“Spider-Man: No Way Home” star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tom-holland">Tom Holland</a> announced to fans that he will be taking a break from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/social-media">social media</a> to preserve his mental health.
The 26-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hollywood">star</a> shared the three-minute video on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChN-Phkqiyw/">Instagram</a> over the weekend, explaining his reasoning for his decision. &#8220;I have taken a break from social media for my mental health because I find Instagram and Twitter to be overstimulating, to be overwhelming,&#8221; he shared. Holland currently boasts more than 67 million Instagram followers.
&#8220;I get caught up and I spiral when I read things about me online and ultimately it&#8217;s very detrimental to my mental state. So, I decided to take a step back and delete the app,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;There is an awful stigma against mental health and I know that asking for help and seeking help isn&#8217;t something we should be ashamed of.&#8221; 
Holland concluded by thanking fans for always being there for him. &#8220;I love you all and I&#8217;ll speak to you soon,&#8221; he said. The video caption also promoted the UK-based teen mental health charity, Stem4. 
Holland isn&#8217;t the first big-name celebrity to ditch social media despite legions of devoted fans. During an interview with Good Morning America (GMA) earlier this year, former Disney Channel star Selena Gomez opened up about her decision to quit popular platforms. 
“I haven’t been on the internet in four and a half years,” the 29-year-old actress told GMA, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/happiest-ive-ever-been-selena-gomez-explains-why-ditching-social-media-for-4-5-years-made-her-feel-normal">reported</a> by The Daily Wire. “It has changed my life completely. I am happier, I am more present, I connect more with people. It makes me feel normal.”
Megan Fox had similar statements on the potential harm caused by social media usage. “I have social media, but I don’t personally use it,” Fox said in an April <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/megan-fox-says-she-thinks-social-media-is-sinister-and-evil-wont-use-it-personally">interview</a> with Glamour UK. “I have somebody who posts for me and I decide what I want to say. But I think it’s sinister. I think it’s evil.”
Fox described how social media has led to an explosion of online bullying, negatively impacting celebrities especially.
“I don’t think people understand that we’ve come to this place where we grasp, ‘Bullying is bad,&#8217;” the actress continued. “Children shouldn’t be bullied. It leads to self-hate. And eventually in some cases leads to suicide. But then when it comes to a celebrity, all of that is thrown out the window and people spend so much of their time bullying celebrities.”

“Onward” UK Premiere – Red Carpet Arrivals

‘I Get Caught Up And I Spiral’: Tom Holland Announces He’s Taking A Break From Social Media For Mental Health

Tom Holland Announces He's Taking A Break From Social Media For Mental Health

Hollywood

Mental Health

Social Media

Tom Holland

A <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/technology">technology</a> CEO went <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/social-media">viral</a> for posting a crying selfie along with a layoff announcement, effectively making his employees’ lost <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/unemployment">jobs</a> all about himself.
In a LinkedIn <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bradenwallake_this-will-be-the-most-vulnerable-thing-ill-activity-6962886723617910784-_L4w/?utm_source=linkedin_share&amp;amp;utm_medium=member_desktop_web">post</a> that has generated tens of thousands of interactions, Braden Wallake — the CEO of startup HyperSocial — said that he made an unspecified decision in February of this year and “stuck with that decision for far too long,” ultimately resulting in the need to let go “a few of our employees.”
“This will be the most vulnerable thing I&#8217;ll ever share. I&#8217;ve gone back and forth whether to post this or not,” Wallake wrote. “I&#8217;ve seen a lot of layoffs over the last few weeks on LinkedIn. Most of those are due to the economy, or whatever other reason. Ours? My fault.”
Beyond the mention of the layoffs, Wallake continued groveling before posting a picture of himself with red eyes and tears streaming down his face.
“I know it isn&#8217;t professional to tell my employees that I love them. But from the bottom of my heart, I hope they know how much I do. Every single one. Every single story,” he said. “Every single thing that makes them smile and every single thing that makes them cry. Their families. Their friends. Their hobbies. I&#8217;ve always hire people based on who they are as people. People with great hearts, and great souls. And I can&#8217;t think of a lower moment than this.”
Users had mixed feelings, with some applauding Wallake’s willingness to be “vulnerable&#8221;” and others raising an eyebrow at the highly emotional post.
“I was completely unready and astonished by this level of hyper-vulnerability on full display alongside a heartfelt message,” one user said. “In my Southern American culture, the mere sight of a man crying seems cliche, mushy, and overtly sentimental&#8230; But what does it say about American culture that a man who openly cares deeply for others is automatically assumed to be weak-kneed and powerless or utterly fake?”
“Sigh… all of us are grown ups here. No one expects to always be protected from layoffs and no one expects leadership to make the right decisions all of the time,” another user commented. “Great that you want to own up to your mistakes but that’s between you and your team. Your personal sadness and attempt to convince strangers that you ‘love’ your employees is useless to the people you fired. They get that it’s part of navigating a career.”
In a follow-up comment, Wallake shared a bizarre <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6963329249164328960/">post</a> from Noah Smith — one of the employees he laid off — lauding the executive for “putting his heart on the line” and having a “positive outlook on life.” Wallake garnered even more ire for sharing the praise.
“Absolute peak LinkedIn,” a third commenter said. “Not only do you fire the guy and use his loss for some clout chasing, you then invite him back for a chat because the validation from the first act wasn&#8217;t enough.”
At the end of last year, Better.com CEO Vishal Garg was the subject of criticism for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mortgage-company-ceo-fires-900-employees-via-zoom-including-diversity-hiring-team">firing</a> more than 900 employees via Zoom mere weeks before Christmas — as well as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/better-com-ceo-who-fired-900-employees-just-before-christmas-only-wanted-to-give-them-one-week-severance-pay">working</a> to ensure that the employees only receive one week of severance pay.

