Meira Gebel

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Meira Gebel is a freelance reporter based in Portland. She writes about tech, social media, and internet culture for Digital Trends. Her work has been featured in Business Insider, USA Today, Willamette Week, Detroit Free Press, San Francisco Business Times, and more. Got a tip? Or just want to chat about the Kardashians? Twitter DMs are always open.

Conspiracy theories already spreading ahead of Trump-Biden presidential debate

Right-wing conspiracy theory accounts connected to the group QAnon have been spreading misinformation on Facebook ahead of the first presidential debate.

News         April 25, 2023

How to talk to your friends and family about misinformation and conspiracy theories

When confronting a family member who shared a post about a conspiracy theory, exercising empathy is first and foremost, experts say.

News         April 25, 2023

TikTok vows to challenge Trump’s ‘unjust’ ban

TikTok said it is prepared to challenge President Donald Trump's ban of the app, calling the president's order to remove the app from app stores unjust.

News         April 25, 2023

TikTok users mourn, mobilize after Trump moves forward with ban

Creators and users took to TikTok to say their goodbyes — but also voice their dissent — after the Trump administration moved forward with a ban.

News         April 25, 2023

How Twitter cut activity on QAnon content by half

Twitter said in the two months since it banned thousands of QAnon-related accounts, activity on QAnon content has been cut in half.

News         April 25, 2023

Ray-Ban is teaming with Facebook on next generation of smartglasses

Facebook is teaming up with Ray-ban to create the next generation of smartglasses, the company announced at its annual AR/VR conference.

News         April 25, 2023

Dozens of celebrities call for one-day boycott of Facebook, Instagram

Dozens of celebrities have joined in a one-day boycott of Facebook led by the Stop Hate for Profit campaign against hate speech on the social media platform.

News         April 25, 2023

Bill Gates doesn’t expect a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year

Microsoft co-founder and philanthropic billionaire Bill Gates said he doesn't anticipate a coronavirus vaccine to be ready by next month.

Trash         April 25, 2023

Black Lives Matter and MAGA hats: Activism and politics are flooding dating apps

More and more singles are using their dating app bios to showcase their stance on politics and social justice. But is it performative activism?

News         April 25, 2023

Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook made ‘operational mistake’ before Kenosha shooting

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed his company's response to the Kenosha, Wisconsin, shooting that left two dead.

News         April 25, 2023

Walmart joins Microsoft in TikTok acquisition bid, Oracle offers $20 billion

Walmart has reportedly joined forces with Microsoft in a bid to purchase the popular social media app TikTok. But they aren't the only parties interested.

News         April 25, 2023

Facebook calls Kenosha shooting mass murder after event promoted call to arms

In a statement on Wednesday, Facebook denounced the shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as a "mass murder" after an event on its platform promoted the use of violence.

News         April 25, 2023

WordPress claims Apple wants 30% of App Store profits even though its free

A founding developer for WordPress, an app that lets users create websites for free, said Apple is preventing the app from being updated in the App Store.

Web         April 25, 2023

What is QAnon and where did it come from?

QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory that has gained mainstream attention thanks to coordinated behavior on social media.

News         April 25, 2023

Facebook removes nearly 800 QAnon-related groups, pages, hashtags, and ads

The social media platform said it will continue to restrict and remove content and accounts that "support violent acts" in a statement on Wednesday.

News         April 25, 2023

Lyft also threatens to shut down California operations over worker law

Lyft executives said in an earnings call Wednesday night that it is likely it will suspend California operations over a new law for contractors.

Trash         April 25, 2023

Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Twitter team up to fight election interference

Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Microsoft are teaming up to form a new coalition against election interference ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

News         April 25, 2023

TikTok creators say they’re not switching to Instagram Reels, survey finds

Don't expect TikTok creators to make the jump to Instagram Reels anytime soon. Many are sticking with TikTok because of its preferable algorithms.

News         April 25, 2023

Twitter will start labeling state-affiliated media accounts

Right now, the labels will only apply to the five countries in the United Nations Security Council: Russia, France, the U.S., China, and the U.K.

News         April 25, 2023

Does Instagram Reels stand a chance against TikTok?

Instagram launched its TikTok competitor 'Reels' Wednesday, as a way for creators to make bite-size content. But will creators make the jump?

News         April 25, 2023

As coronavirus cases rise, a Miami mom struggles to keep up with distance learning

Norma Schwartz hasn't told her kids they aren't going back to the classroom this fall as their school district plans to continue with distance learning.

Features         April 25, 2023

Texas teacher plans to be ‘overly cautious’ as schools reopen

Juliana Davila, a Spanish teacher located in Texas, plans to be 'overly cautious' as students return to school during the coronavirus pandemic.

Features         April 25, 2023

Microsoft reportedly in talks to buy TikTok’s U.S. operations

Microsoft is in talks buy the popular, fast-growing social media app TikTok after President Trump ordered ByteDance to sell its U.S. stake in the app.

News         April 25, 2023

Zuckerberg defends Facebook’s misinformation and hate policies in earnings call

During Thursday's second-quarter earnings call, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "We do not profit from misinformation or hate."

News         April 25, 2023

What boycott? Facebook earnings unaffected by advertising revolt

In an earning report released Thursday, Facebook reported that it will see largely the same amount of revenue despite a public advertising boycott.

News         April 25, 2023

Leading Dem says Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon have ‘monopoly power’

Wednesday's hearing on antitrust issues within Big Tech was scattered, but Democrats focused in on how to end monopolizing within the industry.

News         April 25, 2023

Zuckerberg slammed over coronavirus hoaxes: ‘You can’t contain deadly content’

Rep. David Cicilline accused CEO Mark Zuckerberg of allowing coronavirus hoaxes and misinformation to spread on Facebook because it's "good for business."

News         April 25, 2023

Jayapal accuses Facebook of threatening to clone Instagram before buying it

In Wednesday's antitrust hearing, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was grilled about his company's decision to acquire Instagram in 2012.

News         April 25, 2023

Snapchat releases its diversity report during Big Tech antitrust hearing

Snapchat released its highly anticipated diversity report Wednesday, detailing that Black and Hispanic people make up less than 5% of the company.

News         April 25, 2023

Zuckerberg to tell Congress that Instagram, WhatsApp needed Facebook to succeed

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg plans to tell Congress that Instagram and WhatsApp would not have been able to succeed without his company's resources,

News         April 25, 2023

YouTube is trying to crack down on QAnon videos. It’s not working

Digital Trends found that YouTube's algorithm recommends QAnon-related content, despite the company's claim that it's trying to hide the videos.

News         April 25, 2023

Far-right conspiracy group QAnon is surging with TikTok teens

The social media platform, popular among teens and younger generations, has seen an increase in far-right conspiracy content.

News         April 25, 2023

Even Elon Musk thinks Teslas are too expensive

Elon Musk, Tesla's chief executive, said in an earnings call Wednesday that the company will work on making its cars more affordable.

Car News         April 25, 2023

Elon Musk says Tesla’s new Cybertruck factory will be in Austin, Texas

The electric car company has finally announced that it is currently building its highly anticipated Cybertruck Gigafactory in Austin, Texas.

Car News         April 25, 2023