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Snoop Dogg is rapidly losing social media followers after his appearance at President Donald Trump’s Crypto Ball. As of Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, the “Gin and Juice” rapper — Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. — has 88.1 million Instagram followers, a drop of 571,800, and 20.7 million on X, down 17,177, according to the New York Post. Snoop Dogg’s performance at the pre-inauguration bash on Jan. 17, 2025, drew significant backlash from people who pointed out his previous anti-Trump position and speculated that financial incentives may have motivated him to take part. “For all the hate, I’m going to answer with love. I love too much,” Snoop Dogg said, addressing the criticism on Instagram Live. “Get your life right, stop worrying about mine. I’m cool. I’m together. Still a black man. Still 100% black. All out till you ball out or till you fall out.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) Per another report by the Post, in September 2018, Snoop Dogg...
South African billionaire Elon Musk is known for his desire to swallow up companies and rebrand them with his own trendy vision. The Tesla CEO previously used his familial wealth to purchase stakes in such businesses as PayPal, SpaceX and of course, X (formerly Twitter). Now, according to official statements made by the Trump administration cabinet pick, the emerald mine profiteer is considering buying the rights to Vine, a defunct app which predates TikTok . This would be a major development in the world of social media, since the latter is still potentially facing a long-term ban within the United States, unless the app’s parent company ByteDance can agree to divest to American financial interests. When prompted by a fellow X user about bringing Vine back into the fray to fill in the power vacuum left by TikTok, Musk simply responded, “We’re looking into it.” So, now seems like as good a time as any to examine what Vine is (or was), how Elon could bring it back to compete with...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Last week, the Chinese social app RedNote grew in popularity as a potential TikTok replacement . As TikTok users waited for the Supreme Court to rule on the ban, they quickly migrated to the platform. The app became number one in the Apple App Store, with thousands of American users joining. Users have mistakenly referred to RedNote as the Chinese version of TikTok, but the platform is more akin to Instagram. RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu in China, launched in 2013 as a shopping platform. Like many apps, it serves as a default search engine for content on makeup, fashion, travel, and lifestyle tips. Users can post photos and videos in a similar fashion to Instagram Reels and TikTok. The migration from TikTok to RedNote has become a protest statement in the wake of the U.S. government’s ban on TikTok. Initially, calls to ban the app began with President Donald Trump in 2020 before being passed...
The Supreme Court upholds the U.S. bill that would essentially ban TikTok. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the Court demonstrated that it was “likely” to rule in favor of banning the application owned by ByteDance. A ban would result in the app no longer being available in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and over time U.S. users who have already downloaded the app would no longer be able to make system updates. TikTok has said the app would be wiped from phones if the ban is enforced. The Supreme Court’s stance supports a bipartisan bill that had been signed in April 2024 by President Joe Biden requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S.-based company or face a ban of the app, according to NPR. There were national security concerns by the president and Congress surrounding China’s data access and the spreading of misinformation. TikTok is not in favor of the ban that would go into effect Sunday, Jan. 19, as its owners believe a ban restricts free speech. “The Supreme...
Content creators are taking over. Entertainment is entering a new era as attention shifts away from traditional cable TV, streaming platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and Peacock, and even movie theaters. More people are seeking fresh, innovative ways to engage their time and dollars. And the creators are certainly delivering with engaging content that circulates the web and is also attracting countless celebrities and companies who are looking to capitalize in a new territory. Forbes notes the creator economy is currently valued at $250 billion, and that number is projected to nearly double by 2027. Three top Black creators are not just participating in this revolution — they’re leading it. Kai Cenat Kai Cenat currently holds the crown as Twitch’s most-subscribed streamer, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. The New Yorker, who once lived in a shelter, recently concluded his month-long November 2024 “Mafiathon 2.” Users tuned in to his 24/7 Twitch livestream throughout the month,...
