BUCYRUS, Ohio (AP) — As the future of social media platforms such as TikTok remains unknown, a younger generation of farmers is relying on social media to connect with audiences outside agriculture. For some farm influencers, revenue from social media platforms can augment income from farming and can help them connect with audiences that want to better understand where their food comes from.… Continue Reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear arguments next month over the constitutionality of the federal law that could ban TikTok in the U.S. if its Chinese parent company doesn’t sell it. The justices said Wednesday they will hear arguments Jan. 10 about whether the law impermissibly restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. The law, enacted in April, set a Jan. 19 deadline for TikTok to be sold or else face a ban in the United States. The popular social media platform has more than 170 million users in the U.S. It’s unclear how quickly the high court might issue a decision.… Continue Reading
A report released Monday by Pew Research Center says about one in five Americans regularly get their news from so-called news influencers on social media. The report found that news influencers posted mostly about politics and the election, followed by social issues like race and abortion and international events, such as the Israel-Hamas war. Most of them – 63% – are men and the majority – 77% – have no affiliation, or background, with a media organization. Pew said about half of the influencers it sampled did not express a clear political orientation. From the ones that did, slightly more of them identified as conservative than as liberal.… Continue Reading
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Disgruntled X users are once again flocking to Bluesky, a newer social media platform that grew out of the former Twitter before billionaire Elon Musk took it over in 2022. While it remains small compared to established online spaces such as X, it has emerged as an alternative for those looking for a different mood, lighter and friendlier and less influenced by Musk. Bluesky said in mid-November that its total users surged to 15 million, up from roughly 13 million at the end of October, as some X users look for an alternative platform to post their thoughts and talk to others online.… Continue Reading
After a tumultuous year filled with anxiety and a legal fight about its future in the U.S., TikTok may have just been thrown a lifeline by the man who was once its biggest foe. President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly pledged during his most recent campaign to oppose a ban on the short-form video app. For months, TikTok, and its China-based parent company ByteDance, have been embroiled in a legal battle with the U.S. over a federal law that forces them to cut ties or face a ban. If the courts uphold the law, it would fall on Trump’s Justice Department to enforce the statute. Trump could try different things to prevent the app from disappearing, including finding an buyer for it.… Continue Reading
NEW YORK (AP) — More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits against TikTok on Tuesday, alleging the popular short-form video app is harming youth mental health by designing its platform to be addictive to kids. At the heart of each lawsuit is the TikTok algorithm, which powers what users see on the platform by populating the app’s main “For You” feed with content tailored to people’s interests. The lawsuits also emphasize design features that they say make children addicted to the platform.… Continue Reading
NEW YORK (AP) — MrBeast is accused of creating “unsafe” employment conditions and misrepresenting contestants’ odds at winning his new Amazon reality show’s $5 million grand prize. That is according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by five unnamed participants. The filing alleges that MrBeast failed to provide minimum wages, overtime pay, uninterrupted meal breaks and rest time for competitors. It also says that “limited sustenance” endangered their health and that production staff created a “toxic” work environment for women who faced “sexual harassment” throughout the contest. A spokesperson for MrBeast told The Associated Press that he had no comment.… Continue Reading
WASHINGTON (AP) – TikTok faced off with the U.S. government in federal court on Monday, arguing a law that could ban the platform in a few short months was unconstitutional. But the Justice Department said during the hearing the measure is critical to eliminate a national security risk posed by the popular social media company. Attorneys for the two sides – and content creators – appeared before a panel of three judges at a federal appeals court in Washington. TikTok and its China-based parent company, ByteDance, are challenging the law that is forcing them to break ties by mid-January or lose one of their biggest markets in the world.… Continue Reading