Close-up Of Unemployed Businessperson Carrying Cardboard Box

‘Clout Chasing’: CEO Posts Crying Selfie In Announcement Of Staff Layoff, Gets Blasted By Social Media

Tech CEO Posts Bizarre Crying Selfie As He Lays Off Employees, Raises Eyebrows On Social Media

Business

Technology

Unemployment

Tesla and SpaceX CEO <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a> floated the idea of starting his own <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/social-media">social media</a> platform Wednesday if he ends up no longer purchasing <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/twitter">Twitter</a>.
Musk, who formerly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-purge-is-coming-twitter-explodes-after-elon-musk-tanks-44-billion-deal">made a proposal</a> to buy the social media company at $44 billion, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-the-latest-in-the-elon-musk-twitter-legal-feud">argues</a> that Twitter’s disclosed number of false or spam accounts is inaccurate — possibly numbering as high as 33% rather than Twitter’s reported 5%. The multibillionaire is therefore locked in a legal battle, with the company trying to force the completion of the deal.
In an exchange on Twitter about his recent sale of $6.9 billion in Tesla stock, Musk explained that he is avoiding an “emergency sale” of shares in the “hopefully unlikely” event Twitter forces the deal to close.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Yes.
In the (hopefully unlikely) event that Twitter forces this deal to close *and* some equity partners don’t come through, it is important to avoid an emergency sale of Tesla stock.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1557198421206769664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2022</a></blockquote>
When asked whether he would start his own social media platform if the deal is terminated, Musk simply replied with a link to “X.com.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/bOUOejO16Y">https://t.co/bOUOejO16Y</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1557199404301307904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2022</a></blockquote>
Musk co-founded X.com as an online bank in 1999, which merged with Confinity in the following year to become PayPal. In 2017, Musk purchased the domain name from PayPal while citing “sentimental value,” according to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-teases-xcom-website-possible-twitter-competitor-social-network-2022-8#">Business Insider</a>. The site currently shows nothing more than a small black “X” in the corner of the page.
The outlet noted that Musk referenced X.com at a recent shareholder meeting for Tesla. &#8220;I do sort of have a grander vision for what I thought X Corporation could have been back in the day,&#8221; Musk said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a pretty grand vision and of course that could be started from scratch but I think Twitter would accelerate that by three to five years.&#8221;
Musk, the world’s richest man, has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-twitter-files-lawsuit-against-elon-musk-for-refusing-to-honor-his-obligations">said</a> that he does not “care about the economics” of the potential Twitter acquisition “at all,” repeatedly citing the need to address the lack of free expression on the platform.
“It’s important to the function of democracy, it’s important to the function of the United States as a free country and many other countries, and to help freedom in the world more broadly than in the U.S.,” Musk said. “Civilizational risk is decreased the more we can increase the trust of Twitter as a public platform, and so I do think this will be somewhat painful.”
The trial to determine the outcome of the acquisition deal is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-happening-five-day-trial-date-set-for-elon-musk-twitter-dispute">scheduled</a> for October.
“Adoption of the merger agreement by our stockholders is the only remaining approval or regulatory condition to completing the merger under the merger agreement,” Twitter <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/twitter-misses-earnings-forecast-blames-elon-musk">argued</a> in a recent earnings report, which pinned a loss of $0.08 per share on the proceedings with Musk. “The exact timing of completion of the merger, if at all, cannot be predicted because the merger is subject to ongoing litigation, adoption of the merger agreement by our stockholders and the satisfaction of the remaining closing conditions.”
Meanwhile, Musk’s attorneys said in a July 8 letter that Twitter has neglected to provide accurate information about its user base.
“Mr. Musk and his financial advisors at Morgan Stanley have been requesting critical information from Twitter as far back as May 9, 2022 — and repeatedly since then — on the relationship between Twitter’s disclosed mDAU figures and the prevalence of false or spam accounts on the platform,” the letter said. “Notwithstanding these repeated requests over the past two months, Twitter has still failed to provide much of the data and information responsive to Mr. Musk’s repeated requests.”

