X’s ad business improved under departing CEO Linda Yaccarino, but it’s still tough times ahead
In the U.S., ad spending was up 62% year-over-year in the first half of 2025.
YouTube prepares crackdown on ‘mass-produced’ and ‘repetitive’ videos, as concern over AI slop grows
YouTube’s creator liaison said the change is a “minor” update to YouTube’s longstanding policies.
GenAI as a shopping assistant set to explode during Prime Day sales
A new report estimates that AI will be a larger-than-ever part of the online shopping process during Amazon’s Prime Day sale, which began Tuesday morning. Amazon’s annual sale, which this year spans four days (July…
Mastodon’s latest update readies the app for Quote Posts, revamps design
Mastodon 4.4 takes the first steps towards implementing Quote Posts, and also brings a host of design and UX changes.
iOS 26 beta 3 dials back Liquid Glass
The early version in the first developer beta of iOS 26 and the accompanying updates for Apple’s other devices still left room for improvement in terms of usability, accessibility, and legibility.
Threads is nearing X’s daily app users, new data shows
Threads’ mobile app for iOS and Android saw 115.1 million daily active users, representing 127.8% year-over-year growth.
Not everyone is thrilled with Threads’ DMs
Earlier this week, Instagram Threads launched what the company said was its most-requested feature to date: direct messages, also known as DMs. However, the company is now facing a bit of a user backlash over…
Everything you need to know about Flashes, the Bluesky-based Instagram alternative
The app, which is now available in beta, offers a different way to browse the visual posts on Bluesky.
ChatGPT referrals to news sites are growing, but not enough to offset search declines
Not surprisingly, organic traffic has also declined, dropping from over 2.3 billion visits at its peak in mid-2024 to now under 1.7 billion.
Meta users say paying for Verified support has been useless in the face of mass bans
Users have shared their interactions with Meta Verified support reps, who they claim have been dismissive and unhelpful.