Isaac Hayes III has launched Fanbase, a social media platform designed to enable Black creators to cultivate their audiences and monetize their contributions effectively. An often-observed reality in the social media world is the lack of acknowledgment and monetary reward for Black creators, even when they are the originators of significant trends. A notable instance is when the viral TikTok renegade dance was mistakenly attributed to TikToker Charli D’Amelio, overlooking the actual creator, Jalaiah Harmon. Unfortunately, this extends beyond viral dances. From fashion trends and online ideas to music, the
Young LGBTQ people of color feel safest and most understood on TikTok compared to other online spaces, according to research by The Trevor Project. For LGBTQ young people of color, experiencing a sense of safety and understanding in at least one online space has been linked to improved mental health. The Context According to the research, young LGBTQ people spend an average of five hours per day online, working out for approximately 45 minutes more than non-LGBTQ people. However, it has been found that although online spaces can cause harm
A leaked internal document from TikTok revealed that the company is preparing for scrutiny over the treatment of its outsourced content moderators in Kenya. Kenyan Content Moderators Sue Meta Last month, a court in Kenya issued a landmark ruling against Meta, deeming the US tech giant the “true employer” of its outsourced content moderators. Hundreds of content moderators in Nairobi go through posts and images to filter out violence, hate speech, and other disturbing content. This ruling now allows Meta to be sued in Kenya for labor rights violations, despite
A Black TikToker has built a machine-learning algorithm that translates Kenyan sign language into audible language. What Has She Developed? The TikToker, under the username @Mrembo, uses mathematical instructions to translate different sign language dialects. She took to TikTok to show a quick demonstration of the process. “First things first, I had no idea about anything to do with machine learning,” she explained, as she was initially unfamiliar with the type of AI. With the help of YouTube and a machine-learning course, the creator learned to build her machine-learning model. “We
Content creator and entrepreneur Ashley Grayson, formerly Ashley Massengill, is facing RICO charges of racketeering and murder alongside her husband, Joshua Grayson. Who is Ashely Grayson? Grayson is a content creator and entrepreneur who became widely known after claiming to have made $1 million within 40 minutes through her online platform, Digital Course Recipe. In a now-deleted Facebook post, she labeled herself a #MillionaireMentor and had become an inspiration for many young Black girls online. However, several TikTok users accused Grayson of scamming people through her online courses last year.
TikTok, as we know, has the potential to change lives and shine a light on talents that may have gone unnoticed previously. Elvis Muchiri, more commonly known as Evolve with Elvis, has become a topic of conversation on TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter as he teaches his audiences how to use keyboard shortcuts with his younger sister Megan. The young boy started posting on TikTok in March of this year and has already gained 125,300 followers and over 1.7 million likes. He also has gained a platform on YouTube with 8,490
34-year-old Jamira Burley, a Strategic Initiatives Lead at Apple, has come up with a truly inventive way to navigate her career. For the past ten years, Burley has been operating with a secret weapon—a fictional personal assistant named Matt. Creating Matt Burley told the Business Insider that it all started when she received an email assuming that a male assistant managed her contact email. But, instead of correcting the assumption, she decided to roll with it and embraced the persona of Matt. “Having “Matt” on my side — a person
In a watershed moment for the global tech industry, more than 150 African content moderators—who have provided moderation services for AI tools used by Facebook, TikTok, and ChatGPT—have voted to unionize, TIME reports. At an event in Nairobi this week, content moderators employed by third-party outsourcing companies voted to establish the first African Content Moderators Union. A long time coming The union’s establishment is the culmination of a process that began in 2019 when former Facebook content moderator Daniel Motaung was fired after attempting to unionize workers at the outsourcing
It appears that TikTok US’s former head of product, has said the quiet part out loud. According to Sean Kim, TikTok’s Creator Fund isn’t concerned with helping creators monetize their content. In 2020, TikTok announced the launch of a $200 million creator fund to help US creators monetize. They later increased this fund to $2 billion. In Europe, the company announced a $70 million fund that was expected to rise to $300 million within three years. TikTok agreed to pay fund participants on a sliding scale based on how well their videos
TikTok is celebrating US Black History Month with its first-ever Visionary Voices list, as well as a range of in-app content and IRL events. #BlackTikTok This month, TikTok will be hosting a range of LIVE in-app events featuring inspiring Black creatives and innovators across several industries. The in-app #BlackTikTok hub will also feature stories from Black creators, Black-owned businesses, and non-profit organizations and the sounds page will feature special guests and album playlists showcasing Black talent across music genres. TikTok is also taking its celebrations offline with the third instalment
