Tag Archives: social media

TikTok is finally legal again in the US

Posted on January 26, 2026 by Ralph Hanson

TikTok has finalized a joint venture to have cloud-computing giant Oracle (along with a range of international partners) run its US operations. This finally brings the company into compliance with a law passed and signed into law in 2024 that … Continue reading →

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I’m back – Frankenstein, Meta & A-ha!

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Ralph Hanson

Editor’s Note: Sorry to have gone dark for the last couple of months. It’s been a difficult time. But I have not forgotten my blog, which I’ve had going since 2004. Going to get started back today with some simple media … Continue reading →

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Why is the NY Times Connections the most controversial online game?

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Ralph Hanson

When you are on Facebook, if you see the following graphic with some kind of comment below, you know that one of your friends has succumbed to the addiction that is the NY Times game – Connections. The game is … Continue reading →

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How Do Social Media Affect Young People?

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Ralph Hanson

Frances Haugen was a Facebook product manager whose job was to protect against election interference on the social media site. She worked at the company for nearly two years, departing in May of 2021. During her time at the social … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Ralph Hanson

Are Facebook and Instagram addictive? And if so, what does that mean? We know that nicotine, meth, heroin, alcohol and the like are addictive. Biochemists can lay out the specific mechanisms that make these substances difficult to quit using. But … Continue reading →

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Why do news update e-mails insist on putting sports spoilers in the subject line?

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Ralph Hanson

Why do news update e-mails insist on putting sports spoilers in the subject line? Ok, I get it. It’s almost impossible to avoid results of a high-profile Olympic event that takes place early in the morning but gets aired on … Continue reading →

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Looking Back at the January 6th Insurrection – History Has Its Eyes On You

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Ralph Hanson

Update: 1/6/25  — It’s now been four years since this shameful day. One year ago today an angry mob assaulted the United Staters Capitol Building in an attempt to stop the counting of electoral votes and overturn the results of … Continue reading →

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What’s The Fuss About Facebook, Inc.? Part I – The WSJ

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Ralph Hanson

Editor’s Note: Facebook and its various properties (Instagram, WhatsApp) have been in the news a lot lately, and not in a good way.  Congress has been holding social media hearings where Facebook is the #1 bad guy, the Washington Post  has had … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Ralph Hanson

Why did it take so long for Quaker Oats to abandon Aunt Jemima as a pancake brand? Aunt Jemima has a new name: the Pearl Milling Company. Quaker Oats announced it would drop the name Aunt Jemima last summer after … Continue reading →

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Bernie and his Mittens

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Ralph Hanson

With all of the awful news over the last few weeks, from the more than 400,000 people dead from the pandemic, to people out of work, to the insurrection attack on the U.S. Capitol, we’ve really needed something wonderful as … Continue reading →

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