Paris, France -- Meta said Thursday it was activating so-called "teen accounts" with additional protections for adolescent Facebook and Messenger users worldwide, months after their deployment in major English-speaking countries. "We’ve placed hundreds of millions of teens in Teen Accounts across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, and now we’re expanding them...
Twitter deal still in limbo due to fake accounts: Elon Musk
Business magnate Elon Musk said Tuesday that his $44 billion move to take over Twitter remained held up by "very significant" questions about the number of fake users on the social network. Musk was reluctant to talk about the deal when asked at the Qatar Economic Forum, saying it was...
Stay off social media to improve your mental health: Study
It’s no secret that too much social media can be bad for one’s mental health. Now, research suggests that taking even a brief break from social media platforms can ease symptoms of depression and anxiety, media reports said. Staying off social media for a week meant, for some study participants,...Musk sends mixed messages on Twitter deal, pressuring shares
Elon Musk sent mixed messages Friday about his proposed Twitter acquisition, pressuring shares of the microblogging platform amid skepticism on whether the deal will close. In an early morning tweet, Musk said the $44 billion takeover was "temporarily on hold," pending questions over the social media company's estimates of the...
TikTok to unveil ad revenue-sharing program for creators
TikTok on Wednesday announced an ad revenue-sharing program with the social media platform's most prominent creators, moving closer to a model already used by its competitors.Nobel winner warns of ‘toxic’ social media threats
Social media allows dangerous propaganda to flourish, making professional journalists vulnerable to threats and attacks, says Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa.
Alwaleed blinks as Musk buys Twitter
Prince Alwaleed is one of the wealthiest businessmen in the Middle East, but Elon Musk is the richest person in the world.
Twitter board considers Elon Musk takeover bid
Twitter's board said it would carefully review what it termed Elon Musk's ‘unsolicited, non-binding’ offer and decide on a course of action that was ‘in the best interest of the company and all Twitter stockholders,’ after the Tesla founder made an offer of $54.2 per share of the social-media platform.Tunisia TV series sets off feverish polygamy debate
A Ramadan TV series dealing with polygamy has sparked a heated debate in Tunisia, an Arab pioneer in women's rights that banned the practice decades ago.
Twitter employees to meet Musk
They are concerned about his influence on the company board.Dubai Municipality to tap into Metaverse gains in pursuit of futuristic goals
Dubai Municipality will work with private sector companies and investors to create a futuristic, human-centered version of the city that capitalizes on opportunities thrown up by the metaverse, according to Dawood Abdul Rahman Al Hajri, Director-General of Dubai Municipality. Dawood Abdul Rahman Al Hajri, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, said this....
Social media’s rocky ride through conflict zones
Activists in Arab Spring countries now lament how the platforms they once lauded have been retooled to serve the powerful. In Burma, people recount how Facebook was used to incite violence against minorities.
MENA businesses are battling social media scams
Saeed Ahmad, Callsign’s Managing Director for the MENA region, explains how a single fraudulent message impersonating an entity can erode people’s digital trust in it.Ukraine dominates social media info war with Russia
People from Ukraine have posted videos showing the success of their forces, and they have become viral.Saudi Crown Prince opens up on every little thing
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has created quite a few ripples with his views on all things important during his first interview to a non-Saudi publication in two years.‘Pick a side’: Ukraine invasion dilemma for US Big Tech
US Senator Mark Warner wrote to Meta, Reddit, Telegram, TikTok, Twitter and other tech giants to stop Russian disinformation spreading online through their platform.
TikTok eyes a bigger slice of Arab social media
TikTok is among top ten most downloaded apps in the region, particularly in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar, says Hany Kamel, Director of Content Operation for TikTok MENA.On social media demand, Kuwait to ban film starring Israeli actress
Kuwait will ban a new film adaptation of Agatha Christie's whodunnit "Death on the Nile" with a cast of Hollywood stars including Israeli actress Gal Gadot, authorities said Sunday. The film, directed by and co-starring Kenneth Branagh, is due for release this month in the United States. The story is...
UAE warns public against flouting Covid-19 measures, spreading rumors
The Federal Agency said that irresponsible behavior which derails UAE's anti-COVID steps will be punishable by law.‘Social media key to brand identity in 2022’
Changes in digital marketing have forced the hand of digital marketers in a do-or-die way, says Farhad Divecha, founder and MD of AccuraCast, a UK leading digital marketing agency.
Palestinians raise alarm over Facebook content ‘suppression’
Allegations of pro-Israeli bias at Facebook were renewed in October when Human Rights Watch said the platform had "suppressed content posted by Palestinians
Critics of Turkish lira slide threatened with lawsuit
Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati urged citizens to sue economists who comment on social media about the lira's slide. His remarks followed the banking regulator's decision to file complaints against more than 20 people over their Twitter posts.
Kuwait denies withdrawing driving permits of expats
The ministry said in a statement that the personnel were actually engaged in routine upgrade of the licenses' data system.KNPC warns people not to fall for ‘dubious’ online ads
Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) has denied offering shares for trading, warning social media users not to believe in some "dubious" online advertisements illegally using the company's name.
‘Saudi women entrepreneurs have it easier now’
Boundary-pushing journalist and entrepreneur Muna AbuSulayman tells TRENDS how things have changed for businesswomen in Saudi Arabia.
Twitter bans sharing of photos
Twitter's first policy shift under the new CEO Parag Agrawal
Dubai’s creative and cultural scene needs a wider reach: Sheikha Latifa
Dubai Culture shall have its own official social media channels for updates on the creative and cultural sector in the city besides serving as a source of inspiring stories for the media. Also, more space and time needs to be given to news from the creative and cultural industries to...
Facebook renames its company ‘Meta’
The new handle comes as the social media giant tries to fend off one of its worst crises yet and pivot to its ambitions for the "metaverse" virtual reality version of the internetFB family of apps return online after seven hours
Users of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp across the world, including the Gulf countries, remained heavily affected for hours.LinkedIn to drop Stories format
Stories is expected to be removed from LinkedIn by September.
TikTok to offer in-app shopping with Shopify
The social media app will expand into e-commerce in partnership with Shopify
Ethiopia to build local rival to Facebook, other platforms
Social media services have previously been closed in the country over the past year
Afghan general takes Taliban fight to social media
36-year-old Sadat commands 20,000 men and remains optimistic of a win against Taliban.
