โI was just so isolatedโ: Teen applauds new program targeting social mediaโs impact on youth mental health
After nationwide warnings, lawsuits against social media companies, and medical evidence about social media's negative affect on youth, Bexar County and the state of Texas are taking action. The new CHAAT program teaches kids and parents about what's really happening and what to do about it.
Hereโs how parents can help teens manage social media consumption
Many teens spend hours a day on social media. But with teenage depression on the rise, public health officials say there may be a connection between social media use and teen mental health. There are some ways parents can help their teens limit their consumption.
Several Snapchat users have become millionaires. Hereโs how
Yes, you heard that correctly โ Snapchat is making a few people millionaires. The spotlight feature on Snapchat is a dedicated tab in the app for promoting short viral videos from the Snapchat community, much like TikTok. Meanwhile, the Snapchat app overall grew to 265 million global daily active users in its fourth quarter of 2020, from 249 million in its third quarter. AdSo far, Snapchat has given out more than $110 million overall across the markets where spotlight is live. Snapchat said โseveralโ users have become millionaires through the spotlight club since November 2020.
San Antonio woman uses TikTok to educate others on HIV
SAN ANTONIO โ Brief 15- to 60-second videos serve as a window into peopleโs lives on TikTok. However, one San Antonio woman is using her account to show users that itโs possible to live a healthy life with HIV. More than 28,000 people follow Janeli Saucedo Castrejana on TikTok for new content related to HIV. โWe started dating, and he told me upfront that he was HIV positive,โ Saucedo Castrejana said. I feel like thereโs power in sharing experiences.โOn her TikTok account, Saucedo Castrejana shares important information and makes it relatable.
Social network Gab fuels latest conflict among Texas Republicans
|| Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas TribuneA fight has broken out among Texas Republicans over Gab, the embattled social network favored by the far right. That sparked fierce criticism from the company โ and new questions from fellow some Republicans about Abbott's own commitment to fighting perceived censorship by social media giants. AdGab promotes itself as a "free speech" alternative to social media behemoths like Facebook and Twitter. Earlier this year, Gab was among the alternative social media sites where Trump loyalists plotted the storming of the Capitol. "TexasGOP has no plan to deplatform from any of our social media accounts," the tweet said.
Gov. Greg Abbott on legislation to prohibit social media sites from โcensoring Texansโ
Gregg Abbott and state Sen. Bryan Hughes announce a Republican-sponsored Senate Bill 12, which would prevent social media sites like Facebook and Twitter from โcancelingโ the views of Texans. Greg Abbott is taking on the censorship of โconservative speech.โThe governor is slated to hold a news conference at noon on Friday to discuss the Republican-sponsored Senate Bill 12, which would prevent social media sites like Facebook and Twitter from โcancelingโ the views of Texans. The news conference, which will take place in Tyler with Sen. Bryan Hughes, will be livestreamed in this article. Hughes is among the sponsors of the bill, along with Sen. Donna Campbell who lives in New Braunfels. Abbottโs office said the legislature would โhelp prohibit social media companies from censoring Texans based on the viewpoints they express.โGOP leaders in Texas targeted social media giants like Facebook and Twitter during the pre- and post-election period and in the aftermath of the deadly U.S. Capitol siege.
Twitter looking into paid subscription feature for accounts users really like
Twitter has been exploring subscription options in recent months, in an attempt to make money from its users and diversify beyond its core advertising business. The social media company teased the โSuper Followsโ feature during its Analyst Day presentation. If implemented, users would have the ability to pay creators for additional content within their Twitter feeds, including exclusive announcements and newsletters. The concept of users paying for exclusive content from creators has become increasingly popular with the rise of platforms such as OnlyFans and Substack. AdAccording to statistics data base statista.com, Twitter has 330 million active users.
How to spot fake news online
ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) โ Manipulating videos to persuade an audience is nothing new, however, technology is making it harder and harder to tell whatโs real and whatโs not. As of 2020, there are 100 million deep fake videos online. The term deep fake comes from deep-learning artificial intelligence which is what gives these videos their uncanny realism. So, when debating real news versus fake news, always ask questions. Kids may actually be the savviest of us all as they spend more time on social media using editing tools like Snapchat filters and Facetune to create their own synthetic media, making them personally aware they canโt trust everything they see online.
Need a new profile pic? Check out this place!
