Social Media
Margaret Cho mocks Lindsey Graham hours after senator’s death
Comedian Margaret Cho mocked Sen. Lindsey Graham in a social media video posted hours after the South Carolina Republican died on July 11 at age 71. According to the District of Columbia Office of…
Elon Musk calls for exile of anyone who ‘doesn’t love’ America
Elon Musk has declared that Americans who do not love their country are traitors who should be exiled, escalating a Fourth of July exchange on his social media platform. “Traitor” The exchange began…
‘Please do it at home’: Viral post challenges praise for Japanese World Cup fans
Japanese World Cup fans once again drew international praise this week after supporters were seen cleaning up stadium stands following matches. Within hours, a viral social media post challenged the…
After years of serving others, 86-year-old Vietnamese restaurant owner receives once-in-a-lifetime gift
Florida business owner Lieng Le spent years welcoming customers to her Vietnamese restaurant, often extending kindness even as she faced mounting challenges herself. The 86-year-old restaurateur…
South Carolina man’s acquittal sparks anti-Asian boycott calls, but many push back
The acquittal of Rick Chow in the shooting death of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton has prompted calls on social media to boycott Asian-owned businesses, though a broader chorus of Asian and Black…
Texas anchor faces BTS ARMY backlash over ‘death to America’ Oreo joke
BTS fans are pushing back against a Lubbock, Texas news anchor who joked on air that the K-pop group’s upcoming Oreo collaboration spells out a “death to America” message. What happened KCBD Fox34…
Why a post about a Meta layoff triggered a wave of anti-Indian racism
An X post about an Indian Meta engineer allegedly receiving a layoff email while in Bengaluru triggered a wave of reactions about H-1B workers and immigration in the U.S. tech industry. “His wife is…
YouTuber faces backlash after anti-Asian tweet resurfaces during K-pop debut
Internet personality Trisha Paytas drew backlash this week after critics resurfaced a 2017 tweet containing anti-Asian slurs days after she released a Korean-language pop single styled after…
‘No Filipinos allowed’ sign in South Korea sparks debate
A TikTok video describing venues in South Korea that allegedly barred Filipinos and other Southeast Asians from entering has ignited renewed debate over discrimination in the country’s nightlife…
A viral NYC meetup for Wasians turned into a larger argument about race and representation
A social meetup for Wasians, promoted through community page Half Asian Spring, drew more than 3,000 people to Central Park’s Sheep Meadow on May 10, where attendees filmed street interviews, joined…
YouTuber sentenced to 6 months in South Korea prison over repeated livestream harassment
A South Korean court sentenced American YouTuber Johnny Somali, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, to six months in prison after documenting a pattern of disruptive livestream stunts across…
WongFu’s Philip Wang says Asian American filmmakers lose by leaving Asian stories behind
Philip Wang, co-founder of Wong Fu Productions, said Asian American filmmakers are not turning high-profile breakthroughs into sustained industry influence, citing a pattern where directors shift…
Kelly Marie Tran reflects on ‘Star Wars’ backlash nearly a decade later: ‘it wasn’t my fault’
Kelly Marie Tran said she no longer blames herself for the harassment that followed her role as Rose Tico in 2017’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” In a recent interview with Comic Book Resources, the…
You’ve probably been mispronouncing Simu Liu’s name wrong
Action star Simu Liu is clarifying how to pronounce his surname after years of hearing it said incorrectly in interviews and public appearances as “Lu.” In a video shared to Instagram and TikTok last…
Mark Zuckerberg faces jury in landmark trial over alleged harm to teen users
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand in a Los Angeles courtroom on Feb. 18 as part of a federal bellwether trial examining whether Instagram and Facebook were designed in ways that harmed minors.…
Democrats launch Lunar New Year ads hitting Trump on tariffs, immigration
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the campaign arm of House Democrats, is rolling out a four-figure digital advertising effort this week across 18 competitive House districts,…
Asian American Olympians respond to Trump calling Team USA athlete a ‘loser’
Asian American athletes at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics responded after President Donald Trump called Team USA freeski competitor Hunter Hess a “loser” in a social media post during the opening…
Connecticut AG hit with racist comments after posting video with puppy
Connecticut State Atty. Gen. William Tong has been targeted by racist comments after posting a video of himself with a dog on Instagram last week. Meet Night: The 34-second video introduced Night, a…
