Social Media

Germany warns social media firms over illegal content

Germany's justice minister has drafted a law that seeks to impose the fines as part of efforts to police toxic chat.

Heiko Maas said the voluntary efforts of social networks to tackle the problem had not gone far enough.

The proposal requires sites to run 24-hour helplines and to delete flagged content within seven days.

'Utterly impossible'

Social media firms such as Twitter and Facebook were getting better at handling illegal content, said Mr Maas, but both had a long way to go.

Steve King: Geert Wilders tweet sparks a social media backlash

"Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny," Mr King wrote on Twitter.

"We can't restore our civilisation with somebody else's babies," he added.

The US Republican Representative of Iowa is a strong advocate of putting a stop to birthright citizenship.

All children born in the US currently get citizenship under the constitution, including the children of families living in America illegally.

US psychologists claim social media 'increases loneliness'

A report suggests that more than two hours of social media use a day doubled the chances of a person experiencing social isolation.

It claims exposure to idealised representations of other people's lives may cause feelings of envy.

The study also looked at those using Instagram, Snapchat and Tumblr.

It's important to remember what you see on social isn't necessarily the reason for you feeling bad - but it might be a factor.

Put simply, it might just heighten the emotions you're already feeling.

The Swedish Trump fans who secretly record journalists

"Granskning Sverige" translates as "Validating Sweden". The site encourages volunteers to call journalists with a list of questions about their news coverage.

"I would say that the basic theme is xenophobic, they don't like immigrants," says Mathias Stahle, an investigative journalist for the Eskilstuna-Kuriren newspaper.

"They would like to read more positive things about Donald Trump, they would like to see positive stories about modern Russia and they want to have positive views of neo-Nazis."

New social app for mothers launched

Peanut adopts the format of dating apps such as Tinder where mothers upload profiles and pictures and "swipe" to register their interest in each other.

Co-founder Michelle Kennedy was deputy CEO of European dating app Badoo and was also on the board at Bumble.

It is one of a growing number of apps aimed at helping parents to build connections.

Ms Kennedy said she was disappointed by the digital services available to new mums wanting to chat with others when she became a parent herself.

What does this purple bird mean?

If not, it will be only a matter of time before this weird little fellow is as familiar on your feed as a thumbs-up.

Trash Dove, a Facebook sticker which has bowled over social media in Asia, is the cartoon baby of American artist Syd Weiler.

The Florida-based illustrator drew the bird in September 2016 and subsequently created a set of Facebook stickers in January 2017.

Children share photo of terminally ill parents holding hands

The image shows Mike Bennet, 57, and wife Julie, 50, from Irby in Wirral, holding hands in a Merseyside hospice.

It was taken shortly before Mr Bennet died on Monday from a brain tumour.

Relatives and friends have launched a fundraising campaign to help the couple's three children, Oliver, 13, Hannah, 18 and Luke 21.

It raised thousands in the first 24 hours.

Friend Sue Wright said: "I told her the community would come together to help look after her kids - and she opened her eyes and smiled."

Saudi social media users break silence on violence against women

The hashtag #Break_Your_Silence_Speak_Up went viral among Saudi women who started sharing their bitter stories that often go untold.

One woman said that she has been locked up for a year inside the house after her mother learned that her father had raped her over three years. She now needs to be treated for depression as a result of the psychological damage she endured.

Junior Niupulusu helps community through social media

Junior Niupulusu, 28, uses Facebook to operate his business where people buy and sell their products.

“Many use social media negatively, but they miss out on the opportunities it gives us. TMS is just one way we can utilize social media for a positive cause,”Niupulusu said.

The sponsorship for Savelina Posiiulai of Vailele also came from Kingz Automotive Service Ltd in New Zealand, who donated one hundred tala and Business Systems Limited donated one hundred tala gift voucher.

Students' 'build a wall' chant goes viral

Shot in a school cafeteria at Royal Oak Middle School, just outside Detroit, you can hear seventh grade students shouting, "Build a wall! Build a wall!" the day after Donald Trump won the presidency.

The chant matches what many of Donald Trump's supporters yelled throughout the presidential campaign whenever the Republican candidate, at rallies, promised to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.