Author Archives: Carol Edwards

Facebook still owes the U.S. government $5 billion. 

The social media giant has yet to make good on its debt to the American people following a record fine levied by the Federal Trade Commission in July. While the specifics of the settlement are still being challenged, it’s worth asking what happens next with all that money — assuming this all eventually gets worked out. 

I mean, it’s not like Mark Zuckerberg can just walk one of those giant novelty-sized checks over to the the While House. However, don’t think for a second that the exact manner and timing of the payment hasn’t been precisely dialed in. Read more…

More about Facebook, Ftc, Tech, and Social Media Companies

Late night hosts and social media have one big thing in common: neither will let you forget your most embarrassing moments.

In the style of Facebook’s sentimental “Friends Day” commemorative videos, the Daily Show released a video Thursday to remind President Trump who his friends are.

Recently, Trump has been disavowing a connection to Lev Parnas, a key witness in the congressional impeachment trial. His insistence that he doesn’t know him is an attempt to distance the President from plans to get Ukrainian officials to investigate the Biden family for Trump’s political gain.

Another odd figure in the mix is Robert Hyde, a Trump donor and aspiring politician, who attempted to help Parnas and Rudy Giuliani in the Ukraine scheme by informing on the whereabouts of the Ukrainian ambassador. Recently, it was revealed that Hyde has a history of stalking and mental illness. Read more…

More about Facebook, Donald Trump, The Daily Show, Tech, and Politics

Twitch has booted Onision off its platform as the campaign to deplatform the controversial YouTuber, who’s been accused of grooming teen fans and emotional abuse, continues. 

The platform banned Onision on Wednesday, according to streamer tracking site StreamerBans. Neither Twitch nor Onision have stated what policies he violated or whether the ban is permanent. Twitch has not responded to Mashable’s request for comment.

Reddit users theorize Onision was caught streaming on Twitch while simultaneously streaming on another platform. Twitch partners sign exclusivity agreements to monetize their channels and dual streaming is punishable by an indefinite ban and termination of the user’s Twitch partnership. Read more…

More about Twitch, Onision, Deplatform, Culture, and Web Culture

On Thursday, NBCUniversal reps standing at the feet of a gigantic avian topiary in Rockefeller Center unveiled the much-hyped Peacock streaming service. 

Set to launch nationally on July 15, Peacock will feature a free, ad-supported version and two premium options, priced at $4.99 and $9.99 per month. Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Flex Customers will have Peacock Premium bundled at no additional cost starting April 15. 

“This is a very exciting time for our company, as we chart the future of entertainment,” said Chairman of NBCUniversal Steve Burke, emphasizing the stand-out decision to stream free content.  Read more…

More about Nbc, Nbcuniversal, Streaming Services, The Office, and Peacock

NBC officially launches its streaming service Peacock in April, and until then we get to be treated to a growing slate of new and old TV shows that will soon call Peacock home, many of which were announced Thursday.  

We don’t want to judge a TV show by its logline, but with little known about these programs, plus the immediate connection of NBC, its peacock logo, and comedy darling 30 Rock, we can’t help wonder if these silly-sounding ideas came straight out of a pitch meeting with Jack Donaghy. How soon will Peacock green light Bitch Hunter, or Kenneth Parcell’s short-lived brainchild Gold Case? Read more…

More about Entertainment, Television, Nbc, 30 Rock, and Peacock

It would be an understatement to say that executive producers Angus Wall and Geno McDermott had a lot ground to cover when focusing on Aaron Hernandez as the subject of Netflix’s latest deep dive docuseries, Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez. 

Hernandez was not only a football prodigy drafted at age 20 into the New England Patriots, where he played until 2012, he was also a convicted murderer by the time of his own death by suicide in 2017.

In particular, the docuseries details Hernandez’s convictions, childhood, NFL career, various stints in prison, his psyche, sexuality, and the effects football had on his body. However, despite the complicated, intense, and fatal outcomes of Hernandez’s story, Killer Inside moves carefully and comprehensively when exploring the motives behind his actions. More than that, Netflix uses Hernandez’s life story as a cautionary tale and seemingly as a call for change. Read more…

More about Football, Cte, True Crime, New England Patriots, and Entertainment

Donald Trump has been tweeting his way through his own impeachment, and it appears that after months of discussions and testimonies the whole ordeal is really starting to sink in for him.

On Thursday afternoon Trump tweeted, “I JUST GOT IMPEACHED FOR MAKING A PERFECT PHONE CALL!” This was just shortly after the Senate issued a summons to Trump that will require him to respond to the charges of impeachment in writing by Saturday evening.

More about Memes, Donald Trump, Impeachment, Culture, and Web Culture

When was the last time you didn’t skip an ad before a YouTube video? And when was the last time you watched a video all the way to the end? What would it take to keep you engaged?

In an era when endless streams of digital content are competing for our attention, an individual’s time is a valuable currency. 

Borrowing from my musical career, AJR’s goal is to make songs, create shows, post social media content that is more pleasurable than that of the next artist. Or more binge-worthy than Netflix, more satisfying than the McRib (or the Beyond McRib), or cuter than Baby Yoda. We continue to challenge ourselves to create something that will hold people’s attention; the audience’s time is the real value, and money is a byproduct. Read more…

More about United Nations, Activism, Undp, Social Good, and Activism

The first season of HBO’s Watchmen is also the final season of Watchmen.

Watchmen creator Damon Lindelof told USA Today that he has no interest in doing a second season of the show that took inspiration from the famous graphic novel.

Normally this wouldn’t deter a network from continuing on with a successful show, and Lindelof even gave HBO his blessing to make more Watchmen, but nope. HBO programming chief Casey Bloys told USA Today that they’d only be interested in making more Watchmen if Lindelof wanted to do it.

“It’s really in Damon’s thinking about what he wants to do,” she told USA Today. “If there’s an idea that excited him about another season, another installment, maybe like a Fargo, True Detective (anthology) take on it, or if he wants to do something different altogether. We’re very proud of Watchmen, but what I’m most interested in what Damon wants to do.” Read more…

More about Television, Hbo, Watchmen, Entertainment, and Movies Tv Shows

Elon Musk has a new high-profile Twitter hater, and for some bizarre reason, it just so happens to be the official account of the Pennsylvania State Treasury. 

The certified Extremely Online CEO has had his share of Twitter beefs over the years. From calling someone a “pedo guy” to possibly ripping off farting unicorn artwork, Musk has typically been the instigator in online matters past. Not anymore.

The verified @PATreasury account started dropping Musk-flavored insults last August, but the campaign of dunks truly began in earnest on Monday. 

“‘What if we took something like a subway, but made it unfathomably expensive and only for cars, and also make sure that it will never work?’—Elon Musk,,a genius,” wrote the Treasury.  Read more…

More about Twitter, Elon Musk, Tech, and Elon Musk