YouTube will allow users to gift paid subscriptions to each other

Starting tomorrow, YouTube will give both fans and creators the ability to gift paid channel subscriptions. A number of influential streamers tweeted the announcement today, many of whom were ecstatic about a new monetization tool. Gifted subs have been a popular feature on Twitch — YouTube Gaming’s main rival— for a while. Many streamers see subscriptions as an easy way to generate revenue while also building their community. But YouTube has dragged its heels on releasing the much-anticipated feature for some time. Finally, YouTube Japan tested the waters with gifted memberships earlier this year for a select number of channels. Gifted memberships — which is still in beta — will now be available to all YouTube Gaming users in the US and UK.

Fans normally pay $4.99 per month for channel memberships, which allow them to access user badges, emotes and other exclusive content by their favorite creators. YouTube Gaming has released a number of other Twitch-like features this year, such as Live Redirects, which allow streamers to send fans to other streams or premieres. 

While Twitch remains the biggest US-based platform for livestreaming, a number of its high-profile streamers have decamped in recent years for YouTube Gaming. And there may be more to follow. Bloomberg reported last month that Twitch partners will get a smaller cut of revenue from subscriptions (50 percent from 70 percent) under a new monetization model by the Amazon-owned platform. YouTube Gaming takes only 30 percent of a streamer’s revenue from channel subscriptions. While YouTube Gaming doesn’t have as big of an audience as Twitch, that could easily change if more popular Twitch creators leave for greener pastures.

Here’s what NFTs look like on Instagram

Meta has revealed more of how NFTs will work on Instagram. In the US-based test, you can show what you’ve bought or created for free by connecting your Instagram account to a compatible digital wallet and posting for the world to see. If you like, the social network can automatically tag both creator and collector using public blockchain data. You can display info like a description, too. And yes, as mentioned, NFTs will shimmer to help you flaunt your art collection.

Instagram will initially support wallets from MetaMask, Rainbow and Trust Wallet. Coinbase, Dapper and Phantom are “coming soon.” Public data will come from Ethereum and Polygon at first, with the previously promised Flow and Solana support arriving in the near future.

The social site also stressed that NFTs were still subject to community rules. It was also aware that NFTs, like cryptocurrency and other blockchain products, can be harmful to the environment. The company hoped to offset the CO2 emissions from displaying digital artwork by purchasing renewable energy.

Meta will expand NFT support to Facebook, and will let Instagram users display their pieces as augmented reality stickers in Stories. There will be “additional features” for both creators and collectors, the company added. Whether you think NFTs are fads or permanent fixtures, it’s clear Meta will be invested them for a while as it builds out its vision of the metaverse.

Federal judge dismisses Trump’s lawsuit against Twitter

San Francisco federal district court Judge James Donato has tossed the lawsuit Donald Trump filed against Twitter last year in a bid to get his account back. The social network permanently suspended the former president’s account after his supporters stormed the Capitol in January 2021. In the company’s announcement, Twitter cited two of his tweets in particular that it believes were “highly likely to encourage and inspire people to replicate the criminal acts that took place at the US Capitol” on January 6th last year.

Trump filed a lawsuit in October, seeking a preliminary injunction on the ban and arguing that it violates his First Amendment rights. Donato disagreed and noted in his ruling that Twitter is a private company. “The First Amendment applies only to governmental abridgements of speech,” he explained, “and not to alleged abridgements by private companies.” The judge also rejected the notion that the social network had acted as a government entity after being pressured by Trump’s opponents and had thereby violated the First Amendment when it banned the former President. 

In his lawsuit, Trump asked the judge to rule the federal Communications Decency Act, which states that online service providers such as Twitter can’t be held liable for content posted by users, as unconstitutional. The judge shot down that claim, as well, and ruled that the former President didn’t have legal standing to challenge Section 230 of CDA. Trump is a known critic of Section 230 and proposed to limit the protections social media platforms enjoy under it during his term.

The former President was an avid Twitter user before his suspension and formed his own social network called Truth Social after he was banned. Just recently, he told CNBC that he won’t be going back to Twitter even if Elon Musk reverses his suspension and will stay on Truth Social instead. According to a recent report by the Daily Beast, Truth Social has 513,000 daily active users compared to Twitter’s 217 million.

