Central Florida couple falls victim to โpuppies for saleโ scheme
When Jo and Jerry Hatleyโs dog passed away, they wanted to fill the void with a new puppy. As luck would have it, the couple found two puppies offered on Facebook, yet the ensuing 4-hour drive to pick them up would only end in heartbreak.
โIt is public information after all:โ UCF student tracking Taylor Swiftโs jet responds to threat of legal action
Jack Sweeney, the University of Central Florida student tracking Taylor Swiftโs jet and the plans of other celebrities, released a statement after the uber-popular pop star threatened legal action against him.
Meta, TikTok, other social media CEOs to testify before Senate committee on child exploitation
Sexual predators. Addictive features. Self-harm and eating disorders. Unrealistic beauty standards. Bullying. These are just some of the issues young people are dealing with on social media โ and childrenโs advocates and lawmakers say companies are not doing enough to protect them.
Florida congressman developing amendments to protect reputations on social media
An Orlando-area congressman is taking action after a student at the University of Central Florida told News 6 his reputation was ruined after racial slurs linked to his name went viral, reaching โabout 1 million people.โ
DeSantis shelves cell phones, TikTok in schools
Saying that social media does โmore harm than good,โ Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed education changes that include prohibiting students from using cell phones during class time and curtailing use of the social-media platform TikTok on school grounds.
Florida teacher accused of using students as โpolitical propsโ will keep job, school board says
A Central Florida middle school teacher suspended earlier this year, accused by his school district of using students as โpolitical propsโ in TikTok skits referencing current events, will not be fired after all.
News 6โฒs Matt Austin talks to โMonsters in the Morningโ about viral video in defense of his daughters
News 6 anchor Matt Austin appeared on the popular Orlando radio show "The Monsters in the Morning" on Wednesday to discuss his viral video in defense of his daughters that has grabbed headlines from across the world.
Central Florida woman joins national lawsuit against Hyundai and Kia
A Polk County woman has joined a national class action lawsuit against Hyundai Motor America and Kia America Inc. alleging โblatant breach of public trustโ led to a surge in thefts of certain Kia and Hyundai vehicles sold without an engine immobilizer.
Florida social media influencers entertain millions by observing the weird, wacky things in the Sunshine State
This week on Floridaโs Fourth Estate, Ginger Gadsden and Matt Austin are speaking with two of Floridaโs best known influencers when it comes to viral videos. They each have millions of followers on TikTok alone. Each one has their unique style and brand that their followers cannot get enough of, and they have managed to turned a hobby into big business.
Twitter shareholders to meet amid Elon Muskโs takeover drama
Elon Musk on Wednesday revised the financing plan for his proposed $44 billion purchase of Twitter, raising investor hopes that the unpredictable billionaire still intends to pull off a deal roiled by market turbulence and Musk's own unpredictable fixation with the number of fake accounts on Twitter.
Elon Musk reaches deal to acquire Twitter for $44 billion
Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion on Monday, promising a more lenient touch to policing content on the platform where he promotes his interests, attacks critics and opines on a wide range of issues to more than 83 million followers.
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen fears the metaverse. Hereโs why
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen is warning that the virtual reality world at the heart of the social media giantโs growth strategy will be addictive and rob people of personal information while giving the company another monopoly online.
Elon Musk: Iโll sell 10% ($20B) of Tesla stock based on Twitter poll
Tesla shares closed Monday down nearly 5% after CEO Elon Musk said he would sell 10% of his holdings in the electric car maker โ more than $20 billion worth by most calculations โ based on the results of a poll he conducted on Twitter over the weekend.
