SASMA 2026 puts SA’s creator economy under the spotlight, with organisers calling for greater investment, policy support and protection. (Image source: iStock) South Africa’s social media creator economy came under the spotlight as the nominees for the 2026 Openserve South African Social Media Awards (SASMA) were shortlisted over the weekend. The industry is positioned as…
Flight tracking data confirms an American military aircraft travelled to Russia from the US via Latvia on Tuesday.
Researchers identify AI monitoring, platform regulation, demand reduction and community coordination as key weapons against online wildlife trafficking. (Image created via Gemini) Social media platforms − including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube − are fuelling a rapidly-expanding illegal wildlife trade that is becoming increasingly difficult to detect and police. A review conducted by a team…
Victor Mokoena was sentenced to life imprisonment on each of the four rape counts. (Image source: iStock) In a case reminiscent of the Thabo Bester Facebook rapist saga, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has welcomed the sentencing of 26-year-old Victor Mokoena to four terms of life imprisonment. This, after the Gauteng Division of the High…
A folder of social media applications, including TikTok, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Discord, and Messenger. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Millennials may feel a pang of nostalgia at the news of Myspace’s planned revival, but analysts caution that the once-dominant social media platform faces long odds in an overcrowded market…
The CAF Executive Committee (“EXCO”) unanimously endorses the “Joint Update” by the FIFA President and Secretary General on the FIFA Forward Enterprise and will continue to focus on making African Football amongst the best in the world and adhering to governance and transparency global best practices. The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) today unanimously endorsed…
Social media is transforming the financial scam landscape in South Africa. (Image created via ChatGPT) South Africans are increasingly falling victim to investment scams promoted through social media and online platforms, prompting the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) to intensify enforcement against digitally-enabled financial misconduct. The warning comes following the release of the FSCA’s latest…
Italy is not the only country to see Spain as soft on migration, though. Meloni’s call for an urgent meeting of interior ministers to be held on Tuesday was signed by almost two dozen EU heads of state, calling for the elimination of all policies that could be “pull factors” to Europe. Above all, they…
Vigilante videos, AI-generated content and Mandela-linked framing are fuelling millions of mentions and xenophobic sentiment. With weekly anti-immigration protests planned by the March and March movement until South Africa’s 4 November local elections, supporters are broadening their tactics to sustain online engagement, including by using the Mandela name to legitimise their campaigns. Vigilante-style content in…
Australia’s online platforms are stumbling at the very first step in implementing age checks for users, rendering a world-first teen social media ban ineffective, a study by a team that advised the government’s roll-out of the curbs found. Since December, Australia’s new social media law has mandated that platforms including Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube bar…