The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” – Street Sightings

Elon Musk Floats Potential Competitor To Twitter

Elon Musk May Resurrect An Old Company Of His To Compete With Twitter

Elon Musk

Parag Agrawal

Social Media Bias

Twitter

A former Twitter employee was convicted Tuesday of spying for Saudi Arabia by turning over private user information on accounts that were criticizing the country.
Ahmad Abouammo, who is an Egyptian national, was specifically convicted of acting as foreign agent, money laundering, conspiracy to commit fraud, and falsifying records.
The Department of Justice <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-ex-twitter-employees-charged-for-spying-for-saudi-arabia-reports-say">charged</a> Abouammo and Ali Alzabarah, a Saudi national who is wanted by the FBI, back in 2019. A third man, Ahmed Almutairi, who is also a Saudi national was charged in the scheme for allegedly acting a middle man between the Saudi government and the two Twitter employees.
Alzabarah and Almutairi are &#8220;wanted for failing to register as an agent of a foreign government as required by United States law,&#8221; the FBI said. &#8220;In 2015, [the two suspects] allegedly took part in a scheme to steal proprietary and confidential user data from a U.S. company, Twitter, for the benefit of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The stolen data included email addresses, telephone numbers and internet protocol addresses of Saudi dissidents and critics of the Saudi government, among others.&#8221;
“Abouammo acted in secret as an agent of a foreign government targeting dissenting voices,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “This verdict shows that the Justice Department will not tolerate any act of transnational repression and will hold accountable those who aid hostile regimes in extending their reach to our shores.”
“Any attempts by foreign governments to hijack free speech – in social media or any form – will not be tolerated here in the United States. This case is proof of the FBI’s commitment to defend our constitutional right,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “Authoritarian governments rely on transnational repression to shape the world in their favor and stifle dissent. We remain dedicated to protecting the United States from all threats foreign and domestic, which includes efforts by foreign governments to stalk, harass, or intimidate the people within our borders.”
This report has been updated to include additional information.

Twitter : Illustration

Twitter Employee Convicted Of Spying For Saudi Arabia

Crime

Middle East

Saudi Arabia

Spying

Tech billionaire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a> on Friday made his official response to a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/twitter">Twitter</a> lawsuit public, claiming that a stunning 33% of all visible accounts on the Left-wing platform are spam.
Twitter is trying to force the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tesla">Tesla</a> CEO to buy the platform after Musk announced he wanted to terminate the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-purge-is-coming-twitter-explodes-after-elon-musk-tanks-44-billion-deal">$44 billion deal</a> based on Twitter’s alleged failure to disclose accurate information on the number of spam accounts on the platform.
Musk&#8217;s team said that their own analysis of fake accounts, using data provided by Twitter and a University of Indiana-developed Botometer, found that spam bots in the first week of July accounted for 33% of the platform&#8217;s visible accounts, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/05/tech/elon-musk-twitter-suit-answer/index.html">according</a> to CNN Business. Moreover, 10% of Twitter&#8217;s monetizable daily active users, or mDAU, were spam accounts.
Twitter contends only 5% of all its accounts are spam.
A judge last month <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-happening-five-day-trial-date-set-for-elon-musk-twitter-dispute">granted</a> Twitter a five-day trial set for October in its case against Musk.
“The reality is that delay threatens irreparable harm to the seller, Twitter, for the reasons I described earlier: The longer the delay, the greater the risk,” Delaware Chancery Court Judge Kathaleen McCormick ruled, <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/twitter-elon-musk-hearing-152545679.html">according</a> to Yahoo! Finance.
“Given this reality I think a schedule closer to the norm is in order. For this reason, I think we should go to trial in October of this year,” the judge added.
Musk inquired early on about data regarding fake and “bot” accounts on the social media site, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-purge-is-coming-twitter-explodes-after-elon-musk-tanks-44-billion-deal">The Daily Wire</a> reported. In a <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000110465922078413/tm2220599d1_ex99-p.htm">letter</a> sent through his attorneys, dated July 8, Musk claimed the information had not been provided and demanded the termination of the agreement to buy the platform.
“Mr. Musk and his financial advisors at Morgan Stanley have been requesting critical information from Twitter as far back as May 9, 2022 — and repeatedly since then — on the relationship between Twitter’s disclosed mDAU figures and the prevalence of false or spam accounts on the platform,” the letter said, adding, “Notwithstanding these repeated requests over the past two months, Twitter has still failed to provide much of the data and information responsive to Mr. Musk’s repeated requests.”
Days later, on July 12, Twitter <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-twitter-files-lawsuit-against-elon-musk-for-refusing-to-honor-his-obligations">sued</a> Musk in an attempt to compel him to go through with the deal.
“Musk refuses to honor his obligations to Twitter and its stockholders because the deal he signed no longer serves his personal interests,” the lawsuit <a href="https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:0ef7d871-947c-3ed5-8b88-b3b582ee8d08#pageNum=3">said</a>. “Musk apparently believes that he — unlike every other party subject to Delaware contract law — is free to change his mind, trash the company, disrupt its operations, destroy stockholder value, and walk away.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musks-father-says-hes-not-proud-of-his-son-makes-comments-about-elons-weight-age-in-stunning-interview">Elon Musk’s Father Says He’s Not Proud Of His Son, Makes Comments About Elon’s Weight, Age In Stunning Interview</a>