Asian American boy breaks down after bully says Trump will get him
A video of a 12-year-old Asian American boy reduced to tears after being bullied and threatened with deportation by another child has sparked outrage on social media. What happened: Max Tet, who…
Threads surpasses X in mobile users as Musk’s platform faces decline
Meta’s Threads has overtaken Elon Musk’s X in daily mobile users for the first time as the latter’s audience shrinks to half its former size, according to a recent report. By the numbers: Data from…
Malaysia, Indonesia block Elon Musk’s Grok over explicit AI deepfakes
Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked access to Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok after regulators said the tool was repeatedly used to generate sexually explicit, nonconsensual deepfake images. Indonesia’s…
Maduro arrest fuels Taiwan-focused debate across Chinese social media
The Trump administration’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3 triggered a surge of debate on Chinese social media, pushing related hashtags to the top of Weibo’s trending…
Over 20% of videos shown to new YouTube users are AI slop, study finds
More than 20% of videos recommended to brand-new YouTube users are low-quality, AI-generated clips known as “AI slop,” according to a study released last month. Researchers at Kapwing analyzed the…
ICE records show $300 million expansion of surveillance tools under Trump
Federal records show U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement expanding its enforcement toolkit with more than $300 million earmarked across planned and active contracts for surveillance technology…
How a side-eye at H Mart set off a TikTok creator pile-on
When TikTok creator Madeline posted a video about side-eyeing white shoppers at H Mart, she described it as a reflection on respect and lived experience. The clip instead triggered a rapid response…
Finnish lawmakers post slanted-eye gestures after Miss Finland loses title
Finnish lawmakers from the right-wing Finns Party posted images of themselves making slanted-eye gestures after Miss Finland Sarah Dzafce was stripped of her title in Finland on Dec. 11 over a photo…
International students self-censor amid fear of visa consequences, survey finds
International students in the U.S. are self-censoring, avoiding political activity and limiting their public presence due to fear of surveillance and visa consequences, according to a Stop AAPI Hate…
Miss Finland condemned after photo shows alleged racist gesture toward Asians
Reigning Miss Finland Sarah Dzafce faced intense backlash after a photo surfaced online showing her pulling back the corners of her eyes, a gesture widely recognized as mocking people of East Asian…
Husband of China’s first cryogenic patient criticized for new relationship
The husband in China’s first cryogenic preservation case faced criticism in Jinan last month after acknowledging he has a partner while his wife remains stored at the Shandong Yinfeng Life Science…
Mamdani guides immigrants on what to do during ICE encounters
Following an ICE operation that drew protests near Chinatown last week, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani posted a video on social media Sunday explaining immigrants’ rights when encountering…
JD Vance calls mass migration ‘theft’, gets told Usha ‘go back to India’
Vice President JD Vance drew yet another sharp criticism online, this time after declaring that mass migration is “theft of the American Dream,” leaving social media users pointing out that his wife…
BD Wong apologizes for Instagram comment invoking ‘racist trope’
Actor BD Wong apologized on Dec. 3 after posting an Instagram comment under wildlife influencer Mike Holston’s video that compared the animal in the clip to a Black man. The remark was captured in…
JD Vance dismisses marriage rumors after Usha seen without wedding ring again
Vice President JD Vance dismissed speculations about his marriage after Second Lady Usha Vance was photographed without her wedding ring for the second time in two weeks, claiming that they find the…
Malaysia to bar children under-16s from social media
Malaysia will introduce a nationwide ban on social media accounts for users under 16 in 2026 and require platforms to block account creation unless an ID-based age check is completed. The mandate is…
Nikki Haley’s son: Vivek Ramaswamy has ‘third world parenting style’
Nalin Haley, the 24-year-old son of former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, called out Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy once again last week, this time over his views on education and…
Social media giants knew platforms were ‘addictive drug’ for teens, court filings reveal
Internal communications from Meta Platforms Inc., TikTok, Snap Inc. and YouTube, revealed in a 5,807-page federal court filing unsealed this month, show employees describing their own platforms as an…
