Nobody knew when I actually was pregnant until it was gone [laughing and peace sign emoji].”

After she dropped that bomb, a lot of people responded with hilarity, even if some were incredulous. “Every week she out does the last ‘WTF she say’ comment,” wrote one user. However, most of them were just goofing off. “Nah cause she really be in the Meta comments,” someone wrote, with another Instagram commenter adding “She is just funny by accident.”

What do you think of GloRilla denying pregnancy rumors in a pretty funny way? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments down below. Also, as always, come back to HNHH for more gossip and funny interactions in the rap game.

Donald Trump’s Facebook Reinstatement Faces Pressure From Democrats

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Democrats are reportedly increasing pressure on Meta to keep Donald Trump off of Facebook. The news comes as the company is deciding whether to reinstate the former President’s account.

Facebook originally suspended Trump’s account after the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol. The platform could welcome him back as early as next month.

US President Donald Trump speaks during a retreat with Republican lawmakers at Camp David in Thurmont, Maryland, January 6, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Democratic lawmakers fear Trump’s return to the platform would threaten public safety by the spread of misinformation.

Kayla Gogarty, deputy research director of Media Matters for America, says that his presence would increase “extremism” and “problematic content.”

“On Facebook, he has a very large reach,” Gogarty told Insider. “Based on his current patterns, we’re seeing him amplify extremism, problematic content that has been linked to real world violence.”

Gogarty continued: “So if Meta allows him back on, it’s essentially giving Trump a green light to push election misinformation again, dangerous rhetoric and extremism to millions of users who would not otherwise have access to it.”

While he’s been inactive on Facebook, Trump has migrated his presence to Truth Social. As for whether his behavior online has changed, Media Matters reports that nearly half of Trump’s posts and reposts in the week following the 2022 midterm elections pushed election fraud conspiracies.

“His activity on Truth Social speaks to his potential activity if he’s allowed back on some of these more mainstream platforms, like Facebook,” Gogarty further said.

Trump’s potential Facebook reinstatement comes after Elon Musk allowed him back on Twitter. In doing so, Musk conducted a poll among users on the platform. Despite this, Trump has opted to stay on Truth Social.

[Via]

Senators To Introduce New Legislation “Kids Online Safety Act”

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Two U.S. senators will introduce a bill today that would protect children online. The “Kids Online Safety Act” is co-sponsored by Democrat Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Republican Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.

The bill would require social media platforms to provide parents with tools to protect their children from harmful content online, including sexual exploitation, bullying and product recommendations.

“The “Kids Online Safety Act” would finally give kids and their parents the tools and safeguards they need to protect against toxic content—and hold Big Tech accountable for deeply dangerous algorithms.

Algorithms driven by eyeballs and dollars will no longer hold sway. I will fight for swift passage alongside Senator Blackburn, my partner in this effort,” Blumenthal said in a statement.

The introduction of this bill follows the Facebook whistleblower whom released internal company documents that showed the dangerous effects of algorithms used in marketing online.

According to The Hill, the legislation would require platforms to limit the ability of individuals to contact or find a minor, as well as prevent individuals from viewing a minor’s personal data collected by or shared on the platform. It would also require minors to have an option to opt-out of algorithmic recommendation systems and establish a duty of care for platforms to prevent and mitigate harm to minors, including the promotion of self-harm, suicide, eating disorders and substance abuse.

Share your thoughts on The “Kids Online Safety Act” with us.

The post Senators To Introduce New Legislation “Kids Online Safety Act” appeared first on The Source.

Senators To Introduce New Legislation “Kids Online Safety Act”

by
kids online safety act

Two U.S. senators will introduce a bill today that would protect children online. The “Kids Online Safety Act” is co-sponsored by Democrat Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Republican Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.

The bill would require social media platforms to provide parents with tools to protect their children from harmful content online, including sexual exploitation, bullying and product recommendations.

