Karissa Bell
@karissabe.bsky.social
Senior reporter 🗒️ for Engadget, covering social media. Say👋 at karissa.bell@engadget.com or on Signal: karissabe.51 DMs open.
Pinned
Karissa Bell
@karissabe.bsky.social
· Oct 31
How an Oregon court became the stage for a $115,000 showdown between Meta and Facebook creators
One Facebook creator has filed dozens of small claims lawsuits against in an attempt to fight the company's "broken" payments system.
www.engadget.com
👋 Here’s one I’ve been working on for a very long time: its about the business of viral Facebook content, Meta’s (often lack of) support for creators, and one man’s creative legal strategy to get the company’s help.
Instagram's top exec Adam Mosseri just published a little manifesto on the state of Instagram and AI going into 2026 and .. it's quite telling! He basically says Meta should give up trying to proactively label AI content and that camera companies should be in charge of verifying what's real.
Instagram chief: AI is so ubiquitous 'it will be more practical to fingerprint real media than fake media'
Adam Mosseri offered a notably candid assessment on how AI is upending Instagram.
www.engadget.com
December 31, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Instagram's top exec Adam Mosseri just published a little manifesto on the state of Instagram and AI going into 2026 and .. it's quite telling! He basically says Meta should give up trying to proactively label AI content and that camera companies should be in charge of verifying what's real.
Meta describes this as a very "limited" test but there are some pretty big implications to making link-sharing a paid feature. Lots of people already assume Meta throttles posts w/ links but this suggests there may be a wider effort to reduce links across Facebook www.engadget.com/social-media...
A Facebook test makes link-sharing a paid feature for creators
Meta is testing out a new scheme that effectively puts link-sharing behind a paywall for creators on Facebook.
www.engadget.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Meta describes this as a very "limited" test but there are some pretty big implications to making link-sharing a paid feature. Lots of people already assume Meta throttles posts w/ links but this suggests there may be a wider effort to reduce links across Facebook www.engadget.com/social-media...
New exclusive from me: Reddit is starting a new verification program beginning w/ public figures and brands, though the company hopes to make it available more widely in the future. Verified accounts get a gray checkmark (this will also replace the "official" badge). More details over @engadget.com
Reddit is starting to verify public figures
Reddit is starting a "limited alpha test" of verification for public figures, who will get a familiar gray checkmark added to their username.
www.engadget.com
December 10, 2025 at 5:48 PM
New exclusive from me: Reddit is starting a new verification program beginning w/ public figures and brands, though the company hopes to make it available more widely in the future. Verified accounts get a gray checkmark (this will also replace the "official" badge). More details over @engadget.com
Pew just published its first look at how teens are using AI chatbots and there are some 👀 stats here.. close to a third of US teens say they are using AI chatbots daily or more and ChatGPT is the most widely used among teens by a fairly sizable margin. More ⬇ www.engadget.com/ai/nearly-on...
Nearly one-third of teens use AI chatbots daily
Nearly one-third of US teens report using AI chatbots daily or more, according to a new report from Pew Research.
www.engadget.com
December 9, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Pew just published its first look at how teens are using AI chatbots and there are some 👀 stats here.. close to a third of US teens say they are using AI chatbots daily or more and ChatGPT is the most widely used among teens by a fairly sizable margin. More ⬇ www.engadget.com/ai/nearly-on...
The Oversight Board is looking to expand its scope, starting w/ a pilot to explore account-level decisions (suspensions, etc.) which could allow it to take appeals related to account suspensions. The board also tells me it's had "very preliminary" conversations about working w/ other platforms.
Meta's Oversight Board wants to expand its powers in 2026
The Oversight Board is getting ready to tackle a new pain point for Facebook and Instagram users as it looks to expand its purview in 2026.
www.engadget.com
December 4, 2025 at 4:57 PM
The Oversight Board is looking to expand its scope, starting w/ a pilot to explore account-level decisions (suspensions, etc.) which could allow it to take appeals related to account suspensions. The board also tells me it's had "very preliminary" conversations about working w/ other platforms.
