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#15 - June 2021

It's been a month of good things. Facebook announces it will end exemption for politicians who violate its moderation policy. YouTube bans masthead advertising selling alcohol, betting and prescription drugs. TikTok launches a sensitive anti-bullying campaign. And Twitter users rally behind an intern who sent an email by mistake. Meanwhile, the UK and EU launch co-ordinated investigations into Facebook’s misuse of ad data, the Advertising Standards Authority publishes names of social media influencers who repeatedly flout endorsement rules and Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation launch a new tool to protect children online. To cap it all, you can tune into The Kindness Experiment on BBC Sounds to really up the feelgood vibes. Here are my top stories (good, bad and ugly).

Twitter launches its paid subscription service

CEO Jack Dorsey hopes Twitter Blue will create a reliable new revenue stream. Advertising currently makes up more than 86% of Twitter's income. CNBC

Tech's biggest critics to build ethical AI

Also at Twitter, Rumman Chowdhury (ex Accenture) is building an exciting team of AI ethicists. Can they set an example to the rest of Silicon Valley? Protocol

Confessions of an Instagram-led business

What happens when a small business owner can't do anything else but tend to their Insta feed? Artist Rachel Reichenbach shares her experience. Vox

The rise and fall (and rise) of hashtags

Did hashtags ever go away? I must have missed something. A quick history of hashtags and why they still work well for discovery on social media. L A Times

Ronaldo's 550m followers give him the edge

The football star won't be seen with Coca-Cola bottles at Euro 2020. Brands face risks now sports stars' power is amplified by social media. Guardian

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Woman with face in hands photo by ian dooley on Unsplash

Did you see a good story I've missed?