Social Networks

The auto purchase process is moving online at an unprecedented pace, with social platforms playing a central role in how vehicles are discovered, evaluated and bought, according to new global research from Snap, Havas Media Network and Alter Agents. The study surveyed more than 5,000 social media users who recently purchased a car or are currently shopping. It found that nine in 10 shoppers use digital sources during their purchase journey, and younger buyers are leading the shift toward fully online transactions. Half of Gen Z respondents said their most recent car purchase was completed entirely online, marking a significant departure from traditional dealership-first experiences. “Digital innovation has gone further than many expected, providing customers with the information they need,” said Michelle LeFevere, vertical lead for auto and travel at Snapchat. “It’s the scale at which these trends are accelerating that really surprised me.” Social media now influences core decisions, with 67 per cent of car buyers using social platforms during their search. That rises to 74 per cent among Gen Z. Snapchat users are 1.7 times more likely than non-users to purchase a vehicle after seeing it on social media. Creators also play a growing role: 69 per cent

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It seems like some Snapchat users are running into a frustrating roadblock when trying to back up their Memories. Multiple reports on Reddit describe the same problem: requesting a data download through the “My Data” feature, only to receive a file labeled “empty export” instead of their photos and videos. The issue appears to have surfaced in recent days. One user posted on r/SnapchatHelp explaining they tried every combination possible when selecting data to include. They attempted exporting just Memories, Memories with JSON files, Memories with chat history, and even all three options together. Each attempt resulted in the same “empty export” message. Users claim that they are following Snapchat’s official process correctly. They’re logging in through desktop browsers (Chrome, Safari, and others), selecting their preferred data options, waiting for the email confirmation, and then clicking the download link. But when they open the file, there’s nothing inside. Another thread from two days ago shows users experiencing identical problems. One commenter tried downloading through both Chrome and Safari on their laptop, hoping switching browsers might help. It didn’t. They mentioned there’s no clear way to even contact Snapchat support about the issue. This is confusing some users because they say

Nina Lin appears to be banned from Twitch. Over the weekend, the 24-year-old was accused of shoplifting at Target during a live stream.

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Jan 20, 2026 – 6.04pm Snapchat is proving to be a problem for the government’s landmark teen social media ban, with families saying it is too easy to bypass its age restrictions, as Australia’s eSafety Commissioner said parents needed to play a role in making the changes work. On Tuesday, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who is responsible for the stewardship of the government’s laws, said she remained encouraged by the number of deactivated accounts provided confidentially to her office by the age-restricted platforms, but that it would take time for the ban to become more effective. Paul Smith edits the technology coverage and has been a leading writer on the sector for 20 years. He covers big tech, business use of tech, the fast-growing Australian tech industry and start-ups, telecommunications and national innovation policy. Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Subscribe now Already a subscriber?

Tuesday, January 20th, 2026 – 12:01 am OpenAI Gets Over Its Ad-bivalence Finally, the long-awaited day is almost here.  After years of hedging and will-they-won’t-they speculation regarding the launch of a ChatGPT ads model, OpenAI announced on Friday that it’s going to begin testing ads within its main AI chatbot for users in the US. The ads will only appear in ChatGPT’s free and Go tiers (the latter being its lowest-cost subscription option, introduced as an option for US customers the same day). Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI, is adamant that paid ads won’t affect product recommendations that ChatGPT deems “objectively useful,” nor will users’ data and conversations be sold to advertisers, per the announcement . Simply put, OpenAI wants to assure users that “ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives .” There’s a lot of certainty about what the ad business won’t look like. But what, exactly, it will look like isn’t set in stone. (And we all know Sam Altman’s take on ads is famously inconsistent .) For now, ads will exist at the bottom of ChatGPT feed and be clearly identified and separate from the organic recommendation. And the first ads will be part

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Updated Jan. 19, 2026, 12:27 p.m. CT (This story was updated to add new information.) Des Moines police have identified an elderly woman who was found wandering outside in below-freezing temperatures early in the morning on Jan. 19. The Des Moines Police Department said in a news release that a member of the public provided a tip that helped officers identify the 78-year-old woman within 12 minutes of sharing her picture on social media. "Thank you to all who reached out to help!" the news release said. "Her medical care continues, and she is being reunited with her family." Police said in an earlier news release that officers found the woman on the 4100 block of East 29th Street just after 1 a.m. At the time, the temperature was 5 degrees, with a wind chill of 14 degrees below zero, police said. After police took the woman to the hospital, medical personnel determined that she had suffered a stroke, although they could not say whether the stroke happened recently or in the past.  » Read More