Skip to main content
Meira Gebel

Meira Gebel

Former Digital Trends Contributor
Author/Co-Author of 135 articles

Meira Gebel is a freelance reporter based in Portland. She writes about tech, social media, and internet culture for Digital Trends. Her work has been featured in Business Insider, USA Today, Willamette Week, Detroit Free Press, San Francisco Business Times, and more. Got a tip? Or just want to chat about the Kardashians? Twitter DMs are always open.

trump versus biden

Conspiracy theories already spreading ahead of Trump-Biden presidential debate

Right-wing conspiracy theory accounts connected to the group QAnon have been spreading misinformation on Facebook ahead of the first presidential debate.
how to talk friends family about misinformation conspiracy theories qanon

How to talk to your friends and family about misinformation and conspiracy theories

When confronting a family member who shared a post about a conspiracy theory, exercising empathy is first and foremost, experts say.
tiktok logo

TikTok vows to challenge Trump’s ‘unjust’ ban

TikTok said it is prepared to challenge President Donald Trump's ban of the app, calling the president's order to remove the app from app stores unjust.
tiktok logos on microsoft logo

TikTok users mourn, mobilize after Trump moves forward with ban

Creators and users took to TikTok to say their goodbyes — but also voice their dissent — after the Trump administration moved forward with a ban.
QAnon conspiracy theorist holds a sign

How Twitter cut activity on QAnon content by half

Twitter said in the two months since it banned thousands of QAnon-related accounts, activity on QAnon content has been cut in half.
ray-ban, facebook

Ray-Ban is teaming with Facebook on next generation of smartglasses

Facebook is teaming up with Ray-ban to create the next generation of smartglasses, the company announced at its annual AR/VR conference.
facebook hacked

Dozens of celebrities call for one-day boycott of Facebook, Instagram

Dozens of celebrities have joined in a one-day boycott of Facebook led by the Stop Hate for Profit campaign against hate speech on the social media platform.
Bill Gates

Bill Gates doesn’t expect a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year

Microsoft co-founder and philanthropic billionaire Bill Gates said he doesn't anticipate a coronavirus vaccine to be ready by next month.
date night

Black Lives Matter and MAGA hats: Activism and politics are flooding dating apps

More and more singles are using their dating app bios to showcase their stance on politics and social justice. But is it performative activism?
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, addresses Kenosha shooting

Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook made ‘operational mistake’ before Kenosha shooting

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed his company's response to the Kenosha, Wisconsin, shooting that left two dead.
digital trends live episode 437 106619142 15949038932020 07 16t045305z 1572845887 rc24uh9n1ig1 rtrmadp 0 usa legislation tikt

Walmart joins Microsoft in TikTok acquisition bid, Oracle offers $20 billion

Walmart has reportedly joined forces with Microsoft in a bid to purchase the popular social media app TikTok. But they aren't the only parties interested.
facebook hacked

Facebook calls Kenosha shooting mass murder after event promoted call to arms

In a statement on Wednesday, Facebook denounced the shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as a "mass murder" after an event on its platform promoted the use of violence.
wordpress vulnerability version 472 plug in

WordPress claims Apple wants 30% of App Store profits even though its free

A founding developer for WordPress, an app that lets users create websites for free, said Apple is preventing the app from being updated in the App Store.
QAnon supporter with Q flag

What is QAnon and where did it come from?

QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory that has gained mainstream attention thanks to coordinated behavior on social media.
QAnon conspiracy theorist holds a sign

Facebook removes nearly 800 QAnon-related groups, pages, hashtags, and ads

The social media platform said it will continue to restrict and remove content and accounts that "support violent acts" in a statement on Wednesday.
Lyft

Lyft also threatens to shut down California operations over worker law

Lyft executives said in an earnings call Wednesday night that it is likely it will suspend California operations over a new law for contractors.
blockchain beyond bitcoin voters cast their ballots on election da

Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Twitter team up to fight election interference

Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Microsoft are teaming up to form a new coalition against election interference ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
best tiktok alternatives instragram reels

TikTok creators say they’re not switching to Instagram Reels, survey finds

Don't expect TikTok creators to make the jump to Instagram Reels anytime soon. Many are sticking with TikTok because of its preferable algorithms.
Twitter-banner-on-NY-Stock-Exchange

Twitter will start labeling state-affiliated media accounts

Right now, the labels will only apply to the five countries in the United Nations Security Council: Russia, France, the U.S., China, and the U.K.
does instagram reels stand a chance against tiktok logo

Does Instagram Reels stand a chance against TikTok?

Instagram launched its TikTok competitor 'Reels' Wednesday, as a way for creators to make bite-size content. But will creators make the jump?
as coronavirus cases rise a miami mom struggles to keep up with distance learning norma schwartz thumbnail

As coronavirus cases rise, a Miami mom struggles to keep up with distance learning

Norma Schwartz hasn't told her kids they aren't going back to the classroom this fall as their school district plans to continue with distance learning.
Juliana Davila

Texas teacher plans to be ‘overly cautious’ as schools reopen

Juliana Davila, a Spanish teacher located in Texas, plans to be 'overly cautious' as students return to school during the coronavirus pandemic.
TikTok

Microsoft reportedly in talks to buy TikTok’s U.S. operations

Microsoft is in talks buy the popular, fast-growing social media app TikTok after President Trump ordered ByteDance to sell its U.S. stake in the app.
mark zuckerberg shocked

Zuckerberg defends Facebook’s misinformation and hate policies in earnings call

During Thursday's second-quarter earnings call, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "We do not profit from misinformation or hate."
mark zuckerberg speaking

What boycott? Facebook earnings unaffected by advertising revolt

In an earning report released Thursday, Facebook reported that it will see largely the same amount of revenue despite a public advertising boycott.

Leading Dem says Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon have ‘monopoly power’

Wednesday's hearing on antitrust issues within Big Tech was scattered, but Democrats focused in on how to end monopolizing within the industry.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Zuckerberg slammed over coronavirus hoaxes: ‘You can’t contain deadly content’

Rep. David Cicilline accused CEO Mark Zuckerberg of allowing coronavirus hoaxes and misinformation to spread on Facebook because it's "good for business."
U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapa

Jayapal accuses Facebook of threatening to clone Instagram before buying it

In Wednesday's antitrust hearing, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was grilled about his company's decision to acquire Instagram in 2012.
Snapchat

Snapchat releases its diversity report during Big Tech antitrust hearing

Snapchat released its highly anticipated diversity report Wednesday, detailing that Black and Hispanic people make up less than 5% of the company.
Zuckerberg Testimony Congress

Zuckerberg to tell Congress that Instagram, WhatsApp needed Facebook to succeed

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg plans to tell Congress that Instagram and WhatsApp would not have been able to succeed without his company's resources,
QAnon supporter with Q flag

YouTube is trying to crack down on QAnon videos. It’s not working

Digital Trends found that YouTube's algorithm recommends QAnon-related content, despite the company's claim that it's trying to hide the videos.
QAnon conspiracy theorist holds a sign

Far-right conspiracy group QAnon is surging with TikTok teens

The social media platform, popular among teens and younger generations, has seen an increase in far-right conspiracy content.
Elon Musk.

Even Elon Musk thinks Teslas are too expensive

Elon Musk, Tesla's chief executive, said in an earnings call Wednesday that the company will work on making its cars more affordable.
Tesla's Cybertruck.

Elon Musk says Tesla’s new Cybertruck factory will be in Austin, Texas

The electric car company has finally announced that it is currently building its highly anticipated Cybertruck Gigafactory in Austin, Texas.