Here’s The Latest In The Elon Musk/Twitter Legal Feud

Court

Delaware

House Minority Leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy">Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-CA) blasted a recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/meta">Meta</a> decision to decrease the reach of political content on Facebook, accusing the tech giant of being politically biased.
“Facebook made sure no one saw the Hunter Biden laptop story before the 2020 election,” the House Republican <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPLeader/status/1555610847245996032">tweeted</a>. “But now that America has record inflation, rising crime, &amp; a border crisis —all as a result of Dem policies— Facebook is shutting down more &#8216;political content&#8217; to hide the truth from Americans.”
Meta announced recently that it would be implementing changes around the world to decrease &#8220;political content” in users’ <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/facebook">Facebook</a> feeds. The company <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2021/02/reducing-political-content-in-news-feed/">made</a> the announcement on July 19, saying that changes to decrease the spread of political content on Facebook through a ranking system would be made around the world.
“Our tests have concluded and demonstrated that placing less emphasis on likes and shares for political content is an effective way to reduce the amount of political content people experience in their Feed. We have now implemented these changes globally,” the company announced.
The company originally announced these changes in February 2021, saying that it was hoping to decrease political content in news feeds. These changes included moves to “rank political content in people’s feeds using different signals.”
Content from the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and other health agencies were “exempt” from the tests, with the company citing their “authoritative” status.
The company’s political ranking tests were later expanded to “Facebook Watch” in December 2021, and they announced in May this year that they would be weighing comments and shares on political posts less in a continued effort to decrease the reach of political posts.
McCarthy&#8217;s criticism stems from Facebook&#8217;s limiting of the New York Post&#8217;s Hunter Biden story prior to the 2020 election.
In October 2020, the company <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/facebook-restricts-bombshell-ny-post-report-alleging-hunter-biden-brokered-meeting-between-burisma-exec-and-joe-biden?%3Futm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dwtwitter">began</a> limiting the reach of a Post story that alleged that Hunter Biden introduced his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, to a Ukrainian energy executive a year before the vice president pushed Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor who was then probing the executive’s company.
“While I will intentionally not link to the New York Post, I want be clear that this story is eligible to be fact checked by Facebook’s third-party fact checking partners. In the meantime, we are reducing its distribution on our platform,” Facebook spokesman Andy Stone tweeted shortly after the story broke. “This is part of our standard process to reduce the spread of misinformation.”
Since that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-rest-of-the-country-is-starting-to-open-their-eyes-major-outlets-confirm-contents-of-hunters-laptop">time</a>, outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post have confirmed aspects of the laptop story, which some had initially dismissed as Russian propaganda.
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.

In this photo illustration a Facebook logo seen displayed on

McCarthy Blasts Decision Decreasing Reach Of Facebook Political Content

Facebook To Decrease Reach Of Political Content Worldwide

Facebook

Kevin McCarthy

Social Media Censorship

Comedian Dane Cook, 50, faced backlash this week after news broke that he proposed to “longtime” girlfriend Kelsi Taylor, who is 27 years younger than he is.
Cook <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/when-did-dane-cook-kelsi-taylor-meet-engagement-internet-slams-age-gap-1730326">revealed</a> three years ago that the couple met one night &#8220;at a game night I host at my place,&#8221; and that they started out as friends and that it escalated from there.
&#8220;I was so ready to ask her. I was completely zen about it,&#8221; Cook said in an interview this week. &#8220;The evening of the proposal was incredibly beautiful, the weather was perfect, sunset was spectacular, and I was just quite simply very happy.&#8221;
&#8220;I was asking my best friend, the woman who I&#8217;ve shared some of the greatest times of my life with, to marry me so we can start the next chapter our of lives together. I was also thinking of how absolutely stunning she looked,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I&#8217;m about to spend the rest of my life with my favorite person and my best friend — what is there to not look forward to? Family has always been such an important part of my life and the idea of expanding it and starting our own family together with the man of my dreams just fills my heart,&#8221; Taylor said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Hangin’ w/ the woman I love. <a href="https://t.co/8e2PnaNdIS">pic.twitter.com/8e2PnaNdIS</a>
&mdash; Dane Cook (@DaneCook) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaneCook/status/1554635021771628544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The news quickly creeped out many on social media who noted that Taylor was only 18 when she and Cook started dating.
&#8220;Just trying to imagine if even one of my friends now, in our 30s, said they had a &#8216;close friend&#8217; who was 17. At 45?? Dane Cook I guess waited until her 18th birthday but PSA: if you’re waiting until something is ‘technically not a crime’ &#8230; buddy, you have already f***ed up,&#8221; Writer Olivia Messer <a href="https://twitter.com/OliviaMesser/status/1554568050598453249">tweeted</a>. &#8220;This was, admittedly, very hard to grasp as a teenager, which is exactly how it happens. And I’m truly sad for what today must feel like to her. But the other adults??? When Dane Cook brought this girl to parties and dinners, or mentioned it to his friends? SOMEBODY, ANYBODY??&#8221;
&#8220;I hope the graphics person who had to slap the &#8216;People Exclusive&#8217; label on a photo of Dane Cook in 2022 at least had a moment where they asked themselves what decisions brought them here,&#8221; writer Chase Mitchell tweeted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I hope the graphics person who had to slap the &quot;People Exclusive&quot; label on a photo of Dane Cook in 2022 at least had a moment where they asked themselves what decisions brought them here <a href="https://t.co/jWnWfYs3JV">pic.twitter.com/jWnWfYs3JV</a>
&mdash; Chase Mitchell (@ChaseMit) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChaseMit/status/1554657017167392773?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Taylor said that when Cook proposed to her, which actually happened a few weeks ago during a trip to York Beach, Maine, that her &#8220;stomach flipped.&#8221;
&#8220;I couldn&#8217;t have asked for the moment to have been more perfect. All that was going through my brain was, &#8216;Wait, is this actually happening right now? Is he proposing?’” she said. &#8220;I was also just really focused on what he was saying to me because I was trying desperately to etch the words into my brain. They were so beautiful, I really wanted to soak it in.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Whoever is doing Dane Cook’s Botox and fillers needs to be in JAIL!!! Also he’s 50 and she’s 23. Like sweetie, you’re pretty, you don’t have to settle for this <a href="https://t.co/s1eQfHWuMn">pic.twitter.com/s1eQfHWuMn</a>
&mdash; Meech (@MediumSizeMeech) <a href="https://twitter.com/MediumSizeMeech/status/1554458783149088768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“Bride or Groomer?” &#8211; usher at Dane Cook’s wedding <a href="https://t.co/cMHdvL1YJO">https://t.co/cMHdvL1YJO</a>
&mdash; Gareth Reynolds (@reynoldsgareth) <a href="https://twitter.com/reynoldsgareth/status/1554875607569145857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Do you think Dane Cook stole the idea to date a teenager from another comedian or do you think it was just parallel writing
&mdash; Jake Flores (@feraljokes) <a href="https://twitter.com/feraljokes/status/1554908069485846528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
congrats to Dane Cook on what I assume was a very lengthy and rigorous adoption process
&mdash; Justin Kirkland (@justinkirkland4) <a href="https://twitter.com/justinkirkland4/status/1554854713811767297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The internet has come together once again to agree that Dane Cook&#39;s finance is too young for him
&mdash; Jeff Cerulli (@JeffCerulli) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffCerulli/status/1554583234641596416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Dane Cook and his fiancee are registered at Build-A-Bear.
&mdash; Christian Finnegan (@ChristFinnegan) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristFinnegan/status/1554584433663016960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

