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Cataloging the top objects of 2023

"Whe more digital we get, the more we crave these sort of physical manifestations of the digital," says Rob Walker.
"The more digital we get, the more we crave these sort of physical manifestations of the digital and the digital world amplifies physical things," says Rob Walker.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

Reddit, Twitter and the [price] war on third-party developers

Jul 17, 2023
In a bid for new revenue streams, social media platforms risk alienating API makers, who are an integral part of the digital ecosystem.
Twitter and Reddit recently introduced new pricing schemes for third-party developers that use their platforms.
S3studio/Getty Images

Meta readies new Twitter challenger

Jul 5, 2023
Threads, the new social media platform created by the owner of Instagram and Facebook, launches Thursday.
The Threads app is looking to push Twitter off its perch.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Ads on social media are exceptionally good at getting us to click "buy"

"In the past, we've studied social media ads as if they're just like a billboard or a print magazine ad when they're not," said advertising professor Matthew Pittman. "You're seeing an ad from any number of sources."
On Instagram or in other social media feeds, "you're seeing an ad from any number of sources right after you might see a video or a post from your ex from high school or a new celebrity training fitness routine," said the University of Tennessee's Matthew Pittman.
David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

Trying to explain the bank runs? The "takeconomy" might deserve some of the blame.

Mar 21, 2023
Many factors led to Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse, but content creator Kyla Scanlon says "social media risk" accelerated the slide.
Credit Suisse Chair Axel Lehmann blamed his bank's failure partly on a "social media storm." Content creator Kyla Scanlon highlights the role of social media in the instability that has jolted global finance.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

Lessons so far from Elon Musk's tweet trial

University of Michigan's Erik Gordon says Musk may have offered us salient advice: don't take what he says as gospel.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves the Phillip Burton Federal Building on Jan. 24, 2023, where he testified at a trial regarding tweets saying he was taking Tesla private.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

To tweet or not to tweet? How brands are wrestling with Elon Musk's Twitter

Dec 16, 2022
While many companies like General Mills and General Motors stopped or reduced paid advertising, most are staying on the platform. 
Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Can Mastodon replace Twitter or is it a different beast?

Nov 18, 2022
Looking for a Twitter alternative, over a million people have recently signed up for Mastodon, a non-profit open source social media service.
Mastodon gets its name from a prehistoric mammoth-like animal.
Courtesy Mastodon

Banks that helped finance Musk's Twitter purchase field low bids for debt

Nov 11, 2022
It's common for banks to sell of loans to other investors. What’s unusual are the sharply lower prices those potential buyers are offering.
Elon Musk paid $44 billion for Twitter; he borrowed $13 billion of it to help foot the bill.
David Odisho/Getty Images

For tech giants like Meta, feverish pandemic growth is now followed by layoffs

Nov 7, 2022
Jobs losses at Meta and others could be an indicator of wider cuts in other industries.
Meta is reportedly planning to lay off thousands of employees this week, joining several other big companies in downsizing.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images