PETALING JAYA: The authorities have been urged to investigate the case of a 16-year-old girl in Sarawak who committed suicide yesterday after holding a poll on her Instagram on whether she should live or die. Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh (pix) said the communications and multimedia ministry should investigate the victim’s social media accounts to uncover the circumstances that led to her death. “Although it is still too early to determine what exactly happened, it is possible that the girl was suffering from depression and contemplated suicide as a result,” Ramkarpal said in a statement today. “What is equally disturbing is that some 69% of the teenager’s Instagram followers had reportedly supported her desire to take her life in an online poll that she had posted on the said social media site just before she died.” Ramkarpal’s brother, Gobind Singh Deo, is Minister of Communications and Multimedia. His ministry is in charge of the … [Read more...] about Probe teen’s suicide after Instagram poll, ministry urged
Facebook, Instagram ban ‘dangerous’ individuals
Facebook and its photo-messaging service Instagram have banned several right-wing extremists it deems "dangerous" including conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and long-time Donald Trump adviser Roger Stone. Facebook and Instagram also banned the "Nation of Islam" leader Louis Farrakhan who has repeatedly made anti-Semitic statements. "We've always banned individuals or organisations that promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology. "The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to our decision to remove these accounts today," a Facebook spokesperson told The Atlantic on Thursday. Others who have been removed from Facebook and Twitter include Infowars, Milo Yiannopoulos, Paul Joseph Watson Laura Loomer and Paul Nehlen "under the policies against dangerous individuals and organisations". "Nehlen is a white supremacist who ran an unsuccessful primary challenge for then-House Speaker Paul Ryan's congressional seat in Wisconsin in 2016 and … [Read more...] about Facebook, Instagram ban ‘dangerous’ individuals
Instagram tests removing number of ‘likes’ on photos, videos
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By Selina Wang Bloomberg Thu., May 2, 2019 Facebook Inc.’s Instagram is considering removing the number of “likes” on posts, a move that mirrors efforts by social media companies like Twitter Inc. to make their platforms healthier places for their users. “Later this week, we’re running a test in Canada that removes the total number of likes on photos and video views,” Facebook said in a blog post Tuesday ahead of the company’s F-8 developer conference. “We are testing this because we want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get.” In recent years, social media companies have come under fire for contributing to technology addiction and aiding the spread of abusive information. According to a recent study published in Psychological Science, the same brain circuits that are activated by eating chocolate and winning money are triggered when teenagers see a large number of … [Read more...] about Instagram tests removing number of ‘likes’ on photos, videos
Instagram tests removing number of ‘likes’ on photos and videos
Facebook Inc.’s Instagram is considering removing the number of “likes” on posts, a move that mirrors efforts by social media companies like Twitter Inc. to make their platforms healthier places for their users. "Later this week, we’re running a test in Canada that removes the total number of likes on photos and video views," Facebook said in a blog post Tuesday ahead of the company’s F-8 developer conference. "We are testing this because we want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get." In recent years, social media companies have come under fire for contributing to technology addiction and aiding the spread of abusive information. According to a recent study published in Psychological Science, the same brain circuits that are activated by eating chocolate and winning money are triggered when teenagers see a large number of “likes” on their photos. The teens were also more likely to click on … [Read more...] about Instagram tests removing number of ‘likes’ on photos and videos
‘Chair Girl’ doesn’t seem to shy away from her bad reputation on Instagram
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By Emma Teitel National Columnist Mon., April 29, 2019 Marcella Zoia — aka “Chair Girl” — aka the woman recorded throwing a chair off a high-rise balcony onto an expressway in February (miraculously killing no one) is back in the news again. Zoia’s lawyer, Gregory Leslie, appeared in court last week and went to bat for the 19-year-old who stands charged with mischief endangering life, mischief damaging property, and common nuisance. Leslie told the press he’s hoping his client gets a second chance in the form of a discharge. Why might she deserve one? “She’s a young lady that was put under a lot of peer pressure and made a mistake,” Leslie told reporters in February about what might have compelled Zoia to hurl a chair into the air one grey Toronto morning. Article Continued Below As to her less-than-repentant demeanor when she appeared in court (Zoia was filmed smiling for the cameras in February), … [Read more...] about ‘Chair Girl’ doesn’t seem to shy away from her bad reputation on Instagram