Facebook accused of deliberately blocking government and health pages in Australia

Whisteblowers are accusing Facebook of purposely blocking government, healthcare and emergency services pages in Australia in order to thwart a potential law that would require platforms to pay for news, according to WSJ. The accusers say the platform …

Twitter ‘Circle’ test limits tweets to close friends

You might not have to tweet to all your followers (or the public) in the future. Twitter is testing a “Circle” feature that lets you limit tweets to a group of as many as 150 people. It’s a not-so-subtle parallel to Instagram’s Close Friends — you can ask for advice or share a personal event without unwelcome commentary.

The company told Engadget Circle is already available to a “small group” of Android, iOS and web users worldwide. It’s not yet clear if or when Twitter might expand the test to a wider audience, although that will likely hinge on feedback.

Circle joins a number of features meant to control the reach of Twitter posts, including an option to restrict who can reply. It could help Twitter compete with Instagram and other services that let you be more selective about content sharing, and might help you protect your privacy without resorting to direct messages or a small follower list.

At the same time, there is a concern Circle might exacerbate echo chambers. If you frequently limit discussions to a small clique, you might be less inclined to tweet to a larger crowd or see what your more distant connections are saying. Even so, more granularity might be appreciated at a time when it’s all too easy to be overwhelmed.

Google Docs adds new table tools for easier project management

Last year, Google announced smart canvas, a suite of tools the company promised would make it easier for people to collaborate across its productivity apps. Since then, it has consistently introduced new “smart chips,” small modular features designed t…

Facebook will shut down its podcast service on June 3rd

Facebook’s podcast offerings are vanishing just a year after they launched. Parent company Meta has confirmed to Bloomberg that it will wind down podcasting, Soundbites and its general audio hub. It will no longer let podcasters add shows to Facebook as of this week, and will remove them entirely on June 3rd. The hub and Soundbites will close sometime in the “coming weeks,” while Live Audio Rooms will fold into Facebook Live. 

A Meta spokesperson characterized the move as a matter of concentration. The move will help Meta “focus on the most meaningful experiences,” according to the representative.

There were hints in recent weeks that Meta was losing interest in podcasts and shifting attention to hotter products like Facebook’s main feed and Instagram’s Reels. There was a good response to audio services, a Meta spokesperson told Bloomberg in mid-April, but the news outlet’s sources said the social media firm was more interested in highlighting the metaverse and shopping when talking to podcast partners. Simply speaking, Meta’s interests in conquering AR, VR and rivals like TikTok may have pulled its attention away from audio.

Facebook also has fiercer competition in the sound-only realm. Podcast app operators like Apple and Spotify were already major threats, but there was also a flood of efforts to mimic Clubhouse in 2021. Meta had to pit Facebook’s services against the likes of Twitter Spaces and Reddit Talk. There was no guarantee Facebook would stand out in this market, even with a well-known name and massive resources at its disposal.

Netflix’s Tudum lays off staff months after launch

Netflix assembled an impressive roster of writers and editors for its fan site project, Tudum, which launched in early December of 2021. Today, a significant portion of those new hires have been sent packing for reasons unknown. 

A swath of the site’s formerstaffannounced their departures today on Twitter, with former Vice culture writer Josh Terry claiming “laid off my team,” suggesting the cuts may be drastic. Netflix claims there are no plans to mothball the site. It declined to comment on the number of workers who were impacted but confirmed that some amount of staff and contractors had been let go; The Hollywood Report placed its estimate at least 10 people. 

All a Netflix spokesperson would tell Engadget on the record was that “our fan website Tudum is an important priority for the company.” 

Tudum was billed by Netflix on launch as “a backstage pass that lets you dig deeper into the Netflix films, series, and stars you love” — essentially an attempt to prop up a media business on the strength of the streaming platform’s original content. It’s not clear at this time what kind of change in staffing or strategy prompted this round of layoffs, who remains at the site or if the newly-separated writers and editors were given any advance notice. 

The job cuts come not long after Netflix announced during its quarterly earnings that it had lost subscribers (approximately 200,000 of them) for the first time in a decade. What followed was a swift and brutal backlash from the market that saw the streaming service’s share price drop by 25 percent. So far it’s plans to turn the ship around have been limited to trying to stop customers from sharing login information, and mulling the idea of a cheaper ad-supported subscription tier. 

Were you recently let go from Tudum? I’d like to hear from you. Download Signal messenger for iOS or Android and text me confidentially at 646 983 9846. 

Google will allow users to limit ads about parenting, weight loss and dating

YouTube and Gmail ads are about to get a little less annoying for some. Google today is adding parenting and pregnancy, weight loss and dating to its list of “sensitive categories” on user ad controls. Users will be able to restrict ads from these categories on both YouTube and Google Display. The ad filters won’t apply to Google search results or Google Shopping, but a spokesperson confirmed that this could happen in the future.

