@jack, Trump and the Metaverse: Social media’s wild year

Hey all, it’s Kurt Wagner in San Francisco. It was another incredibly busy year in the world of social media, with big implications for 2022. Here’s a look back—and forward—at the industry’s biggest stories. But first...

Today’s top tech news: 

• Apple puts India iPhone maker on probation for labor violations
• Didi’s lost $4.7 billion as it struggles through China’s regulatory crackdown
• The ball is set to drop in the metaverse

Our year in social media

Trump de-platformed

What happened: President Donald Trump was booted from every major social media service in January following the riot that took place at the U.S. Capitol. Facebook suspended Trump until at least January 2023. Twitter banned him permanently. It was one of the most significant policy decisions the social media companies had ever made, and one that raised a million questions about the power of tech companies in moderating online behavior.

What happens next: 2022 is another election year in the U.S., which means the Trump ban will most likely resurface during political debates around regulating tech. Prepare for a lot more discussion about “election integrity”—mainly policing misinformation related to voting, political candidates and campaign ads.

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