15th Annual Oscar Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival Opening Night Smirnoff Pre-Reception

Comedian Dane Cook, 50, Faces Backlash After Engagement To ‘Longtime’ Girlfriend Kelsi Taylor, 23

Celebrities

Comedy

Marriage

The Wall Street Journal issued two statements this week defending a reporter who wrote a report alleging that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a> had an affair with the wife of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/google">Google</a> co-founder Sergey Brin.
Michael Siconolfi, an investigations editor at the newspaper, reported at the start of the week that Musk “engaged in a brief affair last fall with the wife of Sergey Brin,” Nicole Shanahan, in early December 2021 at the Art Basel event in Miami. The report claimed that the affair led to Brin divorcing Shanahan and ended the longtime friendship between the two men.
The report claimed that Musk “dropped to one knee in front of Brin and apologized profusely for the transgression” during a party earlier this year and was “begging for forgiveness.” The report said that Brin acknowledged the apology, but he is not speaking with Musk, and he has ordered his team to sell his personal investments in Musk’s companies.
A lawyer for Shanahan said that the allegations that the two had an affair were completely false.
Musk responded by saying that Shanahan should sue The Wall Street Journal because she is not a public figure, therefore she would have an easier time winning in court.
“As a ‘public person,’ standard to win a defamation lawsuit against a news org is almost impossible,” Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1552300589693927425">tweeted</a>. “They could say I’m Satan and the ‘source’ is their psychic! Nicole is not a public person, so could win. I hope she sues them. @michaelsiconolf has done so many fake hit pieces.”
The Wall Street Journal issued two statements about Siconolfi&#8217;s report. A day after the report was published, the newspaper said, &#8220;We are confident in our sourcing, and we stand by our reporting.&#8221;
&#8220;Recent attacks on Michael Siconolfi are unwarranted and unfounded,&#8221; the newspaper later added after Musk called out the reporter by name online. &#8220;Mike is a celebrated and widely respected editor and reporter in our industry. He has overseen a wide array of impactful stories with integrity and high standards for The Wall Street Journal over many decades. For the record, Mike was not part of the editing team for this story.&#8221;
Musk’s personal life has come under fire this year after a female flight attendant at one of his companies <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/woman-makes-sexual-misconduct-claim-against-elon-musk">accused</a> him of exposing himself to her, which he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-responds-to-sexual-misconduct-allegations-from-flight-attendant-issues-a-challenge-to-her">denies</a>; his alleged <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/musk-fathered-twins-with-top-executive-just-weeks-before-having-child-with-another-woman">fathering</a> of two children with an executive at his company Neuralink; his dad <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musks-father-has-second-child-with-his-stepsister-report">fathering</a> a second child with his stepsister; and one of his children publicly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musks-trans-son-files-to-change-name-disses-dad">disowning</a> him.

Elon Musk Visits Germany

The Wall Street Journal Responds To Musk’s Attacks On Journalist Who Wrote Report Alleging Affair