SAN ANTONIO โ Love yourself? Youโre going to want to check out The Selfie Box, a new interactive selfie museum on the South Side. โWe both noticed on social media that these types of museums are in other cities around the states, but itโs a fairly new concept in the U.S. altogether,โ Ramos told KSAT. AdโThe experience we offer is like no other,โ Ramos told KSAT. โPeople who come to visit us today will have a different experience from several months of returning,โ Ramos told KSAT.
Competition heating up between TikTok, Instagram
TikTok has become big competition for Instagram. AdBuilding a clone is easy; creating a vibrant community is not, even for the social media giant. With Reels, Instagram has tried to replicate much of what makes TikTok popular, including editing effects and the ability to add music or a background sound. Instagram reels largely remains a home for TikToksโ greatest hits, with many people reposting popular Tiktok videos with the platformโs trademark watermark to reels. Itโs common to scroll through reels videos and see one TikTok video after another.
Facebookโs oversight board creates way for users to appeal content decisions
The oversight board, which has been called Facebookโs version of a Supreme Court, announced that it overturned Facebookโs decisions in four out of the five cases before it. The board is intended to create a new way for users to appeal content decisions on both Facebook and Instagram, given previous criticism over how the company handles hate speech, violent extremism and graphic materials. The 20-person board includes a former prime minister, a Nobel peace prize laureate and the former editor-in-chief of The Guardian. The first cases touched on issues of hate speech, nudity and COVID-19 misinformation. The first series of decisions come ahead of the most closely watched case yet for the board: Whether former president Donald Trump gets to stay on Facebook.
Bumble updates its terms to ban body shaming users
The dating app Bumble has been known for setting its own standards for how people should behave on the internet. Bumble updated its terms and conditions to explicitly list โphysical appearanceโ among other discriminatory language it does not tolerate. The updated policy comes as Bumble looks to make its debut on Wall Street. According to the filing, the Bumble dating empire counted 42.1 million monthly active users as of the end of September 2020. Bumble said it uses automated safeguards to detect comments and images it prohibits, and that it will also rely on people reporting individuals for body shaming.
Donโt post a photo of your COVID-19 vaccination card on social media, BBB warns
Just make sure not to share an image of your vaccination card on social media, the Better Business Bureau says. Up your security settings on social media: Be sure to check your privacy and security settings on your social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.). Be wary of what you post, even if itโs trending: Sharing your vaccine photo is one of the latest trends on social media. For more information from the BBB on how to safely share your COVID-19 vaccine news on social media, click here. AdRELATED: Social media is a breeding ground for scams during COVID-19 crisis, FTC says
100,000 viewers subscribe to KSATโs YouTube channel. Hereโs what theyโre watching.
KSAT surpassed the milestone of 100,000 subscribers on our YouTube channel this month. In addition to thanking our loyal viewers, we wanted to showcase some of the local journalism available for free on our YouTube channel for others who may not have discovered KSAT on YouTube. Hit the red subscribe button on our channel, or at the bottom of a video, and sign up for notifications to stay up on the latest news and relevant information to our community. Find all types of video content, including:Get a sample of some of the content we have to offer below:Primetime specialsNewscastsKSAT ExplainsTexas EatsAdTrust IndexKSAT KidsYour Weather AuthorityInterviews with local leadersLocal sportsSA LiveGet all this and more for free on KSATโs YouTube channel.
Facebook may be stalking you when youโre offline. But, thereโs an easy way to fix it.
But, donโt panic, as there is a way to fix it with just the flip of a switch. Why does โOff-Facebook Activityโ exist? However, by disengaging the โOff-Facebook Activityโ feature, the ads on the platform will be less personal to the user, according to the social media network. Click Your Facebook Information at the left column. Click Off-Facebook Activity to review.
Were you logged out of your Facebook account on Friday? This is why.