Many users are abandoning Elon Musk’s X in favor of the emerging social media platform Bluesky. The Guardian reported that over 1 million people have joined Bluesky since the U.S. presidential election — a surge in sign-ups as users seek alternatives to X, formerly Twitter, amid growing concerns about misinformation and extremism. Currently, Bluesky reportedly has about 15 million users. “It feels like a very welcoming, safe space,” Pariss Chandler, organizer of Black Tech Twitter and founder of the recruitment platform Black Tech Pipeline, told NBC News. “I wonder if that’s because they have lots of regulations and safety protections on that platform. They provide something Twitter no longer does.” In 2019, Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s then-CEO, announced plans to fund the development of an “open and decentralized” social media standard, according to The Guardian. Thus began the Bluesky project. Bluesky became an independent company in 2021. The platform offers a familiar social media...
Druski is investing in his dreams. Druski, born Drew Desbordes in Columbia, MD, began his journey by posting skits on Instagram under the handle druski2funny. The comedian’s social presence has continued to rise. 2020 served as a pivotal year, with his skits generating 1.5 million views and catching the attention of celebrity figures such as Jack Harlow, Odell Beckham Jr., and Drake, making a cameo in the rapper’s “Laugh Now Cry Later” (2020) video, Complex reports. On Instagram alone, Druski’s following has grown to 8.2 million. Additionally, his comedic footprint has led to a net worth exceeding $1 million as of 2023. As AFROTECH™ previously mentioned, the feat is a result of ventures including live shows, tours, and partnerships with companies including teampixel, RGG Studio and SEGA, and PrizePicks. View this post on Instagram A post shared by DRUSKI (@druski) Despite his success, being a comedian was not initially a goal post for Druski until he found himself depressed as a...
Authenticity has remained Kordell Beckham’s superpower beyond the villa. Beckham and his girlfriend, Serena Page, were crowned the Season 6 champions of Peacock’s “Love Island USA,” which had become the most-watched series on streaming platforms in the U.S. ahead of the season finale in July 2024, per NBC Universal. Beckham and Page also made history as the first Black couple to win on the show, The Hilltop mentions. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Jennifer Hudson Show (@jenniferhudsonshow) Investing Cash Prize The couple — who now have 7 million followers combined across their TikTok and Instagram accounts — earned a $100,000 cash prize on the show, which they split evenly, according to US Weekly. Beckham has decided to be wise with a portion of his earnings going toward investments, and this will include the launch of his own clothing brand now in the works with his team. “We’ve been talking with a bunch of businesses to see what we can do to jumpstart a clothing...
Nicky Saunders has tips and tricks to scale your digital presence. Saunders, a content strategist and CEO of Deeper Than The Brand since 2018, understands firsthand what it takes to build online. Called “the voice of content branding,” her platform offers helpful content creation suggestions that can be beneficial to businesses and content creators. Of late, she has heavily geared content around the various ways technology can be a resource, such as using an iPhone to edit live photos or artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT or Opus Clip. The latter allows users to repurpose long videos into shorter clips with one click, per its website. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nicky Saunders | The Voice Of Content Branding 🏁🦁🏁 1 of 1 (@thisisnickys) Thanks to her expertise, Saunders has built an online following of 12,000 subscribers via YouTube while impressing on Instagram with 187,000 followers at the time of this writing. Screenshot taken via Instagram /...
Kerry Washington has invested in Spill, the Black-owned social media platform designed to provide a safer and more inclusive environment for diverse communities to engage with and discuss culture in real time. “In a digital world where marginalized groups, especially Black, Brown, and LGBTQIA folks, rarely feel prioritized, Spill stands out,” Washington said, according to TechCrunch. “I’m proud to be part of this community as both a user and an investor.” Founded in 2022 by Alphonzo Terrell and DeVaris Brown after the two had worked at Twitter, Spill raised a $2.75 million seed extension in 2023 and has over 200,000 active users. In addition to serving as an investor, Washington actively participates in the Spill community by hosting “Tea Parties,” which are live video conversations, and engaging with users on topics like voter registration. “She’s incredibly accessible and knowledgeable, especially around these topics and is not scared in any way, shape, or form about really...
