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Social Web : All Tech Considered Sites like Facebook and Twitter have revolutionized the Web, altered how we interact with each other and even changed the way news is gathered and delivered. Read about the impact of social media and its continuing evolution.
All Tech Considered

All Tech Considered

Tech, Culture and Connection

Social Web

Monday

Facebook, Twitter Replace 911 Calls For Stranded In Houston

People make their way out of a flooded neighborhood in Houston on Monday. Many people are turning to social media for help. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

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Scott Olson/Getty Images

Social Web

Facebook, Twitter Replace 911 Calls For Stranded In Houston

Facebook and Twitter became de facto centers for thousands of stranded people as 911 centers became overwhelmed with calls. Police and officials are using social media as an essential tool to connect.

Facebook, Twitter Replace 911 Calls For Stranded In Houston

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Thursday

Kyle Quinn Hid At A Friend's House After Being Misidentified On Twitter As A Racist

Kyle Quinn, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Arkansas, was wrongly identified on social media as a participant in a white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Va. Jennifer Mortensen hide caption

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Jennifer Mortensen

Social Web

Kyle Quinn Hid At A Friend's House After Being Misidentified On Twitter As A Racist

A University of Arkansas professor falsely identified as a participant in a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville says the online reaction was frightening and felt like being chased by a mob.

Kyle Quinn Hid At A Friend's House After Being Misidentified On Twitter As A Racist

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Monday

In Germany, Churchgoers Are Encouraged To Tweet From The Pews

Worshipers at the Walloon Reformed Church of St. Augustine in Magdeburg, Germany, participate in a service where the congregation is encouraged to tweet about the liturgy and share their prayers online. Esme Nicholson/NPR hide caption

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Esme Nicholson/NPR

Social Web

In Germany, Churchgoers Are Encouraged To Tweet From The Pews

As it celebrates 500 years since Martin Luther and the Reformation, the Protestant church in Germany is turning to social media to reach those too busy to attend.

In Germany, Churchgoers Are Encouraged To Tweet From The Pews

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Wednesday

With Entry Into Interest Curation, Google Goes Head-To-Head With Facebook

Google CEO Sundar Pichai talks about the new Google Assistant during a 2016 product event in San Francisco. The voice assistant is one of a number of Google products that will provide user data to the curation service that the company is launching Wednesday. Eric Risberg/AP hide caption

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Eric Risberg/AP

Social Web

With Entry Into Interest Curation, Google Goes Head-To-Head With Facebook

In the feed, users will get a stream of news, photos and more based on their search histories and interests across Google products. The company promises a different, less friend-filtered experience.

With Entry Into Interest Curation, Google Goes Head-To-Head With Facebook

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Thursday

Facebook Changes Its Mission With Announcement About Groups

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (right) speaks with panelists at the Facebook Communities Summit on Thursday in Chicago, where he announced Facebook's mission will change to focus on the activity level of its users. From left are Lola Omolola, Erin Schatteman and Janet Sanchez, who run popular Facebook groups. Teresa Crawford/AP hide caption

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Teresa Crawford/AP

Social Web

Facebook Changes Its Mission With Announcement About Groups

Facebook has nearly 2 billion users. But that's not enough. Now, in an effort to go deep, not just wide, the company will focus on users' activity levels.

Tuesday

Upworthy Was One Of The Hottest Sites Ever. You Won't Believe What Happened Next

Eli Pariser, CEO of Upworthy, speaks onstage at during the 2014 SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. At its peak, the site, which is founded on a mission of promoting viral and uplifting content, was reaching close to 90 million people a month. Jon Shapley/Getty Images for SXSW hide caption

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Jon Shapley/Getty Images for SXSW

Social Web

Upworthy Was One Of The Hottest Sites Ever. You Won't Believe What Happened Next

After popularizing sensational headlines and taking your news feed by storm, Upworthy seemingly fell off a cliff. Its story reveals just as much about Facebook as it does about why we click.

Upworthy Was One Of The Hottest Sites Ever. You Won't Believe What Happened Next

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Wednesday

Meet Binky, The Social Media App Where Nothing Matters

Binky is a new social media app where users can scroll, share and like random posts, but all the actions are meaningless. iTunes hide caption

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iTunes

Social Web

Meet Binky, The Social Media App Where Nothing Matters

A new social media app lets you think that you're liking, commenting and sharing an infinite list of random posts. But "it's all meaningless," Binky creator Dan Kurtz says. And that's the point.