That SF kinda cold is no joke 🥶
December 4, 2025 at 3:28 PM
That SF kinda cold is no joke 🥶
It's kind of incredible how much YouTube content there is that's just tutorials for engagement farming/monetizing accounts on social media. Most of the ones I've seen also heavily rely on gen AI tools for streamlining this too.. it's literally never been easier to make fake content for fake accounts
How to make "monetized USA Accounts" and how to populate them with content is an incredibly popular global YouTube side hustle type of content. Look at this:
November 24, 2025 at 6:42 PM
It's kind of incredible how much YouTube content there is that's just tutorials for engagement farming/monetizing accounts on social media. Most of the ones I've seen also heavily rely on gen AI tools for streamlining this too.. it's literally never been easier to make fake content for fake accounts
one thing that anyone who has studied the psychology of conspiracy theories will tell you is that it’s very de-stabilizing when you finally are forced to confront that you were wrong
In her resignation statement, MTG breaks very dramatically with the secret-plan conspiracy theorists about what’s happening in DC.
November 22, 2025 at 1:32 AM
one thing that anyone who has studied the psychology of conspiracy theories will tell you is that it’s very de-stabilizing when you finally are forced to confront that you were wrong
X's handle marketplace is open for business. I discovered that I could request "elonfarts" (a "priority" handle) but not my own name ("karissa" is apparently a "rare handle?). Lots of meme potential here but there are *some strings* attached
X's handle marketplace is open and there are some... interesting names if you're willing to pay
After previewing its plans to open a marketplace to "redistribute" dormant handles last month, X has made the feature available to all Premium+ subscribers on the platform.
www.engadget.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:10 AM
X's handle marketplace is open for business. I discovered that I could request "elonfarts" (a "priority" handle) but not my own name ("karissa" is apparently a "rare handle?). Lots of meme potential here but there are *some strings* attached
the most charitable explanation I can think of for this is that at some point during interview prep he was told to pivot questions about safety to the "opportunity" to improve in other ways, but didn't quite actually figure out how to make that particular mental leap in a coherent way
Oh my god that is the worst possible answer
November 21, 2025 at 9:11 PM
the most charitable explanation I can think of for this is that at some point during interview prep he was told to pivot questions about safety to the "opportunity" to improve in other ways, but didn't quite actually figure out how to make that particular mental leap in a coherent way
Elon now claiming that Grok was "unfortunately manipulated by adversarial prompting" as xAI seems to be nuking the posts that claimed Elon was more fit than LeBron James, smarter than Einstein, etc.
November 20, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Elon now claiming that Grok was "unfortunately manipulated by adversarial prompting" as xAI seems to be nuking the posts that claimed Elon was more fit than LeBron James, smarter than Einstein, etc.
Went to a screening of A24’s Eternity last night and I really enjoyed it! A quirky rom con that was genuinely funny and managed to not feel formulaic in the way so many rom cons do
November 19, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Went to a screening of A24’s Eternity last night and I really enjoyed it! A quirky rom con that was genuinely funny and managed to not feel formulaic in the way so many rom cons do
Reposted by Karissa Bell
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Opinion | Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression
The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:48 PM
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
wish Bluesky would expand this .. it kinda feels like an afterthought atm
November 12, 2025 at 10:26 PM
wish Bluesky would expand this .. it kinda feels like an afterthought atm
Reposted by Karissa Bell
Bluesky! Help me find a home for our beautiful, sweet foster kitty Leon. He’s a very chill 1 year old boy who loves attention and is great with other cats. Looking for his forever home now in and around San Francisco.
More info ⬇️
www.adoptapet.com/pet/46272597...
More info ⬇️
www.adoptapet.com/pet/46272597...
November 10, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Bluesky! Help me find a home for our beautiful, sweet foster kitty Leon. He’s a very chill 1 year old boy who loves attention and is great with other cats. Looking for his forever home now in and around San Francisco.
More info ⬇️
www.adoptapet.com/pet/46272597...
More info ⬇️
www.adoptapet.com/pet/46272597...
Bluesky! Help me find a home for our beautiful, sweet foster kitty Leon. He’s a very chill 1 year old boy who loves attention and is great with other cats. Looking for his forever home now in and around San Francisco.
More info ⬇️
www.adoptapet.com/pet/46272597...
More info ⬇️
www.adoptapet.com/pet/46272597...
November 10, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Bluesky! Help me find a home for our beautiful, sweet foster kitty Leon. He’s a very chill 1 year old boy who loves attention and is great with other cats. Looking for his forever home now in and around San Francisco.