Google

Legacy Media

Wall Street Journal

Women who joined the internet version of the world’s oldest profession during pandemic lockdowns are starting to feel the permanent effects of that decision, and for many of them, that’s not a good thing.
OnlyFans, the online platform known for being rife with women hocking visuals of their naked body to “fans” who fork over cash for the X-rated content, was founded in 2016 but exploded in popularity during the COVID pandemic.
Today, the London-based content subscription service has <a href="https://earthweb.com/onlyfans-statistics/">more than</a> 170 million registered users and more than 1.5 million content creators, the vast majority of them pornographic.
From March to April of 2020, as the world was locking down and descending into social isolation, new OnlyFans <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/selling-sexy-men-women-onlyfans-discuss-reality-scenes/story?id=75934010">creator</a> accounts skyrocketed 75%. Prior to the pandemic, OnlyFans had only 10 million users. In April, 2020, CEO Thomas Stokely <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/otilliasteadman/coronavirus-amateur-porn-onlyfans">claimed</a> the platform was seeing about 200,000 new users and 7,000 to 8,000 new creators join every day.
The OnlyFans explosion also coincided with the “Sex Work Is Real Work&#8221;<a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/why-sex-work-is-real-work">movement</a>, which sold the idea to young girls they could sell their bodies without facing the ancient stigma surrounding prostitution.
Charmed by viral success <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/onlyfans-monica-huldt-describes-how-makes-money-2020-3">stories</a> of OnlyFans women making obscene amounts of money seemingly without the risk of STDs or physical abuse from in-person prostitution, thousands of women and girls joined the platform. In August, 2020, rapper Cardi B and actress and singer Bella Thorne popularized the platform further by <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/cardi-b-onlyfans-1043254/">joining</a>, with Thorne <a href="https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2020/08/bella-thorne-breaks-onlyfans-record-earning-one-million-24-hours">reportedly</a> raking in more than $1 million within 24 hours.
With so many women flooding the market though, most of them quickly took an ego hit when they failed to rise to the top tier of content creators and struggled to make money, let alone become millionaires.
The top creators on OnlyFans earn an average of $100,000 a month, although some have made <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-onlyfans-star-earns-2-million-yearly-income-revenue-2022-4">more than</a> $2 million in a year. But the average OnlyFans creator<a href="https://thesmallbusinessblog.net/onlyfans-statistics/"> has just</a> 21 subscribers and makes about $151 a month, not even enough to pay rent.
The platform is set up to allow people to <a href="https://www.bustle.com/wellness/how-to-get-paid-onlyfans">commission</a> creators for private work, which has led to women performing some of the <a href="https://www.eviemagazine.com/post/i-dont-have-any-boundaries-onlyfans-perfectly-sums-up-generation-young-women">most degrading</a> acts imaginable on camera that their “fans” request for a fee.
Now though, many women who dropped their négligées online when most of the world was holed up at home say they feel foolish and wish they could take it all back.
One woman on the subreddit “r/TrueOffMyChest&#8221; <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueOffMyChest/comments/qkq93y/onlyfans_regrets/">said</a> she’s now in an “amazing relationship” but hasn’t told her boyfriend about the OnlyFans she had for a month.
“It&#8217;s something I regret a lot, and to any girls considering onlyfans please stop and think about how it may impact your future!” she wrote.
“I had one and I regret it so much. I don’t have naked pictures with my face on it but I had some lingerie pictures with my face on it so they definitely know what I look like lol, and even the ones without my face, you can see my tattoo. I feel so dumb now, it’s really affecting me,” one user <a href="https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6602422">posted</a> on The Student Room, a UK-based social media platform for students.
One woman <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueOffMyChest/comments/qkq93y/onlyfans_regrets/">admitted</a> she is “much happier” now since quitting OnlyFans after seven months but insisted people should not “feel shame” over it.
“The sad thing is I actually do feel dehumanised,” lamented another woman on <a href="https://twitter.com/foxillaaaa/status/1517480032695955459">Twitter</a>. “Begging people to follow my Onlyfans for a poxy £2 is f***ing embarrassing. My page is worth $1million and more. F*** EVERYONE I QUIT.”
But the internet is forever, and unforgiving.
Now, OnlyFans girls have become a stereotype and are often ridiculed on social media.
Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/OnlyFansPostinL">accounts</a> like “OnlyFans Girls posting their Ls,” which has nearly 124,000 followers, call out the plights of the women who have found themselves broke and feeling used.
Some have lashed out with the rage of a scorned woman.
“I show my butt hole on here before 10k followers like I said I was waiting for and I’ve gotten one subscriber??? Absolutely ungrateful. Ugly,” <a href="https://twitter.com/dennysgrandsam_/status/1362499419111788544">tweeted</a> one woman who charges $10 a month for a subscription to her Onlyfans.
Other OnlyFans women have <a href="https://www.indy100.com/celebrities/onlyfans-lauren-kwei-sex-work-b1777617">complained</a> about the collateral damage to their lives, such as their pornographic content getting leaked, their identity getting doxxed, and losing friends. 
The OnlyFans phenomenon has also precipitated a wave of anecdotal horror stories — male <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/02/12/cami-strella-only-fans-masters-degree/">college</a> students finding out about a female classmate’s account and spreading the word on campus, high school boys being <a href="https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/family-kids/son-left-depressed-suicidal-after-24643350">taunted</a> by their friends about their mother’s account, and even pervert <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/03/25/onlyfans-star-discovers-her-dad-subscribes-to-her-channel/">fathers</a> watching their own daughters’ OnlyFans.
Men have posted their regret <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/n0xpsc/guys_that_pay_for_onlyfans_why/">online</a> as well, some saying they wish they had never pressed subscribe.
Meanwhile as with all pornography, the women in real life relationships with the men watching OnlyFans suffer, and unlike free internet pornography, everyone’s bank account suffers as well.
One woman <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@letstalkaboutcorn/video/7096572581846797611?is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1">posted</a> a TikTok saying that her boyfriend, the father of her newborn, hid an addiction to OnlyFans for years, spending thousands of dollars on “custom content” instead of saving for their family.
“In a more traditional society or a society with higher testosterone levels, people would be like, prostitution exists, it’s bad — you get my daughter involved in prostitution and I’m going to shoot you because why wouldn’t I do that?” ​Fox News host Tucker ​Carlson said in a recent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrrjNTVH42M">interview</a> with The Daily Wire intern Daniel Schmidt.
The mirage of OnlyFans being a risk-free version of prostitution has shattered as well.
Last summer, Deputy Joseph Scaramucci of the McLennan County Sheriff&#8217;s Office in Texas, who has spent over a decade investigating sex trafficking,<a href="https://news4sanantonio.com/news/trouble-shooters/investigators-say-onlyfans-is-being-used-by-traffickers-to-lure-victims-and-buyers"> said</a> in some cases there are “very obvious signs” of people being under “third party control.”
The platform, which takes a 20% fee for all transactions, also came under fire last year for failing to prevent child pornography from proliferating on the site. In August 2021, more than 100 members of Congress <a href="https://burgess.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=403325">called</a> on the Justice Department to investigate OnlyFans for allowing child sexual abuse material.
Shortly afterwards, the company suddenly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/onlyfans-to-ban-sexually-explicit-content-nudity-permitted-in-line-with-acceptable-use-policy">announced</a> it would no longer allow sexually explicit content. That move was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/style/onlyfans-ban-reversed.html">reversed</a> less than a week later, however, after an outcry from users and creators.
In December, former glamor model and actress Linda Lusardi warned that girls may regret their OnlyFans stints.
“What if your life moves in a different direction? I think sometimes the girls haven’t thought about when they have children, who might well see their mother in a situation she later regrets,” Lusardi <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/17120449/linda-lusardi-onlyfans-topless-modelling/">said</a>.
“Even if you’re not in a relationship, it could affect you when you meet someone. What if they have friends or family who have ‘tuned into’ you in the past? It feels a bit underhand,” she said.
The former topless model added that, “if I could speak to my 20-year-old self, I’d say: ‘Don’t take your clothes off – become an actress instead.’”