Police warn of 2011 โserial rapistโ sketch recirculating on social media
OCALA, Fla. โ Ocala police are issuing a warning about an old sketch of a suspected serial rapist thatโs currently recirculating on social media. According to the Ocala Police Department, the sketch is from a news story in 2011 but has recently been shared by social media users as though itโs current. [TRENDING: Woman arrested in hit-run involving sheriff | Gov: Fla. wonโt require โvaccine passportsโ | Girl missing for weeks]The post includes a photo of a man with short hair and glasses, as well as a tattoo believed to be on the suspectโs left forearm. AdRUMOR CONTROL ๐จ This picture, referencing a news article, has been part of a post that is circulating social media as of... Posted by Ocala Police Department on Friday, March 19, 2021The police department published the โrumor controlโ post on Facebook Friday, saying โWe are here to tell you that this article was from 2011, this is not current and there is not a serial rapist on the loose in Ocala.โThe department followed up with a friendly reminder about spreading misinformation online. โRemember, do your research before sharing information,โ the post read.
Wing city: Downtown Sanford filled with butterfly murals for fun photo opps
In need of a new social media profile photo? Historic downtown Sanford is now filled with butterfly murals that would make a great backdrop to your next photo session. The Seminole County town posted a sampling of the murals to its Instagram account and each one has its own unique look. Now that youโre ready to update your social content with a fresh look, scout out your locations using this map below. For a full list of locations, click here.
Celebs join Instagram 'freeze' to protest Facebook inaction
FILE - In this Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020 file photo, Kim Kardashian West speaks at the "Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project" panel during the Oxygen TCA 2020 Winter Press Tour at the Langham Huntington, in Pasadena, Calif. Celebrities including Kim Kardashian West, Katy Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio are taking part in a 24-hour freeze Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020 on Instagram to protest against the failure of the social media platform's parent company, Facebook, to tackle misinformation and hateful content. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)LONDON โ Kim Kardashian West, Katy Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio are among celebrities taking part in a 24-hour Instagram โfreezeโ on Wednesday to protest against what they say is parent company Facebook's failure to tackle violent and hateful content and election misinformation. The movement asks people to put up a message highlighting what they called the damage Facebook does but otherwise refrain from posting on Instagram for a day. With 188 million followers, Kardashian West is one of the most influential people on Instagram and support from her and other big names for the boycott saw Facebook shares slide in aftermarket trading late Tuesday.
Mom handcuffed for advocating against coronavirus lockdown
The 28-year-old has since been charged with using social media platforms to incite others to break pandemic restrictions by attending weekend rallies. You know, Iโm not someone that would you know ever commit a crime or anything like that,โ she added. Victoria is Australiaโs COVID-19 hot spot and its capital Melbourne has been under lockdown restrictions unprecedented in Australia since early August. Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius described police cuffing Buhler as โentirely reasonable.โโThe optics of arresting someone who is pregnant are terrible,โ Cornelius said. Police have also arrested three men and charged them with inciting others to break pandemic restrictions over planned protests in Melbourne on Saturday.
Viral TikTok star uses money donated from followers to dish out more than $80,000 in tips to servers
Many viral social media challenges are just bad ideas, but this latest one from TikTok will restore your faith in humanity. The servers receiving the tips that night were blown away. And from there Kadey hasnโt stopped receiving money and turning it into more tips. One video of Kadey tipping a street violinist that was raising money to help his mom pay rent went viral with more than 12.7 million views. See, this is one viral challenge you should get behind.
Bud Light Seltzer will pay you $5,000 a month to create memes
If you answered yes to both questions Bud just may have a job for you. The company wants to hire a CMO, which stands for "Chief Meme Officer," for the Bud Light Seltzer portfolio. Bud Light's vice president of marketing made the announcement on Instagram. Through Sept. 18 anyone 21 or older can apply for the CMO job online and download meme templates to experiment with. The job will entail creating ten viral memes and sharing them on social media.
Florida teens sold drugs on Snapchat, detectives say
POLK COUNTY, Fla. โ Three teens who were supposed to be doing virtual school were instead selling drugs over a popular social media platform, Polk County deputies said. The Polk County Sheriffโs Office Narcotics Unit received information that THC cartridges and marijuana were being sold on Snapchat to Polk County students. Undercover detectives said they were able to identify one of the teens as a 17-year-old boy from Lakeland. โThe boy in the back seat sold the undercover detective 56.8 grams of high-grade marijuana for $400,โ investigators said. Without the proper supervision, many of them are going to get into trouble,โ Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.