
March 13, 2024 BY Katie Darden in Newsletter
Pancakes, pandas and possible fraud 🥞

To Tok, or not to Tok.
The city of New York is suing TikTok, along with its friends Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Snapchat, over the recent mental health crisis plaguing its youth. Additional plaintiffs include the school district and health organizations, all of which filed the lawsuit last week in Los Angeles. The suit alleges that the parent companies knowingly “designed, developed, produced, operated, promoted, distributed, and marketed their platforms to attract, capture, and addict youth, with minimal parental oversight.” Of course, the addictive nature of these apps isn’t bombshell information. If you’ve been around anyone with a smart phone in the last ten years, it’s obvious. However, we are just now witnessing the first generation to have access to such material at such a young age. And the consequences are proving to be devastating.
New York is certainly not the first entity to call out TikTok trouble. In case you forgot, it was actually President Trump who first attempted to ban the app. Trump’s Commerce Department cited TikTok as a threat to national security, and sought to prevent the app from being downloaded in app stores, and attempted to outlaw transactions between Americans and TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance. The administration strongly believed US user data was at risk of being accessed by Chinese authorities. The ban was determined by multiple courts to be “arbitrary and capricious.”
Fast forward a couple years, and the President demonstrates concern regarding the app again. But this time, it’s President Biden. The current White House regime actually signed legislation in late 2022 that banned most federal government-owned devices from using TikTok. Surely this is so choreographed dances don’t take over the Senate floor? Not exactly. The Office of Management and Budget called the new bill a “critical step forward in addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data.”
An interesting turn of events? Just last week, President Biden’s reelection campaign launched an official TikTok account. His handle, @bidenhq, debuted Sunday during Lunar New Year Celebrations in China and Super Bowl LVIII in the US. And it is as cringey as it sounds. Obviously, the current administration is hoping to appeal to young voters. But everyone else is really scratching their heads. Republican and Democrat lawmakers alike have urged the President to deactivate his account. “How can the federal government warn Americans about the risks of this app if the Commander in Chief uses it too?” Great question.
Talk about a perfect illustration of the conflict at hand.
The safety of the app is certainly compromised, but it is very much a part of our everyday life. TikTok has quickly established residence in pop culture, and is considered a mainstay in our current society. Entire marketing strategies are built around the platform. This is not something we can just snap our fingers away. But at what cost do we continue on scrolling?
Top Stories
The latest AI scams
Software company Bitdefender recently revealed a large number of scam videos on Facebook and Instagram with audio deepfakes of celebrities like Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Aniston and Tiger Woods. The stars are offering product giveaways and investment opportunities. The videos targeted more than 1 million users in the US and Europe.
Fake Jen Anistons aren’t the only phonies out there. A voter in New Hampshire claimed he got a call from President Joe Biden a few days before the primary, asking him not to vote. On the phone, Biden claimed “Voting this Tuesday only enables the Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again.” Spoiler alert- it wasn’t actually Joe. It was a deep fake AI-generated message. More than 30 states have now introduced over 50 bills to regulate deepfakes in elections, focusing on disclosure requirements and bans. But regardless of the new regulations, many fear similar AI scams will compromise the integrity of future elections.
Another recent AI scam doesn’t threaten the White House, but your library. As if posing as an author isn’t lame enough, these scammers have stooped to new lows, and are now posing as deceased people. AI-generated biographies of recently departed celebrities have started appearing on Amazon. Michael Lelyveld discovered such biographies of his late brother, Joseph Lelyveld, a former executive editor of The New York Times, a day after his passing. Less than 24 hours for an entire book to be published? Talk about a dead giveaway.
President’s Day sales
Because nothing says honor our founding fathers like a stellar mattress deal. Truth be told, the timing of President’s Day is ideal. It’s appropriately spaced from the holiday season, just long enough after December 25 to give consumers a much needed break, and around the time a lot of the country is ready to start some pre-spring shopping. And after six long winter weeks, what the American public really wants is a day off… and a new, used Honda.
Groupon won this President’s Day for sure. The popular coupon company sent out a holiday promo for $10 off a $40 purchase from a local business in honor of “President Alexander Hamilton.” In case you missed the blooper, Hamilton was never a US president. Only an excellent Broadway showman. When Groupon was called out on the mistake, the company replied “you’re certainly entitled to your opinion.” Such a fire response. Whether the mistake was real, or a real big grab for attention, we’ll take it.
AirBnb took a playful stab at the holiday too, tweeting out “George Washington slept here- now you can too” with a rental property linked. I guess that’s enticing? Hostess Snacks put forth a valiant effort too, with cute little rhyme about a cherry tree and a former president. Denny’s, on the other hand, took a less cute approach. If you want to skip the link, it’s Mount Rushmore with pancakes flying from helicopters. A swing and a miss.
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The More You Know
Hootsuite presents Instagram Reels in 2024: A Complete Guide. Learn how to promote your brand, reach new people and engage your audience. That’s a win-win-win if you lost count.
Tips and Tricks
Minus the constant scamming and creepy deepfakes, AI is still really cool. Sora is an AI model that can create realistic and imaginative scenes from text instructions.
What to Watch
File this under “shows to watch when you want to walk away with your heart shattered into a million pieces.” Netflix’s latest short series, One Day, has wrecked us all. Binge at your own risk.
Weekly Mix
NEEDTOBREATHE just released their latest album, the CMT Campfire Sessions, and now we are all enrolled in guitar lessons and shopping for urban cowboy hats. Volume up and giddy up.
More News from the Week.
Sam Altman seeks trillions of dollars to reshape the business of chips and AI. Trillions? Is that all?
Target offers a cheaper option to compete with Dollar Store brands. Because we all needed another reason to go to Target.
If you’re flying anytime soon, do not read this article.
The Atlantic’s latest piece on Why Americans Suddenly Stopped Hanging Out. Do we really have to tease this one out? Because I’m sort of content on my couch.
Panda diplomacy is a thing.