“Providing transparency and control has always been a priority for us so we’re expanding our tools, enabling the choice to see fewer pregnancy and parenting, dating, and weight loss ads. We’ll continue to listen to user feedback and study which categories to expand this feature to in the future,” said Karin Hennessy, group product manager for ad privacy at Google in a statement.

Targeted ads have come under fire for being particularly intrusive and even harmful for certain users. For example, alcoholics or gambling addicts could be triggered by ads for tequila and online casinos. Those who suffer from eating disorders or body dysmorphia could experience something similar with weight loss ads, and so platforms are trying to strike a delicate balance that keeps their users happy while not alienating their advertisers.

In response to accusations of discriminatory ads, Meta this year removed the ability for advertisers to target users based on sensitive topics, such as health, race or ethnicity, political affiliation, religion or sexual orientation. Twitter has also banned political ads and climate change denial ads from its platform. Both Facebook and Instagram block ads featuring weight loss products and cosmetic surgery targeted to minors. Instagram users can set their ad topic preferences so they’ll see fewer ads from certain categories. Google has already blocked targeted ads for users below the age of 18 years old, and in 2020 allowed users to limit how many ads they would encounter on the topics of gambling or alcohol. 

Given the sizable share of the online ad market it currently holds, Google’s decision to let users opt out of additional sensitive ad categories means those who might be harmed (or just annoyed) by them will hopefully be exposed to them less frequently.

After Musk’s Twitter takeover, an open-source alternative is ‘exploding’

We may not yet know exactly what Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter means for the platform, but one Twitter alternative is already booming as a result of the news. Mastodon, the open-source social media service which bills itself as the “largest decentralized social network on the internet,” has been “exploding” since Musk’s acquisition, according to its founder.

News of Twitter’s buyout has rattled Twitter employees and users, as Musk has indicated he plans to take a much more hands-off approach to content moderation. As is often the case when Twitter makes a controversial change, some users have threatened to leave the platform, while critics have pushed #RIPTWITTER to trend.

In this case, at least some disgruntled users are apparently turning to Mastodon as a potential alternative. Hours after the Twitter acquisition was announced, Mastodon said it saw “an influx of approx. 41,287 users.” Of those, about 30,000 were new users, Mastodon founder Eugen Rochko wrote in a blog post.

“Funnily enough one of the reasons I started looking into the decentralized social media space in 2016, which ultimately led me to go on to create Mastodon, were rumours that Twitter, the platform I’d been a daily user of for years at that point, might get sold to another controversial billionaire,” he wrote. “Among, of course, other reasons such as all the terrible product decisions Twitter had been making at that time. And now, it has finally come to pass, and for the same reasons masses of people are coming to Mastodon.”

Mastodon’s official iOS and Android apps are also seeing an uptick in users, according to data provided by analytics firm Sensor Tower. The apps have been downloaded roughly 5,000 times “or nearly 10% of its lifetime total” downloads since Monday, according to the firm. The app is currently ranked No. 32 on the App Store charts for social media apps.

It’s not the first time Mastodon has benefited from issues at Twitter. The company was briefly popular in 2017, following outrage over Twitter’s decision to remove user handles from the character limit for @-replies (back when Twitter changed its product so infrequently even mundane changes were fodder for mass outrage). Mastodon saw another uptick in 2019, when users in India were angry over moderation policies. 

While Mastodon has been in the spotlight as a potentially viable Twitter alternative in the past, it has yet to reach the mainstream. But its current popularity comes at a moment when Twitter is also exploring how it could become an open-sourced protocol — much like Mastodon.

Unlike Twitter, Mastodon is not a single, centralized service. Though the interface looks similar to Twitter — it has a 500-character limit but otherwise will be mostly recognizable to Twitter users — it runs on an open-source protocol. Groups of users are free to create and maintain their own “instances” with their own rules around membership, moderation and other key policies. Users are also able to take their followers with them between instances.

Mastodon operates its own instances, mastodon.social and mastodon.online, but those are apparently overloaded, according to Rochko, who suggests that new users sign up via the official apps and join other communities on the service. And, because it’s open source, Mastodon makes its code available on GitHub, an idea Musk has also endorsed with regards to Twitter’s algorithms.

But all that also comes with extra complexity for new users who may not easily understand Mastodon’s unique structure or how it works. But those who stick around long enough may see some significant new features. Rochko said that end-to-end encrypted messaging is in the works, as well as “an exciting groups functionality.”