Meet Binky, The Social Media App Where Nothing Matters

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Thursday

Eager To Burst His Own Bubble, A Techie Made Apps To Randomize His Life

For two years, Hawkins let his app guide him around the globe, including a stop in Gortina, Slovenia. Courtesy of Max Hawkins hide caption

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Courtesy of Max Hawkins

Social Web

Eager To Burst His Own Bubble, A Techie Made Apps To Randomize His Life

Suddenly aware of repetitive feedback loops in his life, Max Hawkins created apps that decided where he should go, what strangers' parties he should attend, even how he should spend Christmas.

Eager To Burst His Own Bubble, A Techie Made Apps To Randomize His Life

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Sunday

Feeling Sidelined By Mainstream Social Media, Far-Right Users Jump To Gab

The Gab.ai home page cites the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Gab.ai/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

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Gab.ai/Screenshot by NPR

Social Web

Feeling Sidelined By Mainstream Social Media, Far-Right Users Jump To Gab

Criticized for being affiliated with the alt-right, the social site Gab now reports 170,000 users. It has found a niche among some conservatives and others who feel stifled by Facebook and Twitter.

Feeling Sidelined By Mainstream Social Media, Far-Right Users Jump To Gab

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Thursday

What Pepe The Frog's Death Can Teach Us About The Internet

Andrew Knight holds a sign of Pepe the frog, an alt-right icon, during a rally in Berkeley, Calif., on April 27. Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

Social Web

What Pepe The Frog's Death Can Teach Us About The Internet

His creator killed the frog in a comic strip, after the character spent much of 2016 tied to the alt-right. Pepe's sad tale is a modern parable of how awful the Internet can be.

What Pepe The Frog's Death Can Teach Us About The Internet

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Sunday

Dogs Are Doggos: An Internet Language Built Around Love For The Puppers

"DoggoLingo" is a language trend that's been gaining steam on the Internet in the past few years. Words like doggo, pupper and blep most often accompany a picture or video of a dog and have spread on social media. Chelsea Beck/NPR hide caption

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Chelsea Beck/NPR

Social Web

Dogs Are Doggos: An Internet Language Built Around Love For The Puppers

DoggoLingo is a rising language on the Internet that's full of cutesy suffixes and onomatopoeias. It might even change the way you talk to your pet.

Friday

Murder Video Again Raises Questions About How Facebook Handles Content

A conference worker passes a demo booth at Facebook's annual F8 developer conference, on Tuesday in San Jose, Calif. Noah Berger/AP hide caption

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Noah Berger/AP

Social Web

Murder Video Again Raises Questions About How Facebook Handles Content

A murder video uploaded to Facebook brought attention to how the company monitors upsetting content. Artificial intelligence may be a solution, but experts say it could bring unwanted results.

Murder Video Again Raises Questions About How Facebook Handles Content

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Wednesday

Facebook's New Grand Plan To Draw You In

NPR reporter Aarti Shahani tested Facebook's new social VR platform. She requested an older avatar to represent her, but that was not available. Her guide "Phil" had her tour virtual cherry blossoms. NPR hide caption

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NPR

Social Web

Facebook's New Grand Plan To Draw You In

In quintessential Silicon Valley style, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveils ambitious plans to bring users from 2-D news feeds to 3-D imaginary worlds and neglects safety concerns.

Facebook's New Grand Plan To Draw You In

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Wednesday

Tech Creates Our Political Echo Chambers. It Might Also Be A Solution

Henry Tsai (front) and Yasyf Mohamedali created Hi From The Other Side, a website that connects people with opposing political views online and then gets them to meet in real life. Asma Khalid/WBUR hide caption

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Asma Khalid/WBUR

Social Web

Tech Creates Our Political Echo Chambers. It Might Also Be A Solution

WBUR

Social media took a lot of blame for intensifying polarization and partisan acrimony during the presidential campaign. Now some startups and researchers are trying to burst ideological filter bubbles.

Tech Creates Our Political Echo Chambers. It Might Also Be A Solution

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Wednesday

What Should We Make Of The 'Tweetstorm' Or 'Thread,' Or Whatever You Call It?

It is time for us to assess the pros and cons of the tweetstorm, the thread, the whatever and figure out just what it all means. diego_cervo/Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption

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diego_cervo/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Social Web

What Should We Make Of The 'Tweetstorm' Or 'Thread,' Or Whatever You Call It?

They're all over Twitter: Strings of tweets about politics or Russian plots or long thoughts. Maybe they're a new way to tell stories, but they say just as much about us as they do about the platform.