“The “Kids Online Safety Act” would finally give kids and their parents the tools and safeguards they need to protect against toxic content—and hold Big Tech accountable for deeply dangerous algorithms.

Algorithms driven by eyeballs and dollars will no longer hold sway. I will fight for swift passage alongside Senator Blackburn, my partner in this effort,” Blumenthal said in a statement.

The introduction of this bill follows the Facebook whistleblower whom released internal company documents that showed the dangerous effects of algorithms used in marketing online.

According to The Hill, the legislation would require platforms to limit the ability of individuals to contact or find a minor, as well as prevent individuals from viewing a minor’s personal data collected by or shared on the platform. It would also require minors to have an option to opt-out of algorithmic recommendation systems and establish a duty of care for platforms to prevent and mitigate harm to minors, including the promotion of self-harm, suicide, eating disorders and substance abuse.

Share your thoughts on The “Kids Online Safety Act” with us.

The post Senators To Introduce New Legislation “Kids Online Safety Act” appeared first on The Source.

Meta Will Let Users Jam With The Roots And Attend A VR Young Thug Concert For Black History Month

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Meta — formerly known as Facebook — is giving Oculus Quest 2 users the opportunity to have a jam session with The Roots and attend a virtual Young Thug concert for Black History Month. Accessible through the Horizon Venues app, the two concerts are just part of the programming planned for the month. In addition to The Roots jam session and Thugger concert, DJ Snoopadelic will spin a set of his favorite hip-hop and funk, while Bounce icon Big Freedia will deliver a New Orleans dance party for the ages.

And while the music might be the highlight, there will be educational experiences too, including VR experiences about “Traveling While Black,” America’s history of protest, reform, activism, and social justice, and a virtual visit to the White House with President Barack Obama. New VR content will be made available each week, while Facebook’s Lift Black Voices hub will offer more traditional content, and Instagram will have its own collection of Reels and video series highlighting Black history — which is really just American history without the filter of default whiteness. You can find out more here.

As for The Roots, Big Freedia, and Young Thug, they’ve all been keeping busy with various projects. The Roots’ Questlove and Black Thought recently launched their Disney Plus series “Rise Up, Sing Out,” and Questlove has been nominated for an Oscar for his documentary, Summer Of Soul. Meanwhile, Young Thug is helping his artist Gunna “push P” and Big Freedia is fresh off a 2021 spent remixing huge pop hits by Lady Gaga and Rebecca Black.

Meta Will Let Users Jam With The Roots And Attend A VR Young Thug Concert For Black History Month

by
young thug black history month
Getty Image

Meta — formerly known as Facebook — is giving Oculus Quest 2 users the opportunity to have a jam session with The Roots and attend a virtual Young Thug concert for Black History Month. Accessible through the Horizon Venues app, the two concerts are just part of the programming planned for the month. In addition to The Roots jam session and Thugger concert, DJ Snoopadelic will spin a set of his favorite hip-hop and funk, while Bounce icon Big Freedia will deliver a New Orleans dance party for the ages.

And while the music might be the highlight, there will be educational experiences too, including VR experiences about “Traveling While Black,” America’s history of protest, reform, activism, and social justice, and a virtual visit to the White House with President Barack Obama. New VR content will be made available each week, while Facebook’s Lift Black Voices hub will offer more traditional content, and Instagram will have its own collection of Reels and video series highlighting Black history — which is really just American history without the filter of default whiteness. You can find out more here.

As for The Roots, Big Freedia, and Young Thug, they’ve all been keeping busy with various projects. The Roots’ Questlove and Black Thought recently launched their Disney Plus series “Rise Up, Sing Out,” and Questlove has been nominated for an Oscar for his documentary, Summer Of Soul. Meanwhile, Young Thug is helping his artist Gunna “push P” and Big Freedia is fresh off a 2021 spent remixing huge pop hits by Lady Gaga and Rebecca Black.