Social Networks

After teasing its new font in January, Twitter made some major changes to its website and app design this week. But while Twitter framed these updates as making the platform “more accessible,” some accessibility experts say that these changes missed the mark. Most noticeably, tweets now appear in “Chirp,” Twitter’s proprietary typeface, and the display has even more visual contrast between the background and text. Other updates made the interface less cluttered, removing unnecessary divider lines. For people with low vision, high-contrast design can make websites more legible, but the current contrast level is so high that it’s causing strain for some users. Twitter far exceeds the minimum contrast standards set by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which provides recommendations for making websites accessible to disabled people. But web accessibility isn’t one-size fits all — while some users may need a high-contrast display, others who suffer from chronic migraines might require a more muted experience. Research has also shown that dyslexic people tend to read faster when presented with lower-contrast text. “When the update hit, I could immediately feel pain in my eyes, and within about half an hour, I was having a tension headache,” said Alex Haagaard, a…

KENTON COUNTY, Ky. (WXIX) - An 18-year-old Florence man is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in a parking lot in June. The underage victim told police she began messaging with Chase Garvey over Snapchat weeks before the alleged incident, according to a Fort Mitchell Police Department report. The report says she told Garvey she was 13. Around 5 a.m. on June 25, Garvey came to the girl’s location, the parking lot of an apartment complex in Northern Kentucky, and they met inside his vehicle, according to the report The girl told police she said to Garvey, she “didn’t want to do anything sexual. She said that while in the backseat, Garvey held her hands down while he allegedly raped her. She told police she said “to stop, it hurts.” She also told police she tried to push him away as he was on top of her. According to the report, Garvey admitted in a police interview to having sex with the girl and also said the girl had performed oral sex on him beforehand. Police arrested Garvey on Thursday.He is booked into the Kenton County jail on a $50,000 cash bond for one count each of rape and sodomy.He…

Epic Games If you’re a fan of free cosmetics in Fortnite then do we have some good news for you.Most of the times Epic gives away freebies, it’ll require you to complete some sort of quest in the game, but this time around you don’t have to worry about any of that.Instead, the only thing you have to do is connect your Twitch account to your Epic Games account, throw on a stream that has “Drops Enabled” and you can get four different cosmetics by watching the FNCS weekends.The first stage has already started, but you still have plenty of time to claim your loading screen. If you’re feeling especially lazy, you can even throw on a stream and leave the computer for 15 minutes and still get your rewards.How to Get Free CosmeticsEpic Games / Twitch First of all, you’ll need to make sure your Epic Games account is linked to your Twitch account. You can get all of that set up here.Now, you’ll just need to know the schedule. August 12 – 16: Watch for 15 minutes and claim the C2S7 Loading Screen August 19 – 23: Watch for 15 minutes and claim the C2S7 Emoji August 26…

Screenshot: RaulZito / Twitter / KotakuThe Brazilian Twitch streamer RaulZito was arrested last month, according to Insider, which cited initial reporting from the Brazilian site G1. Twitch only just banned RaulZito’s account yesterday, per the tracking site StreamerBans.Content warning: This article contains discussion of sex crimes targeting children.RaulZito, whose real name is Raulino de Oliveira Maciel, is known for streaming Fortnite and for producing video content featuring young actors. On July 27, Rio de Janeiro police arrested Maciel on charges of “rape of the vulnerable.” The police statement does not explicitly name Maciel but does mention a “YouTuber” who predated “child theater, film, and TV actors.” According to the report, he used his Instagram account to reach out to victims with the promise of work. Two children between the ages of 10 and 14 are mentioned as victims, and “investigations continue to identify other victims of the perpetrator.”In a July 27 statement, the network SBT Games, where Maciel broadcasts, said that Maciel was no longer with the network, pending investigation. A video obtained by G1 shows law enforcement officials ushering a man who appears to be Maciel—with the same unmistakable electric blue hair and vividly pink beard—into a police vehicle…

The U.K. gunman who killed a 3-year-old child and four adults before turning the weapon on himself Thursday has been identified as a licensed gun owner who reportedly talked about his sexual failings and compared himself to “incels,” or involuntary celibates, in his final YouTube video. The shooter, 22-year-old Jake Davison, appeared to use the name Professor Waffle in an account that has since been taken down for violating YouTube’s community guidelines. His final 11-minute video showed him whining about being “beaten down and defeated” by life, missing out on “teenage love” and getting “uglier” every year, according to multiple U.K. media reports. Davison also referred to “people who are incels” — a fringe and misogynistic community of predominantly men who harbor anger toward women — saying they are “people similar to me, they’ve had nothing but themselves, and then they’ve socially had it tough.” Authorities in England said they were looking into the man’s videos and social media history, but they would not discuss a possible motive at this stage of the investigation. They did say, however, that there were no immediate signs that the massacre was connected to terrorism or right-wing violence. Jake Davison, appeared to use the…