More info ⬇️
www.adoptapet.com/pet/46272597...
More info ⬇️
www.adoptapet.com/pet/46272597...
idk sounds suspiciously like a participation trophy 👀
Trump ally Infantino to award first Fifa Peace Prize at World Cup draw in DC
Fifa unveils a new Peace Prize to be awarded at the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, citing a mission to honor efforts to end conflict
www.theguardian.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:57 AM
idk sounds suspiciously like a participation trophy 👀
As an OG Foursquare fan, I'm reallyyy intrigued by this new project from @dens.nyc ... it also reminds me a bit of the very-much under-appreciated Foursquare app Marsbot which also attempted proactive recommendations (and was low-key one of my fave ways to find places to eat when I was traveling)
The Foursquare founder's new app is an AI-powered 'DJ' for neighborhood updates
Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley has unveiled his latest venture and yes, it's another location-based social app: an AI-powered "DJ" called BeeBot.
www.engadget.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:45 PM
As an OG Foursquare fan, I'm reallyyy intrigued by this new project from @dens.nyc ... it also reminds me a bit of the very-much under-appreciated Foursquare app Marsbot which also attempted proactive recommendations (and was low-key one of my fave ways to find places to eat when I was traveling)
Scientific journals have been inundated by AI slop too (via letters to the editors) ... this article ends with "no one knows what to do" about this but seems like a cursory vetting process would weed out a lot of these? www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/s...
The Editor Got a Letter From ‘Dr. B.S.’ So Did a Lot of Other Editors.
www.nytimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Scientific journals have been inundated by AI slop too (via letters to the editors) ... this article ends with "no one knows what to do" about this but seems like a cursory vetting process would weed out a lot of these? www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/s...
A good PSA and a reminder we still don't have a national data privacy law
When you book a flight through major travel sites, a data broker owned by U.S. airlines will sell details about your flight—your name, credit card used, and where you’re flying to the government.
We found out how to opt-out of ARC selling your travel data. A guide:
www.404media.co/how-to-opt-o...
We found out how to opt-out of ARC selling your travel data. A guide:
www.404media.co/how-to-opt-o...
How to Opt-Out of Airlines Selling Your Travel Data to the Government
The Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), owned by major U.S. airlines, collects billions of ticketing records and sells them to the government to be searched without a warrant. I managed to opt-out…
www.404media.co
November 4, 2025 at 6:20 PM
A good PSA and a reminder we still don't have a national data privacy law
The Onion (as usual) doesn't miss
In Memoriam:
Cheney Haunted By People He Didn't Manage To Kill In Iraq War
Cheney Haunted By People He Didn't Manage To Kill In Iraq War
November 4, 2025 at 5:46 PM
The Onion (as usual) doesn't miss
There are so many crazy details in this story, but the one that has made me go "WTF" the most is when Meta's paid support told this creator (who has lived in the UK and Oregon) that his account was demonetized because his bank was based in Malta even though he banks w/ Wells Fargo.
How an Oregon court became the stage for a $115,000 showdown between Meta and Facebook creators
One Facebook creator has filed dozens of small claims lawsuits against in an attempt to fight the company's "broken" payments system.
www.engadget.com
October 31, 2025 at 5:30 PM
There are so many crazy details in this story, but the one that has made me go "WTF" the most is when Meta's paid support told this creator (who has lived in the UK and Oregon) that his account was demonetized because his bank was based in Malta even though he banks w/ Wells Fargo.
👋 Here’s one I’ve been working on for a very long time: its about the business of viral Facebook content, Meta’s (often lack of) support for creators, and one man’s creative legal strategy to get the company’s help.
How an Oregon court became the stage for a $115,000 showdown between Meta and Facebook creators
One Facebook creator has filed dozens of small claims lawsuits against in an attempt to fight the company's "broken" payments system.
www.engadget.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:06 PM
👋 Here’s one I’ve been working on for a very long time: its about the business of viral Facebook content, Meta’s (often lack of) support for creators, and one man’s creative legal strategy to get the company’s help.
not to be cryptic but I got something cooking that I’ve been working on for more than 6 months and it’s sooo close to done.. have so many tabs I’m just waiting to close
October 30, 2025 at 1:28 AM
not to be cryptic but I got something cooking that I’ve been working on for more than 6 months and it’s sooo close to done.. have so many tabs I’m just waiting to close