OF Blue – Elordi – They Regret Posting on ‘OnlyFans’

Meet The Women Who Regret OnlyFans

The Women Who Regret OnlyFans

COVID

Lockdowns

OnlyFans

Pornography

Readers Pass

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-rogan">Joe Rogan</a>, host of the popular podcast &#8220;The Joe Rogan Experience,&#8221; slammed those who consider him a &#8220;secret conservative,&#8221; saying that he was very far away from being a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/republican-party">Republican</a>.
Rogan, who frequently takes shots at woke leftists and mocks Democrat President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>, made the remarks during an interview over the weekend.
“It’s not just abortion rights, but now they’re going after gay marriage, too,” Rogan <a href="https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/joe-rogan-slams-critics-republican-1235324809/">claimed</a>.
“Gay marriage is not silly,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It’s marriage — it’s marriage from people that are homosexual and it’s for them. It’s important. They want it. They want to affirm their love and their relationship.”
“It’s so homophobic,” Rogan continued. “Because you’re saying there’s something wrong with being homosexual by saying that you are opposed to gay marriage. You’re saying you’re opposed to gay people. … The fact that they’re going after that now, like that’s the kind of s*** that keeps me from being a Republican. It’s only one of the kind of — there’s a bunch of s*** that keeps you from being a Republican.”
Rogan then got very heated when responding to the notion that he is a &#8220;secret conservative,&#8221; saying to those who believe that, &#8220;You can suck my d***.&#8221;
&#8220;You don’t know what the f*** you’re talking about,&#8221; Rogan said. &#8220;I’m so far away from being a Republican. Just because I believe in the Second Amendment and just because I support the military and just cause I support police [doesn’t mean I’m a Republican].”
“Like I was on welfare as a kid,&#8221; Rogan added. &#8220;I think it’s important. I think having a social safety net is crucial. We should help each other. We’re supposed to be one big community. I’m a bleeding heart liberal when it comes to a lot of s***.”
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Joe Rogan comes out full-force, 100% in support of gay marriage. He even says GOP opposition to it is one of the things that keeps him from being a Republican. <a href="https://t.co/XEY0fKXyKI">pic.twitter.com/XEY0fKXyKI</a>
&mdash; Mike Sington (@MikeSington) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeSington/status/1551581634079518720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Rogan has recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-rogan-hits-trump-again-in-interview">hit</a> former President Donald Trump on his podcast, calling Trump a &#8220;man baby&#8221; and saying that he doesn&#8217;t want to do anything to help Trump.
“The Trump era is also going to be one of the weirder times. When people look back historically about the division in this country, he’s such a polarizing figure that so many people felt like they could abandon their own ethics and morals and principles just to attack him and anybody who supports him because he is an existential threat to democracy itself,” Rogan said. “By the way, I’m not a Trump supporter in any way, shape, or form. I’ve had the opportunity to have him on my show more than once — I’ve said no every time. I don’t want to help him. I’m not interested in helping him.”

UFC 276: Adesanya v Cannonier

WATCH: Joe Rogan Unloads On Those Who Claim He Is A ‘Secret Conservative’

Joe Rogan Unloads On Those Who Claim He Is A ‘Secret Conservative’

