Catherine Connolly, an anti-establishment left-wing politician supported by major opposition parties, has been elected Ireland's 10th president in a landslide, leveraging a strong social media campaign and a focus on issues like peace, neutrality, and climate change, while also advocating for a United Ireland and maintaining her outspoken stance on foreign policy.
The Gaza aid flotilla used live footage, real-time tracking, and social media to garner global attention and support for breaking the Israeli blockade of Gaza, despite being intercepted, sparking worldwide protests and political shifts.
The Supreme Court is set to rule on six cases, including a major challenge to birthright citizenship, while the CDC's vaccine committee shows signs of shifting under RFK Jr.'s leadership, and New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's social media strategy appears to have played a key role in his primary victory. Additionally, political and legal developments continue across the U.S., reflecting ongoing national debates and changes.
Ric Grenell, a loyal Trump ally and former ambassador to Germany, sought to become Secretary of State in Trump's administration but was ultimately passed over for Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Despite Grenell's efforts, including a proposed social media campaign to boost his candidacy, Trump chose Rubio, rewarding his vice-presidential contender. Grenell, who turned down other roles, remains a significant figure in Trump's circle, with potential future opportunities. The situation highlights the complex dynamics of loyalty and strategic positioning within Trump's political sphere.
Ritika Sajdeh, wife of Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma, deleted an Instagram post supporting the "All Eyes On Rafah" campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the Israeli strikes in Gaza. The post, which was part of a broader social media movement involving celebrities and human rights groups, drew mixed reactions, with some accusing her of selective activism and others praising her support for Palestine.
Actor Kevin Bacon has agreed to visit Payson High School in Utah, where "Footloose" was filmed, after students launched a successful social media campaign to convince him to attend their prom. Bacon praised the students' efforts and announced his plans to revisit the school 41 years after filming the iconic dance movie. His upcoming visit is particularly significant as it coincides with the 40th anniversary of the film's release and comes as the high school prepares to move to a new location.
Actor Kevin Bacon has announced that he will attend the final prom at Utah's Payson High School, where his iconic movie "Footloose" was filmed, after students launched a #BacontoPayson social media campaign to get his attention. Bacon thanked the students for their invitation and expressed his gratitude, calling the film and high school "a big part of my life." The announcement was made to a gym full of students, who cheered at the news.
Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces commander with a controversial past, is running for president in Indonesia's upcoming election. Despite allegations of human rights abuses, his social media-savvy campaign has attracted young voters with a "cute" and "fun" image, including memes and TikTok videos. While promising stability and economic development, concerns remain about his past and potential governance style, with some fearing a return of his "old" volatile personality.
Buffalo Wild Wings has launched a new social media campaign featuring Nick Cannon as a frustrated father of 12 promoting their buy one, get one wings deals on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The humorous ad shows Cannon expressing exasperation at his kids while touting the restaurant's new offers. The deals include buy one get one 50% off on traditional wings on Tuesdays and buy one get one free on boneless wings on Thursdays, available for dine-in, takeout, and delivery at participating locations.
Taylor Swift's fans, known as Swifties, are flooding Kim Kardashian's Instagram account with snake emojis as a form of revenge in response to Swift reigniting her feud with Kanye West in a recent interview. The feud began in 2016 when West released a song with vulgar lyrics about Swift that Kardashian claimed Swift had approved. Swift denied the allegations, and Kardashian released footage of a conversation between Swift and West, which seemed to contradict Swift's claims. The feud has continued over the years, with Swift releasing an album referencing the controversy and Kardashian accusing Swift of lying. Swift's fans are now demanding a public apology from Kardashian.
Cyabra, an Israel-based social threat intelligence company, has revealed that Hamas has been using a sophisticated social media campaign, employing fake accounts to push pro-Hamas narratives on major platforms. Cyabra analyzed 2 million posts across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and found that 25% of the profiles engaged in conversations about Hamas were fake. These fake profiles disseminated over 312,000 pro-Hamas posts and comments, generating 371,000 engagements and over 531 million views. The company believes that the level of sophistication and organization behind these fake accounts suggests the involvement of a highly funded, state-like actor. Cyabra has developed an enterprise platform and a consumer-facing tool called Botbusters.ai to detect fake profiles and AI-generated content.
An Italian court has sparked outrage by clearing a school aide of sexually assaulting a student, ruling that his "quick grope" of the teen for 5 to 10 seconds lacked "libidinous or lusty intent." The court found the defense argument that it was a joke "convincing" and stated that the contact was too brief to establish criminal intent. The ruling has incited anger in Italy, leading to a social media campaign under hashtags like "#10secondi" and "#palpatebreve" to highlight the duration of the assault and question the court's decision.
An internet troll bodyshamed Lizzo by comparing her to another Twitter user in a now-deleted tweet. Conservative commentator Candace Owens joined in by criticizing Lizzo's "fat acceptance" photos on Twitter, prompting backlash from fans. This is not the first time Owens has attacked Lizzo, as she previously made derogatory comments about the singer's weight and race on her podcast.