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)If you were logged out of your Facebook account overnight, the social media network says youโre not alone. Many Facebook users reported being automatically logged out of their accounts on Friday night and having to re-login for access. Weโre looking into reports of people being logged out and having to log in again to access their Facebook accounts. Posted by Facebook App on Saturday, January 23, 2021All should be up and running as normal now for Facebook users. RELATED: Margarita deliveries and murder hornets: The top 20 stories shared on KSATโs Facebook page this year
Tesla to hire โspecialistsโ to โaddress social media escalationsโ directed at CEO Elon Musk
FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, file photo, SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the Axel Springer media award, in Berlin. In a tweet Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, Musk said he once considered selling the electric car maker to Apple, but the iPhone makers CEO Tim Cook blew off the meeting. (Hannibal Hanschke/Pool Photo via AP, File)Tesla is hiring and you donโt need to be a rocket scientist to get this gig. The company is also hiring โenergy customer support specialistsโ to address social media escalations directed at the Companyโs CEO, Elon Musk. According to the job posting on Teslaโs website, the specialists will handle various customer issues while delivering โworld-class customer service.โโThe role of a specialist is to resolve or escalate complaints through appropriate channels and address social media escalations directed at the CEO with critical thinking,โ the job posting states.
Twitter CEO posts 13 tweet long thread on decision to ban Trump from platform
FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2018, file photo Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey took to his own platform to discuss the companyโs decision-making processes for banning President Donald Trump on Wednesday. In a thread of 13 Tweets, Dorsey explained his rationale for banning trump and speculated why others in the technology and social media industry followed suit. โI do not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban @realDonaldTrump from Twitter, or how we got here,โ Dorsey wrote in the thread. โ jack (@jack) January 14, 2021Dorsey wrote that he believed the decision to ban Trump from the platform was best for the company and the world.
If you find yourself looking at social medial posts for hours, you might be a victim of doom scrolling
But have you ever found yourself looking at posts for hours and hours, knowing it makes you upset? Here are some tips on how to stop your social media spirals. This year, more than three billion people will log on to social media. In total, itโs estimated the average adult will spend six years and eight months of their life on social media. To create an app jail, put all the social media apps you spend the most time on in one folder.
Margarita deliveries and murder hornets: The top 20 stories shared on KSATโs Facebook page this year
Big Red-flavored beer is coming soon to San Antonio, thanks to one local breweryThe brewery says it's the most "quintessentially Texas beer San Antonio didn't know they had." Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Saturday, June 27, 20202. Texas Zombie Safari lets you shoot zombies with paintballs from response vehiclesIt's an interactive zombie hunt and it's only open in Texas in October. Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Tuesday, April 28, 202019. Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Sunday, September 20, 202020.
Here are the top 5 highest paid YouTubers for 2020
If you are able to talk, teach or just entertain, there is a way to use the internet to make money. People all over the world have cashed in big checks thanks to views on their YouTube pages. Forbes just released the list of some of the highest paid YouTubers of 2020, so we decided to breakdown exactly how much they made from their page and what they do to make it. He racked up $24 million and was dubbed by Forbes as YouTubeโs biggest new star. Forbes writes Kajiโs videos are a mix of DIY science experiments, family story time and reviews of new toys.
Want your dog on a Budweiser can? Hereโs how to make your wish come true
ST. LOUIS โ Itโs a dog-owner and beer drinkerโs dream: a starring role on a can of Bud. Budweiser announced Wednesday that they are teaming up with We Rate Dogs, an online social media account that rates dogs, to put some lucky pups on real cans of Budweiser. ๐ถ๐บ https://t.co/mhzzngvfbj โ Budweiser (@budweiserusa) December 16, 2020How to enterRespond to the thread online with a picture of your dog, or pictures -- thereโs no limit on how many times you can enter! The company said a few lucky owners will get their pupโs image on a can sent directly to them. pic.twitter.com/RKo4tLkLcF โ Budweiser (@budweiserusa) December 16, 2020Related:Sit, stay, crack open a cold one?
Debt collectors will be able to look for you on social media platforms next year
For some folks, that means dealing with calls from debt collectors. Starting late next year, collectors will also be allowed to contact consumers by email, text message, and even through social media. Debt collectors are notorious for hounding consumers over debts that have already been paid off or were never owed in the first place. For example, CR says that if a debt collector contacts you, request verification of the debt. Itโs not entirely clear how collection agencies will use social media to reach consumers.
Sharing on social media: How much is too much?
ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) โ Seventy-two percent of Americans use social media, and in January of 2019, there was an average of 500 million posts onto Instagram stories a day. Itโs clear that we love to share what is going on in our lives, but should certain things be kept secret? People post on social media to stay connected, but could certain posts hurt us in the long run? You can turn off your iPhoneโs geolocation by going to Location Services, then Camera, and choose the option Never. To receive a free weekly email on Smart Living from Ivanhoe, sign up at: http://www.ivanhoe.com/ftkRELATED: If youโre โdoomscrollingโ social media, hereโs how to take control
If youโre โdoomscrollingโ social media, hereโs how to take control
SAN ANTONIO โ From politics to the pandemic to civil unrest, it can be hard to avoid โdoomscrollingโ through your social media. But social media doesnโt have to be that way. โYou actually have some control over what kinds of posts you see on social media,โ said Consumer Reports Tech Editor Thomas Germain. Another way to avoid social posts that may get your blood boiling is to sort your feed chronologically instead of how the algorithm thinks itโs most likely to get your attention. Consumer Reports offers instructions for customizing your social media accounts on its website.
If youโre โdoomscrollingโ social media, hereโs how to take control
If youโre โdoomscrollingโ social media, hereโs how to take controlPublished: November 16, 2020, 5:25 pmScrolling through the barrage of negativity on social media can affect your mood and mental health. There are some ways to filter and take some control over what you see.
Why you should keep track of your data online
ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) โ Weโve all heard the stories of companies' data mining and big brother watching our every online move. But how much of your data have you really lost track of? Youโll get a copy of every comment and post you made, every website youโve visited, every real location youโve logged in from, every online interaction youโve had, your facial recognition data, targeted ads, lists of all the advertisers that have your information. Sites like Facebook track your web and location history as much as possible and you wonโt find all of that in your data request download. You can view your location history on Facebook by going to Settings, Location, and click View Location History.
Why experts say you should take a break from social media
Social media can be magical when it comes to staying in touch with family and friends, but we all know that social media has its dark side too. According to an article published on the healthy.com, social media constantly interrupts us. Studies show that by doing social media while working can reduce your productivity by up to 40%. Doctors say just spending one to two hours on social media before bedtime can lead to 15 hours a week of lost sleep. staying away from social media can make you feel calmer, and more focused on things that really matter.
What is Parler and why are some people leaving Facebook to join it?
If youโre on social media, specifically Facebook, you might have seen some of your friends talking about Parler recently. Parler claims to differ from other social media apps. Parlerโs community standards state that other social media platforms' โbiased content curation policies enable rage mobs and bullies to influence Community Guidelines. Some Twitter users have claimed that left-leaning users are getting the boot, according to a Newsweek article, which states that President Donald Trump, his son Eric Trump, Rudy Giuliani and Candace Owens are Parler users. Another part of the Parler user agreement?
Study shows how social media can trigger jealousy
With social media apps like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram on the rise, many peopleโs social skills are decreasing. According to a new study on studyfinds.com, about one-third of people communicate less with their family members and friends because they can follow them on social media. Nearly 60% of those in the study viewed a friend as having a better life because of what they posted on social media while more than 60% of social media users feel worse after finding out someone โunfriendedโ them online. A total of 54% of social media users feel upset when no one 'liked or commentedโ on a picture they posted and nearly half were jealous when they saw a friend had more likes than they did. RELATED: Did social media actually counter election misinformation?
Social media now a political forum and battleground
SAN ANTONIO โ The back and forth on social media has played a role in generating even more interest in the presidential election, resulting in record voter turnouts, said UTSA political scientist Bryan Gervais, Ph.D. Yet, Gervais said social media also is a conduit of false and misleading information on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Gervais said he urges social media users to do their due diligence. โIf we know they havenโt previously been submitted, we should submit them ourselves.โHe also said social media users can flag comments that violate social media platform policies. โWhen these comments are promoting violence, that can lead them to be taken down by the social media companies,โ Gervais said.
Instagram launches hidden feature for users to customize app icon. Hereโs how to do it.
To celebrate its 10th birthday, Instagram is letting users unlock a hidden feature that allows them to choose what the appโs icon will look like on their home screen. How to change your Instagram App icon1. In the Instagram app, find the three horizontal bars at the top corner of your screen and tap them. How to unlock the hidden App Icon feature on Instagram (KSAT 2020)4. Keep pulling down until you are redirected to the App Icon page where you can choose from 13 different options.
WATCH LIVE: President Trump holds discussion on social media abuses at 2 p.m.
