Social Sphere: Facebook Bans Trump & Snapchat's New Feature

Facebook Bans Donald Trump Indefinitely 

After the terrifying events that took place at the capitol, Mark Zuckerberg took to his official account condemning the behavior and actions of Donald Trump. He acknowledged that Facebook has allowed POTUS to share content that was consistent with the rules over the years, ensuring that the public had access to the broadest scope of political speech. However, Zuckerberg had a change of heart sharing, “the current context is now fundamentally different, involving the use of our platform to incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government.” With this statement, Facebook has decided to ban his account indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power takes place. 

Facebook Redesigns Facebook Pages

Facebook begins rolling out its newly redesigned Facebook Pages Feature. The redesign includes “a new look-and-feel, updated navigation, the introduction of a dedicated News Feed, a new Q&A format for engaging fans and other tools and insights.” Facebook also got rid of the “Like” to focus more on followers. Facebook did away with likes because it wasn’t a true representation of a Page’s popularity due to users initially liking Pages but later unfollowing them. Along with Followers becoming a direct metric, Pages getting its own News Feed gives the feature the ability to join in conversations as the brand or public figure behind the Facebook Page. These updates hopefully help brands and creators have greater visibility and engagement with their followers. 

New 'Events' Feature Underway at Snapchat

As we start the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, Snapchat is starting to work on its new Events feature. Snapchat teased the feature in 2019 but was essentially halted due to the rise of COVID-19 cases globally. But now in 2021, Snapchat has filed for a patent to introduce its Events feature properly. The new tool allows users to create events via stickers and invite Snapchat friends. The stickers will include all relevant information like what time, where, attendees, and display an event on the Snap Map. Any photos captured during the event will be added to the event’s group chat. This new feature compliments Snapchat’s new goal of fostering more intimate friendships but also has room to grow into a way for merchants, brand ambassadors, and others to promote their businesses.   

A New Celebrity Love Triangle Blows Up on TikTok and Twitter 

If you’re on social media with the rest of us you’ve probably seen several tweets and TikToks expressing Gen Z’s obsession with the song “Driver’s License.” “Driver’s License” is Disney star Olivia Rodrigo’s debut single, but aside from it being her first single, it’s Gen Z’s playground to decoding a love triangle between three Disney stars. According to Glamour, they compare it to another infamous love triangle – “think about it this way: remember when Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan were feuding over Aaron Carter? Well, the Gen Z iteration of the Disney Teen Love Triangle just dropped, and its theme song is “Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo.” 

The alleged love triangle between Olivia Rodrigo, Joshua Bassett, and Sabrina Carpenter caused Gen Z to stream the song and uncover any buried drama in the lyrics. Rodrigo sings the lyrics “blond girl” and “older,” whom Gen Z believes references Bassett’s new flame Sabrina Carpenter. But whomever this song is about made for record-breaking single-day streams even topping Ariana Grande’s single “Thank u, next” in the US by a woman artist. 

Gayle King’s Interview Goes Viral 

In late December, Miya Ponsetto was caught on camera accusing a young Black man of stealing her phone at a New York City hotel. The father of the accused, Keyon Harrold Jr., later accused Ponsetto of attacking and racially profiling his son which led to Ponsetto’s arrest. After her release, Ponsetto interviewed with CBS’s Gayle King about her actions that day. Ponsetto denied any responsibility or acknowledgment of race playing a role in the altercation. The interview has since gone viral on Twitter, cheering King on for disagreeing and condemning Ponsetto’s behavior.  

Social Media Giants Ban Donald Trump 

Facebook wasn’t the only social media platform to ban Donald Trump’s social accounts this week. Twitter followed Facebook’s lead in banning his account as well. Other companies like Apple and Google removed the Parler app, a social platform consisting of primarily Donald Trump supporters as users from their app stores. More sites including Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, and Twitch have decided to remove his accounts as well to reduce further violence from forming online until Inauguration Day. 

The de-platforming of a major political official’s social media accounts leaves both sides debating whether social media platforms have too much power. But much like this unprecedented year, the events at the capitol were equally unprecedented and violent. They can simply be described as  “a desperate response to a desperate situation.”

2020 the Year of TikTok 

Our most beloved and hated social media platform, TikTok, grew in its US popularity in 2020. With more than 2 billion downloads in April 2020 and 850 million monthly active users, it's safe to say TikTok is here to stay. TikTok is known for its contribution to society in entertainment, shopping, connection, and trends. Journalist Kyle Chayka compares TikTok to Myspace in his statement, “more than any other social network since Myspace it feels like a new experience, the emergence of a different kind of technology and a different mode of consuming media.” 

It’s For You Page, a unique algorithmically programmed feed, sets TikTok apart from other apps because of its ability to curate content specifically for its users. TikTok has even led to the rise of new talent and artists in the music industry, reinvigorating the fashion industry and ways for the newer generation to shop. It’s also given a voice to front-line workers to share the realities of COVID-19 and to activists leading the Black Lives Matter movement to talk about police brutality and criminal justice reform. Last but not least, it’s given people a way to connect and form friendships and relationships online all while creating ultra-popular viral trends like The Renegade, Ratatouille the Musical, and the reintroduction of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.” 

2021 is coming in hot and it’s only week two! Remember to check back in for the next round of pop culture news and updates. And if you want to relive 2020 just one more time, check out our past editions here.