Tag Archives: Meta Platforms

18Aug/26

Meta on Trial for Addictive Design

August 18, 2026LegalBeijing, Big Tech, Careless People, China, Digital media use and mental health, Eric Goldman, Facebook, Instagram, Joel, Lawsuits involving Meta Platforms, Los Angeles, Mark Zuckerberg, Max Fisher, META, Meta Platforms, Meta Platforms Inc., OAKLAND, Problematic social media use, Russell Coleman, Sarah Wynn-Williams, Sheryl Sandberg, Snap Inc., Social media, Symbian software, TikTok, United Kingdom, United States, Video software, Wynn, Wynn-Williams, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogersadmin

The Trillion-Dollar Reckoning: State Attorneys General Take Meta to Court Over Youth Social Media Addiction

Tue, Aug 18 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — Opening statements commenced on August 18, 2026, in the nation’s first federal bellwether trial against Meta Platforms, Inc. in Oakland, California. Led by a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey representing a broader coalition of 29 states, the prosecution in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California alleges that Meta deliberately designed Facebook and Instagram to addict children and adolescents. The states contend that Meta engineered its platforms with psychologically manipulative features—such as infinite scroll, push notifications, and recommendation algorithms—to maximize user engagement and compulsive use while knowingly fueling a national youth mental health crisis. Furthermore, the coalition accuses Meta of violating the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting personal data from children under the age of 13 without obtaining verifiable parental consent. Facing potential damages that Meta estimates could reach an extraordinary $1.4 trillion, the states are seeking not only severe financial penalties but also sweeping court-ordered injunctions to eliminate addictive features, enforce age restrictions, and delete algorithms and artificial intelligence models built on children’s data. Continue reading →

31Jul/26

Replacing Human Experts With AI Agents

July 31, 2026MediaAI agent, Artificial general intelligence, Artificial intelligence, BuzzFeed, Byron Allen, Chris Morley, Cindy Rose, Clark, Computational neuroscience, Cybernetics, ESPN, Generative AI, Josh D'Amaro, Karl Ravech, Lydia Royce, Meta Platforms, Pixar Animation Studios, Reach plc, Tamlyn Jones, The Walt Disney Company, Thomson Reuters, United Kingdom, United Statesadmin

The Collapse of the Creative Middle Class: Media and Tech Giants Dismantle Traditional Roles for AI Efficiency

Fri, July 30 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The AI Transition and Corporate Consolidation In July 2026, the global technology, media, and information services sectors experienced a profound wave of corporate restructuring that signaled a fundamental shift toward artificial intelligence integration and platform-native operating models. Rather than representing a standard economic downturn, these workforce reductions illustrate a deliberate move by companies to automate workflows, eliminate traditional departments, and pivot away from legacy open-web advertising. Media organizations are aggressively consolidating their operations and exploring alternative monetization strategies. For example, BuzzFeed laid off 35% of its remaining staff (around 180 employees) following its acquisition by Byron Allen, shifting its focus toward free ad-supported streaming television and user-generated video networks to offset mounting debt and declining ad revenues. Similarly, Robinhood shut down its standalone media arm, Sherwood News, laying off its editorial staff to embed breaking news directly into its trading app and signature newsletters. In the Web3 space, Decrypt merged with Rug Radio to form a new conglomerate, laying off most of its editorial team to pivot away from programmatic ads and toward prediction markets and on-chain transactions. Continue reading →

29Jul/26

Why Zuckerberg is Building an AI CEO

July 29, 2026Technology.google, AI agent, Amazon Web Services, Artificial intelligence, Bill, BlackRock, Claude, Computational neuroscience, Hypothetical technology, Large language models, Llama, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Platforms, Meta Superintelligence Labs, Metaverse, Microsoft, Nebius, Nvidia, Open-source artificial intelligence, OpenAI, Reddit, Superintelligence, Washingtonadmin

Friction in the Labs: Delays, Layoffs, and Culture Clashes Inside Meta’s Superintelligence Push

Wed, July 29 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The Open-Source Vision and Industry Dominance Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is aggressively positioning the company as the primary institutional sponsor of open-source (open-weight) artificial intelligence. With the release of Llama 3.1, Zuckerberg argues that open-source AI is the path forward because it empowers developers, prevents centralization of power, and allows organizations to protect their data without being locked into closed vendor ecosystems like those of Apple, OpenAI, or Google. By freely distributing its models, Meta hopes to commoditize the AI layer and establish Llama as the ubiquitous global industry standard. Continue reading →