President Donald Trump will hold a discussion with state attorneys general on โprotecting consumers from social media abusesโ at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Trump has targeted Chinese-owned TikTok for national security and data privacy concerns in the latest flashpoint in the rising tensions between Washington and Beijing. On Saturday, he backed a proposed deal that allowed TkTok to partner with Oracle, a Texas-based company, and Walmart. The deal will make Oracle responsible for hosting all TikTokโs U.S. user data and securing computer systems to ensure U.S. national security requirements are satisfied. Walmart said it will provide its ecommerce, fulfillment, payments and other services to the new company.
โHeard they were trying to make me nonexistent to Selenaโs legacy:โ Chris Perez social media post goes viral
According to Carlito Miranda, Perezโs manager, someone reached out to Perez on social media after a recent visit to the museum. Chris Perez reflects on his life with, without Selena, and her legacy 25 years laterโObviously it bothered him,โ Miranda said. On Tuesday, Perez took to social media with a post saying, โI heard they were trying to make me nonexistent to Selenaโs legacy..... Go for it.โFans quickly began commenting and sharing the post; Most in support of Perez. So far, Perezโs post on social media has been shared more than 8,000 times and has more than 5,000 comments on it. A few hours after this story was posted, Suzette Quintanilla, posted two videos on her Instagram account that show Perez on the Selena Museum wall.
TikTok says it will bring hundreds of new jobs to Austin despite President Trumpโs attempt to ban the app
In a statement to KSAT, Chandlee said the company not only plans to be members of the Austin community, but also plans to add 10,000 jobs over the course of a year, including hundreds to Texasโ capital city. There are currently 46 TikTok job openings listed that are based in Austin. โThe Austin community embodies the same creative and entrepreneurial spirit that defines the TikTok community, and we are going to do all we can to ensure our companyโs future in Texas and the US. Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 6, which essentially prohibits any and all usage of the application by U.S. citizens. A message to the TikTok community.
UTSA responds to alleged violent threats made toward woman on Twitter
SAN ANTONIO UTSA posted on its verified Twitter account that the universitys police department is looking into an incident of alleged threats made toward a woman on social media. Twitter user Ashley StClair contacted UTSAs Twitter account Tuesday evening to alert the university to the threats she claimed to receive. The UTSA Police Department has been alerted and is looking into this as we speak. UPDATE: @UTSA has reached out to me & I just got off of the phone with UTSA PoliceI am very impressed with their response to the threats & hope that the proper actions are taken against him. The university has not confirmed if the person alleged to have made the social media threats worked at the university.
Harris County GOP chair-elect resigns after sharing racist Facebook post juxtaposing an MLK quote with a banana
Social MediaHarris County Republican Party chair-elect Keith Nielsen announced on Facebook he will not take office in August, days after defending a racist post related to ongoing protests on racial inequity. I have spent my entire adult life supporting conservative candidates and causes and I am grateful for the thousands of supporters who have reached out to me over the last several days, Nielsen wrote in a Facebook post. The juxtaposition of the quote and the banana can be read as an allusion to equating black people with monkeys, a well-worn racist trope. Nielsen appears to have deleted the post and apparently addressed it on his Facebook page Thursday evening. Nielson was one of several Texas GOP members to post racist remarks following days of protests in Texas, garnering criticism from Republican officials in the state.
Facebook will start labeling pages and posts from state-controlled media
Facebook will start labeling the pages, posts and advertisements of state-controlled media outlets, the company announced Thursday. โThe concern for us is state media combines the agenda-setting power of a media entity with the strategic backing of a state,โ Gleicher said. State media outlets, especially in China, have seized upon the recent protests in the past week, questioning why some American officials praise Hong Kong protesters while criticizing US protesters. Gleicher said Facebook consulted with 65 experts to create its own criteria to define which outlets to label as state-controlled media. Twitter does not label state-controlled media, but in August stopped accepting advertising from state-controlled news media entities.
Canโt create a Facebook avatar? These may be the reasons
Facebook and Reddit users keep asking how to create a Facebook avatar, as many people have already shared their creations on their timelines, keeping the rest of us in FOMO mode. Fidji Simo, the head of the Facebook App, responded to some of those questions after she announced the avatarsโ launch last week. Want to make your Facebook avatar? Next, scroll down and select โSee More.โ Then, click on โAvatars," click on โNext" and then โGet started.โโTurn on your location for Facebook. As you create your avatar, you can match your own appearance, or you can mix it up.