Seán “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin is one of YouTube’s biggest gaming personalities, with more than 27 million subscribers. But the Irish YouTuber has been taking a break from gaming content recently — it’s been a month since his last gaming video, an eon in the world of the YouTube algorithm. Polygon interviewed McLoughlin as part of the release of the Disney movie Free Guy, which features a Jacksepticeye cameo. We spoke to him about his recent hiatus from making games content, and asked him when he plans to return to making videos. “I think I’ll take a break for a little longer from it. It’s one of those things that I can always come back to, but right now I don’t really know what I’d even play,” McLoughlin said. McLoughlin’s last video with gameplay was published on June 13, and his last before that premiered at the end of May, a big contrast to his old schedule of uploading videos every day, or every other day. In his videos, McLoughlin buzzes with energy, often shouting as he comments on the game as he plays. In the past year he’s picked up titles ranging from Subnautica: Below Zero to Resident Evil Village, and…

Researchers at AlgorithmWatch say they were forced to abandon their research project monitoring the Instagram algorithm after legal threats from Facebook. The Berlin-based project went public with the conflict in a post published Friday morning, citing the platform’s recent ban of the NYU Ad Observatory. “There are probably more cases of bullying that we do not know about,” the post reads. “We hope that by coming forward, more organizations will speak up about their experiences.” Launched in March 2020, AlgorithmWatch provided a browser plug-in that would allow users to collect data from their Instagram feeds, providing insight into how the platform prioritizes pictures and videos. The project published findings regularly, showing that the algorithm encouraged photos that showed bare skin and that photos showing faces are ranked higher than screenshots of text. Facebook disputed the methodology but did not otherwise take action against AlgorithmWatch for the first year of the project. In May, researchers say Facebook asked to meet with the project leaders and accused them of violating the platform’s terms of service. Another objection was that the project violated the GDPR, since it collected data from users who had not consented to participate. “We only collected data related to…

Perhaps you’ve seen people on LinkedIn promote themselves as “LIONs.” No, they don’t growl or try to steal your food, but they are letting others know that they take an open networking approach to building contacts. LION stands for “LinkedIn Open Networker,” and these individuals believe the more people you’re connected to, the more opportunities you can attract. This approach also is seen in other social media platforms and in person, as well. As you build your post-military career and network, consider whether taking an open networking approach works for you. Let’s look at the pros and cons. Benefits of Open Networking To be willing to connect with anyone who asks, as an open networker, you’ll receive: More visibility across various companies and industries. Higher name recognition with contacts who otherwise might not be able to connect with you. A greater number of connections on social media, which can drive the impression that you’re more popular and influential. People who love the open concept of networking claim that the more people you know, the more potential connections to opportunities that arise. They are less discerning about who they connect with and what they know about that individual, than the quantity…

Today, it feels like there’s a well-established formula for a model’s Instagram feed. A curated slideshow from their latest magazine shoot or campaign? Check. An artfully constructed mirror selfie featuring an up-and-coming designer? Check. An allegedly candid holiday snap of a brightly-colored bikini set against sparkling blue waters? Check. After becoming so accustomed to these tasteful, easy-on-the-eye grids, then, scrolling through supermodel Kristen McMenamy’s Instagram feed is like jumping into a cold plunge pool. Refreshing, but—I have to warn you—bracing.A little like McMenamy herself. At 56, McMenamy is still as exuberant, stylish, and provocative as she was when she made her name as the face of Chanel and Versace in the late ’80s and early ’90s. And while she might have joined Instagram as recently as April, her 30,000 followers make up a who’s who of fashion, with Naomi Campbell, Alessandro Michele, Marc Jacobs, Karen Elson, Inez and Vinoodh, and many, many more reliably lighting up her comments section. Tumbling down McMenamy’s Instagram rabbit hole, you might find a powder pink Molly Goddard ruffled cotton gown over an acid green Balenciaga cycling top; a Christopher Kane slip dress printed with an alien’s head paired with rubber Birkenstocks; a Goth-fabulous black leather…

Many Americans may be living for the weekend but a new report says the fun ends Sunday when lots of us start worrying about the work week ahead.That Sunday anxiety is known as the Sunday Scaries and a report from LinkedIn reveals the scaries are at an all-time high.The report found that 66 percent of professionals say they experience Sunday Scaries and 41 percent say the pandemic has caused them or made them worse."Now more than ever it's difficult for Americans to determine what their Mondays are going to be like," said therapist Dr. Courtney Tracy. "We have no idea when regulations are going to change, when our responsibilities are going to change.""Sunday nights in my house tend to look like everyone is in mourning or dreading what's coming the next day," said Maryland mom of two Sara Farrell Baker.Baker says the last year and a half has made Sundays more stressful for her family."There's a lot more things on my to-do list every week as far as making sure that when my kids are in school they have the PPE that they need, or that my husband has it when he's going into work, keeping an eye on COVID…