Conservatives

Donald Trump

Joe Rogan

Same-Sex Marriage

Supporters are showing up on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/social-media">social media</a> and in court for a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/maryland">Maryland</a> woman accused of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/woman-says-she-shot-husband-because-she-heard-he-allegedly-molested-children-at-her-daycare">shooting and wounding her husband</a> after she claimed he had molested children at her Baltimore-area daycare center.
Around a dozen people gathered at the courtroom for 50-year-old Shanteari Weems’ appearance on Monday, hoping for her release as she awaits trial. Her legal team was granted a continuance in the case, and her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Law enforcement said Weems admitted to shooting her husband, James Weems Jr., in the Washington, D.C., Mandarin Oriental hotel last week with the intention of only wounding him. Police explained that they found notes detailing Weems&#8217; intent to shoot her husband, &#8220;but not kill him.&#8221; One message <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/crime/woman-shot-husband-dc-hotel-because-he-was-child-molester">read</a>, &#8220;I want [victim’s name] to face the world as scum. I hope [he] gets beat up in jail.&#8221;
On Tuesday, an arrest warrant was issued for James Weems Jr., a former Baltimore City police officer, as he recovers in the hospital. He faces multiple charges related to the child abuse allegations, WUSA 9 <a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/maryland/james-weems-jr-shot-by-wife-at-mandarin-oriental-arrest-warrant-sexually-abusing-children-allegations/65-2f1b40f1-5bca-4393-9ba6-390f74345de8">reported</a>.
Along with support for Weems in court, a #FreeShanteari hashtag has surfaced on social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter. Some people are reportedly asking how they can help with her legal expenses. Several GoFundMe pages were created for Weems but were later taken down.
Authorities were called to a domestic dispute that ended with the shooting at the D.C. hotel Thursday night, finding Weems barricading herself in a hotel room with her wounded husband, ABC7 <a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/man-shot-woman-arrested-mandarin-oriental-hotel-southwest-dc-shooting-barricade-situation-incident-metropolitan-police-department-investigating-suspect-gun-recovered">reported</a>.
The two remained in the room for nearly an hour, prompting evacuations of the hotel. A tactical team of police officers eventually forced their way in and found Weems and her wounded husband, along with a firearm in her purse and another gun in an unlocked safe, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/22/hotel-mandarin-shooting-dc/">according</a> to The Washington Post.
Weems admitted to police that she shot her husband, telling them when they arrived on the scene, “f*** him, he’s a child molester,” according to court documents. The filings further detailed that Weems told police that children at her daycare center claimed that her husband was molesting them.
She was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department and charged with assault with intent to kill, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm without a license, and possession of an unregistered firearm.
Weems’ husband reportedly sustained wounds to his head and leg, but they appeared to be non-life threatening. The couple has been married for five years.
Baltimore County Police Sgt. Gladys Brown said detectives were monitoring the developments and that the Maryland daycare center would be closed during the investigation.

Woman Holding Gun

Supporters Show Up For Woman Who Claims She Shot Husband For Molesting Children At Her Daycare

Child Abuse

Maryland

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kim-kardashian">Kim Kardashian</a> and Kylie Jenner, who have two of the largest <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/instagram">Instagram</a> followings in the world, both spoke up about how they hate the platform’s new emphasis on reels.
Jenner shared a screenshot of a post on her Instagram Stories Monday that said, “Make Instagram Instagram again. (Stop trying to be <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tiktok">tiktok</a> i just want to see cute photos of my friends). Sincerely, everyone.” The 24-year-old added the word “Pleaseeeeeee” to the image.
Her older sister Kim Kardashian shared the same post, per <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/25/23277879/kylie-jenner-kim-kardashian-instagram-redesign-app-updates">The Verge</a>. A change.org <a href="https://www.change.org/p/make-instagram-instagram-again-saveinstagram">petition</a> associated with the post has more than 160,000 signatures. The petition begs the platform to “bring back chronological timelines” and “go back to the roots” of Instagram, focusing on photos rather than videos, and returning to the original algorithm.
The Kardashians’ sharing of the petition got so much attention that Instagram head Adam Mosseri shared a <a href="https://twitter.com/mosseri/status/1551890839584088065">video</a> on Twitter explaining recent changes to the social media giant and inviting users to provide feedback.
In the video, Mosseri acknowledged that the social media platform is being updated and promised the app will still be photo-focused. He said if anyone is seeing a full-screen version of their feed, it’s just a test and “it’s not yet good.” The exec promised that the new Instagram layout will be improved before it’s rolled out to a larger audience.
“I need to be honest,” Mosseri told Instagram users. “I do believe that more and more of Instagram is going to become video over time. We see this even if we change nothing. We see this even if you just look at chronological feed. If you look at what people share on Instagram, that’s shifting more and more to videos over time.”
Mosseri said the company needs to “lean into that shift” as the audience shares more videos to the platform.
Finally, the CEO discussed recommendations, which the audience has also complained about. “The idea is to help you discover new and interesting things on Instagram that you may not know even exist,” he said. Mosseri told users they can strike out recommendations they don’t like and snooze all recommendations for up to 30 days.
He asked for feedback, and Twitter delivered on that front. User Stefan Etienne <a href="https://twitter.com/StefanEtienne/status/1551891382784200704">wrote</a>, “Stop making everything reels. You&#8217;re making everyone from journalists, content creators, CEOs, and celebrities agree. It&#8217;s now an app for everything you&#8217;re advertising, not of my friends and people I think are cool.”
“When is Instagram going to accept that not all creators are video creators? Graphic designers, photographers, and other visual artists helped build IG and rely on it to share their work,” another person replied. “And now you’re screwing them over to become a 15 sec video streaming site ppl can’t control.”

Social Media Apps

‘Stop Trying To Be TikTok’: Kardashians Slam New Instagram, CEO Responds To Their Criticism

Kardashians Slam New Instagram, CEO Responds To Their Criticism

Instagram

Kim Kardashian

TikTok

Menu