More U.S. adults say they regularly get news from TikTok, according to a Pew Research study that says this bucks the general trend of news consumption declining or remaining flat at other social media sites over the past few years. Since 2020, regular TikTok news consumption among American adults has more than quadrupled to 14 percent, from 3 percent, Pew finds. Among younger adults, news consumption is even higher, with 32 percent of those ages 18 to 29 claiming to regularly get news on TikTok. This compares with 15 percent of those 30 to 49. Continue reading TikTok on the Rise as News Source, Facebook and X Decline

CBS is launching a unit charged with identifying misinformation and avoiding deepfakes. Called CBS News Confirmed, it will operate out of the news-and-stations division, ferreting out false information generated by artificial intelligence. Claudia Milne, senior VP of CBS News and Stations and its standards and practices chief will run the new group with Ross Dagan, EVP and head of news operations and transformation, CBS News and Stations. CBS plans to hire forensic journalists and will expand training and invest in technologies to assist them in their role. In addition to flagging deepfakes, CBS News Confirmed will also report on them. Continue reading CBS News Confirmed: New Fact-Checking Unit Examining AI

Elon Musk’s startup xAI has unveiled its first product, a large language model with chatbot capabilities named Grok, currently available via an early access waitlist with plans to go wide to Premium+ subscribers to the X social platform (formerly Twitter) following beta tests. The company says Grok has “access to search tools and real-time information” and is extremely up-to-date, but “as with all the LLMs trained on next-token prediction, our model can still generate false or contradictory information.” The chatbot is distinguished by sarcasm and wit, “so please don’t use it if you hate humor,” xAI warns. Continue reading Elon Musk’s xAI Rolling Out ‘Grok’ LLM in Early Access Beta

Elon Musk’s X social media service will soon launch two new monthly subscription tiers, a $16 X Premium+ plan with no ads, and a budget-priced $3 option with “most” of the same features “but no reduction in ads.” Musk had for some months been discussing new paid subscription options as part of an effort to fight spam and bots on the platform. In November, the company began offering an $8 monthly X Premium subscription (formerly Twitter Blue) that includes blue check verification and the promise of some boosted post exposure. Musk is also envisioning a digital wallet with financial services, business applications to compete with LinkedIn, and a news wire service. Continue reading X to Launch Paid Tiers in Next Move Toward ‘Everything App’

The Supreme Court will hear a case that will assess the constitutionality of controversial state laws governing social media in Texas and Florida. The states enacted their laws in 2021, ostensibly to assure “free speech” was guaranteed on platforms like Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter). Users who considered their views “conservative” filed suit alleging censorship. Protections offered by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act impact how government can regulate expression shared by online services and private media companies. Much like broadcast’s Fairness Doctrine, plaintiffs argue there are obligations that come with government warrantees. Continue reading Supreme Court to Assess States’ Social Media Speech Laws

Amazon’s live-streaming video service Twitch has begun testing a vertical presentation it’s calling the “Discovery Feed” designed to make it easier for users to browse and find new content. The interactive gaming and entertainment platform is the latest to emulate TikTok’s flagship vertical scroll, joining recent converts YouTube, Reddit, Spotify and Amazon. Beginning this week, select users will be able to access the new viewing format, although initially it will be populated with horizontally-framed creator clips, Twitch says, explaining that the framing will switch to vertical “as the feed evolves.” Continue reading Twitch Is Testing New Vertical-Scroll Feed to Boost Discovery

X is developing a video-calling feature to add as part of its rebranding as an “everything app.” X CEO Linda Yaccarino shared the news in her first television interview since leaving NBCUniversal to become head of Elon Musk’s social media platform in June, when the platform was still known as Twitter. Yaccarino said X users will soon be able to make video calls based on their social ID alone, without sharing phone numbers. Long-form videos, creator subscriptions and the ability to make payments on the platform are additional features that Yaccarino explained will be coming to X. Continue reading Yaccarino: X Getting Video Calls with Its ‘Everything’ Rebrand

Elon Musk has begun rebranding Twitter as X with a simple black letter X-ing out the iconic blue bird logo. The reaction has been mixed so far. Some say it conjures cool, as in “X marks the spot,” while others suggest it evokes a corporate industrial “Big Brother” that could negatively impact the successful brand. Whether it will help Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino monetize the social service remains to be seen, but it definitely marks a clean break from a colorful past. On Monday, at Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters, feathered features like the company logo that once lorded over the cafeteria were removed, and stylized X logos were projected. Continue reading Twitter Rebrands as ‘X’ in Next Step Toward ‘Everything App’