The platform formerly known as Twitter has gone through some major changes since Elon Musk’s 2022 takeover. The billionaire renamed the company “X” and eradicated the blue checkmark system used to verify celebrities and public figures; now, anyone can be verified for just $8/month, causing some serious chaos in the early days as parody accounts posed as actual celebrities. For the most part, those who still use Twitter/X have become accustomed to the new features and moved on from mourning what Musk has taken from them. These days, the father of 11 owns 74% of the company , although Forbes estimates his stake “is now worth nearly 70% less than he paid for it” two years ago. This clearly indicates Musk is making less money, but what does this mean for Twitter’s net worth? New Reports Reveal Twitter’s Net Worth Is Down By Billions (Julian Christ/Unsplash) In October 2022 (after trying to back out of the deal), Musk paid $44B for X, then-known as Twitter. A company named Fidelity...
TikTok may be hindering its own future as it faces significant challenges that could lead to a ban in the United States . According to Fortune, a recent court hearing highlighted the app’s legal battle against a law requiring the China-based platform to be sold to a non-Chinese entity by Jan. 19, 2025, or risk being banned in America. The U.S. government’s worries center on the possibility of the Chinese government influencing content and accessing user data. During the hearings on Sept. 16, 2024, at the U.S. Court of Appeals, TikTok’s lawyers reasserted that such a sale would be impractical and infringed on the U.S. right to free speech . As AFROTECH™ previously reported, t he Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act — which TikTok is the subject of — is advancing in Congress, which could enforce parent company ByteDance’s sale of the app and restrict TikTok’s operations further in the U.S. A modified version of the bill, which was proposed to “...
Being funny pays. Just look to TikToker DeMarcus Shawn as confirmation. Beginnings Growing up on the outskirts of Chicago, IL, he recalls always being funny, often creating skits or playfully imitating his family members. His humor translated well to the camera, and he would toss around various skit ideas with his two older brothers. With the rise of social media, leaning into it was natural for Shawn. Ultimately, he landed on TikTok as his breeding ground for content though initially his Instagram was geared towards his creative interests. @artbydemarcusshawn #fyp ♬ original sound – DemarcusShawn “I grew up doing music and learning how to sing and photography. I’m a guy that’s heavy on drawing and painting,” he told AFROTECH™. “ Those are my hobbies that I like to do. Outside of that, when I came into TikTok, it was more of what I’ve been doing with my siblings, but on a larger front.” Full-Time Content Creation Shawn was working on building his online presence while also employed...
The Israeli government reportedly commissioned a campaign in 2023 that included social media accounts targeting Black U.S. lawmakers. The New York Times reported that, in October 2023, Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs paid $2 million to Stoic, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based political marketing firm, to push pro-Israel content on social media at a time when many Americans were concerned for Palestinian civilians during the war in Gaza. The outlet details that Stoic created fake accounts in support of Israel across X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram that focused on over a dozen majority Black and Democrat U.S. lawmakers, including Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia. ChatGPT was mainly used to create the fake accounts’ posts, which asked for the politicians to fund Israel’s military, per the outlet. In addition to fake social media accounts, Stoic reportedly created fake websites and articles. In May 2024, NBC News reported...
Not everyone is born to be a full-time content creator , but these days it’s rare to meet someone who isn’t a user on at least one social platform. Twitter’s transition into X caused it to lose millions of users and the fate of TikTok in America is still up in the air, yet still, people around the world rely on apps like Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to get their news, connect with loved ones and express their own feelings. The positives are great – but what about the negative aspects of social media , such as doomscrolling? We have access to more information than ever before at the tips of our fingers, and all day, notifications bring us updates that can send your nervous system on an unpleasant rollercoaster ride. If we’re not careful, we can become addicted to this cycle which is both mentally and physically damaging. Keep reading to better understand doomscrolling, and what you can do to combat the digital disease plaguing us. What Is Doomscrolling? Before you try to break a...