29May/26

Paying Meta for an algorithmic advantage

May 29, 2026MediaInstagram, Llama, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Platforms, One Plus, Social media, Symbian software, the Facebook, WhatsAppadmin

Charging for Reach: How Meta is Putting Social Visibility and AI Behind a Paywall

Fri, May 29 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — Meta has officially initiated a major shift towards a “freemium” business model by globally launching “Plus” subscription tiers for its core applications: Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. While the base versions of these apps remain free, the new subscriptions aim to provide enhanced customization, analytics, and visibility. Continue reading →

26Mar/26

Suing social media for addictive design

March 26, 2026Internet.google, Anna Lembke, Australia, Big Tech, dopamine, Infinite scrolling, Instagram, Jayne Conroy, K.G.M. v. Meta et al., Los Angeles, Mark Zuckerberg, Matthew P. Bergman, Meta Platforms, Sarah Kreps, Section 230, SNAP, Social media, TikTok, U . S . Federal, United States, Video softwareadmin

Earthquake for Big Tech: Juries Hit Meta and YouTube with Multi-Million Dollar Verdicts Over Youth Social Media Addiction

March 26, 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — A landmark legal shift is currently unfolding as social media giants face unprecedented liability for the mental health impacts of their platforms on minors.

Landmark Jury Verdicts In a first-of-its-kind bellwether trial in Los Angeles, a jury ordered Meta and Google (YouTube) to pay $3 million in compensatory damages and recommended an additional $3 million in punitive damages to a 20-year-old woman, known in court as K.G.M. or Kaley. The jury found that both companies acted negligently and with malice, oppression, or fraud by designing platforms that addicted the plaintiff as a child, exacerbating her depression, anxiety, and body dysmorphia. Meta was assigned 70% of the responsibility for the harm, while YouTube bore 30%. TikTok and Snap, initially named as co-defendants, settled the claims against them just before the trial began. Continue reading →

29Jan/26

The End of the Golden Ticket: Why Big Tech Brand Names Are No Longer Enough

January 29, 2026EconomyAmazon, American brands, Artificial intelligence, Big Tech, Electronic Arts, Intel, Meta Platforms, Metaverse, Microsoft, Résuméadmin

Jan. 29, 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — This analysis examines the shifting landscape of the technology labor market, where once-coveted experience at major firms no longer guarantees employment. As mass layoffs increase and job openings become increasingly rare, the traditional advantage of having a prestigious company name on a resume has significantly diminished. The piece highlights the personal struggles of former employees from giants like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft who are finding it difficult to secure new roles. Ultimately, the author suggests that the tech industry’s hiring climate has transformed from a period of abundance to one of intense competition and uncertainty. This shift reflects a broader trend where brand-name credentials are losing their status as a “golden ticket” for career advancement. Continue reading →

20Jul/22

OPINION: Meta and hate speech in India

July 20, 2022LegalArticles, Censorship, civil society, Computing, Deborah Brown, Facebook, Frances Haugen, Freedom of speech, Harassment, Hate crime, Hate speech, Human Rights Impact Assessment, Human Rights Watch, India, Jayshree Bajoria, META, Meta Platforms, Moderation system, Social information processing, Social media, Sophie Zhang, Websites, World Wide Webadmin

Deborah Brown and Jayshree Bajoria are senior researchers at Human Rights Watch

Last week, Meta, formerly Facebook, released its first human rights report, which included some snippets from the pending Human Rights Impact Assessment on India. But this was not a preview of the full assessment. Rather, Meta told Human Rights Watch that it does not “have plans to publish anything further on the India HRIA,” an abdication of its commitment to transparency and due diligence.
Continue reading →

09Jul/22

80% of people feel more included in the metaverse than in real life

July 9, 2022InternetFuturism, Meta Platforms, Metaverse, Metaverse law, momentum worldwide, Virtual realityche

Metaverse discussions about creating virtual worlds consume the plans of many fashion, automotive and retail brands. However, the human side of consumer activities in the metaverse have not been a significant part of the dialogue. A global study by Momentum Worldwide, metaverse partners to the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As), found that 80% of people feel more included in the metaverse than in real life. Consumers are now looking to the metaverse to fill three core aspects of life—inspiration, individuality and inclusion.  Continue reading