TAMPERE, Finland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 14, 2023--

Just as you thought social media platforms had all corners of the internet covered, along comes Threads, created by Facebook and Instagram owners Meta. In what has been described as a rival to Twitter, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has already had over 10 million people signed up in the first few hours of launching. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter For some, it’s a matter of jumping in with both feet and navigating the waters from there. Others will sit back and take a little more cautious approach. Either way, learning how to navigate the social media jungle using these few simple tips will be invaluable... Take a social media detox It’s easy to use social media compulsively and excessively. You can become so accustomed to scrolling through posts, laughing at videos and liking images that it can take over. According to data found by audience insights platform GWI, 29 per cent of people across Britain use more than five social media apps, with 54 per cent of 16-24-year-olds doing the same. “There has been a substantial surge in social media consumption over the past decade. What initially began as occasional Facebook ‘check-ins’ has now evolved into spending six to eight hours per day on various social media platforms such as TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and now, Threads,” said Marvin Winkelmann, the managing director of AFK Digital. That’s why he says moderation is key. “I strongly advocate for individuals to not only take periodic breaks from social media to rejuvenate their wellbeing but also to consider reducing their engagement before bedtime and during meals. By doing so, we can prioritise face-to-face interactions, which hold even greater significance than merely keeping up with the seemingly idealised virtual world.” Practise the right social media etiquette Winkelmann highlights that different platforms have different niches in terms of how people generally interact. “But a rule of thumb should always be to treat other users with respect.” It’s also why Chris Hackett, the founder of Face Digital, an SEO advisory firm, believes we all need to learn the right social media etiquette, which dictates how people should behave around others online. “Always be yourself,” he said. “Whether you’re using social media for personal or professional reasons, people connect with authenticity. This doesn’t mean you should be airing out your personal details, but you don’t have to hide behind an online persona. “Be careful with what you say. It may feel like a safe space, but using social media to vent or voice controversial opinions can come back to haunt you in the future. “And don’t post anything that you wouldn’t want an employer to see. Social media is, for the most part, public. Before you fire off that tweet, imagine a potential employer reading it and what they may think.” Be careful of negativity Hackett advised against getting into arguments on social media. “There are a lot of keyboard warriors around, and there is nothing to gain by arguing with them. If you don’t like something, scroll past it.” Plus, some of the negativity on social media could have an impact on your mental health – which is why it’s important to look after yourself. “Social media has become a constant figure in everyone’s lives, to the point where it can be detrimental to our mental health. The best way to deal with negativity is to take time away from toxic online environments,” said Hackett. Winkelmann added: “It is crucial to acknowledge that social media platforms tend to accentuate negativity due to the provocative nature of negative content. People love to disagree and share their opinions online. “As a result, the algorithms used by these platforms are designed to amplify such content. It is important for individuals to remain aware of this fact, bearing in mind that much of what is observed online is often an embellished representation of reality anyway.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

US president Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris joined Instagram’s Threads after the White House said Elon Musk’s sharing of an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X was “unacceptable”. Within an hour of joining the rival Meta-owned platform, Mr Biden’s profile garnered over two million followers. “Folks, it’s President Biden,” the official US president’s account posted on Threads. “You’re hearing from me today from a new platform, but my message to you hasn’t changed: Right now, we face an inflection point – one of those challenging moments in history where the decisions we make today will determine decades to come,” the president said. Several accounts on the X rival app responded to the post, calling for a ceasefire amid Israel’s invasion of Gaza, and posting “Free Palestine” along with words of support for Palestinians. Mr Biden joining Threads ahead of a presidential election could boost the platform’s legitimacy and bring more followers to the app. The White House’s decision comes as X, formerly Twitter, is embroiled in a controversy over the platform’s owner Mr Musk endorsing a post falsely asserting that Jewish people “have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them”. The conspiracy theory was among the hateful ideas referenced by the gunman who carried out the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history, killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018. Mr Musk immediately faced backlash for sharing the post at a time when Jewish people were facing an increasing amount of hostility due to the Israel-Hamas conflict which began on 7 October. “It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of antisemitism in American history at any time, let alone one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Andrew Bates, a spokesperson for the White House, said in a statement. Watchdog group Media Matters for America said earlier that it found advertisements for companies like IBM, Apple and Oracle were being placed alongside antisemitic content on X. A number of companies, including Apple, Disney, Discovery, Warner Bros, and Paramount Global have paused their ads on X. The latest incident marked yet another effect of X failing to moderate harmful content. It also points to the Biden administration’s efforts to turn to more social media platforms to engage with users ahead of the 2024 presidential elections. Mr Musk responded on Sunday saying X would be filing a “thermonuclear lawsuit” against Media Matters “and all those who colluded in this fraudulent attack on our company.” Responding to the Tesla Titan’s post, Media Matters president Angelo Carusone called Mr Musk a “bully who threatens meritless lawsuits”. “Musk admitted the ads at issue ran alongside the pro-Nazi content we identified. If he does sue us, we will win,” Mr Carusone said. X has not responded to The Independent’s request for comment. Read More Musk files defamation suit against Media Matters over Nazi X post claims Elon Musk and Trump aide want journalists jailed over X Hitler exposé Elon Musk insists he’s not antisemitic after sharing antisemitic post SpaceX Starship rocket loses contact after reaching space: Live updates Disney, Apple suspend ads on Musk’s X after he agrees with antisemitic tweet SpaceX to launch world’s biggest rocket again after first attempt ended in explosion

Amazon Prime Video will include advertising during shows and movies starting early next year, joining other streaming services that have added different tiers of subscriptions. Members of Amazon Prime can pay $2.99 per month in the U.S. to keep their service ad-free, the company said Friday. Amazon said limited advertisements will be aired during shows and movies starting early next year so that it can “continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time.” Ads in Prime Video content will start in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Canada in early 2024, followed by France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia later in the year.

To play Urzikstan early in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, fans must play Zombies mode to experience the new Warzone map before it launches.

Kanye West celebrated his 46th birthday over the weekend in a lavish Los Angeles bash, with his daughter North West and reported wife Bianca Censori in attendance. Like most birthday parties, food was in order – but it was the display that soon caught the attention of social media users. In footage shared on Twitter, nude women were seen lying on tables with platters of sushi covering their private areas. "Not creepy at all," one user hit back, while another added: "This feels problematic." Meanwhile, a third suggested it portrayed "misogyny at its finest." The Japanese practice is said to be called nyotaimori, also referred to as 'body sushi'. Nantaimori is the male equivalent. According to sources, some high dining nyotaimori experiences can cost as much as $13,000 (£10,300). Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The private party was said to have the likes of Chloe Bailey and Ty Dolla Sign in attendance. West's reported wife was also spotted holding hands with his eldest daughter as they made their way to the event. After months of speculation about the rapper's relationship status with the head of architecture for the Yeezy brand, one content creator sent social media spiralling. In a viral video that circulated on TikTok earlier this year, Censori, 28, appeared to confirm she was married without explicitly naming West. TikTok user Nue filmed himself having a conversation with a "sexy" bleach-blonde woman while out shopping. He wrapped up their encounter by asking for her number, to which she replied: "I’m married!" The woman in question turned out to be Censori, sending viewers into a frenzy. "I think she’s adorable and I’m happy for her and ye," one person wrote about the alleged marriage, while another added: "She honestly seems like a really sweet person." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

DALLAS & TEL AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 1, 2023--

There's a clever homage hidden in the opening credits of HBO's "Succession."

FIFA 23 FUTTIES release date is currently unknown, but based on last year's calendar it should start around July 14.

Could we have aliens to thank for preventing a nuclear war on Earth? That’s what one former Nasa astronaut has claimed. Edgar Mitchell, who was involved in the Apollo 14 mission, gained a reputation for sharing conspiracy theories when he arrived back from the moon in 1971. Mitchell was the sixth man on the moon and was the Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 14. Before his death in 2016, Mitchell spoke at length claiming that aliens visited Earth. Speaking to the Mirror, he alleged that aliens were responsible for preventing nuclear war between the US and the Soviets at the height of Cold War tensions. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter At the time, Mitchell focused on the White Sands Missile Range facility in New Mexico. “White Sands was a testing ground for atomic weapons – and that's what the extraterrestrials were interested in,” he said. "They wanted to know about our military capabilities. My own experience talking to people has made it clear the ETs had been attempting to keep us from going to war and help create peace on Earth." White Sands Missile Range is where the first atomic bomb was tested in 1945, and Mitchell claimed that officers there had told him aliens had shot down missiles flying over the site. The claims were, as you’d expect, disputed. UFO expert Nigel Watson told IFL Science at the time: "To me, this is just another case of UFO fantasy and speculation. When you try getting to the facts it is like trying to herd cats." Meanwhile, a UFO conspiracy theorist recently described the south pole as an “air traffic control” hub for aliens. A recent discussion centred on the Amundsen–Scott South Pole, which Eric Hecker claimed communicated with “exotic” crafts by sending neutrino rays up into space. Hecker went further by talking about “digital optical modules” buried a mile beneath the surface under the ice. He claims they were buried in order to detect neutrino interactions while being deep enough not to interfere with radiation readings. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Apple Inc. is planning a retail launch of its Vision Pro headset with appointments and in-store promotion in

Following the 2019 Genesis Mini and 2022's Sega Genesis Mini 2, Sega is considering its next hardware to make a compact version of.