Tag: social media trending

  • Osama Bin Laden’s ‘Letter to America’ is going viral on TikTok

    Osama Bin Laden’s ‘Letter to America’ is going viral on TikTok

    Almost 12 years after he was killed, Osama Bin Laden is back in the mainstream discourse after an essay he wrote in 2000, titled ‘Letter To America’, went viral on TikTok. Users began sharing a link from The Guardian on the social media platform, which the website has now removed. In the widely circulating letter, Osama addressed the American public to explain Al-Qaeda’s militant philosophy. Notably, he talks about Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

    Read the full letter below:

    The letter has since then gone viral on Twitter and TikTok with users declaring the letter has changed their perspective of 9/11 attacks. Users reported the hashtag had gained over 9 million views on the social media platform

    TikTok has said in a statement that they have removed the videos as the trend violates rules about “supporting any form of terrorism.” But the letter and excerpts from TikTok videos are still available on Twitter.

  • Palestinian content leaves Israel miles behind on social media

    Palestinian content leaves Israel miles behind on social media

    While activists and civilians flood the streets across the world protesting for Palestine, social media is actively reflecting the changing tides. Currently, the hashtag #FreePalestine has over 2 billion views on TikTok, while in contrast the hashtag #standwithIsrael has over 162.8 million views.

    In a statement posted on Monday, the social media platform responded to US Representative (R) Mike Gallagher’s allegations that TikTok was “controlled by America’s s foremost adversary, one that does not share our interests or our values: the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)”, calling for America to ban the app.

    TikTok said the overwhelming support teens have for Palestine is dominating the app’s algorithm.

    “Support for Israel (as compared to sympathy for Palestine) has been lower among younger Americans for some time. This is evidenced by looking at Gallup polling data of millennials dating as far back as 2010, long before TikTok even existed. A March 2023 Gallup poll, before the war, shows young adults have rapidly shifting attitudes towards the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. While an Echelon poll from October 26, 2023 shows that US TikTok users under 40 are more likely to support Israel (33% vs 28% for Palestine), and the proportions broadly reflect the split in the general under 40 population (32% for Israel, 23% for Palestine).”

    Other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram show more audiences engage with the pro-Palestinian content than with Israel’s. Instagram shows that the hashtag #FreePalestine has over 6 million views, while in comparison #IstandwithIsrael has gained only 233,000 views.

    Instagram was being taken to task by users for censoring and shadow banning prominent pro-Palestinian voices who were reporting on the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Freelance journalist Plestia Alaqad reported her Instagram account was hacked.

    Furthermore, journalist Ahmed reported he was locked out of his Instagram account and was warned it would be shut down for violating the company’s guideline.

    On Facebook, the #FreePalestine hashtag has over 11 million views while in comparison the #IstandwithIsrael hashtag has over 323,000 views.

  • ‘I’ll never call her back’: Nida Yasir addresses Rabia Anum walking off her show

    ‘I’ll never call her back’: Nida Yasir addresses Rabia Anum walking off her show

    Television host and actress Nida Yasir was a guest on Ahmed Ali Butt’s podcast where she opened up about the infamous incident on her show when Rabia Anum walked off her show.

    Anum was invited as a guest on Yasir’s show alongside controversial actor Mohsin Abbas Haider. Rabia won public praise when she announced during the show that she was walking off air to show solidarity with domestic abuse survivors.

    Addressing the incident on Ahmed’s podcast, Nida revealed that the exit was not planned, and she felt humiliated by Rabia’s actions

    “She (Rabia) said she found out in the morning who would be the guest alongside with her on the show. We have one makeup room where all our guests are present so she knew who was arriving. She could have consulted with me in private but she didn’t. She had spoken with my team but not with me because I was on set. She could have taken a stand behind the camera.”

    “As a host it is my job to be respectful to everyone…When there is a guest in front of me I can’t start accusing them of being wife beaters, chalo leave my show. Who am I to say such a thing like this? I am a host so I have to respect everyone.”

    Nida Yasir further elaborated that the incident left her feeling quite insulted, and after Rabia left the show she was never invited back.

    Rabia had addressed the comments in a post on Instagram stories, writing there were bigger issues on this planet to care about than media gossip.

  • Asian-American Harvard student comes up with hilarious way to raise money for students lab

    Asian-American Harvard student comes up with hilarious way to raise money for students lab

    An Asian American student of the Harvard University, Benjamin Chang, is going viral on social media after he came up with a hilarious way to raise money for the student-led bio-engineering lab: by rowing in a pumpkin.

    Chang, who is a senior at Harvard, took help from his friends to purchase a 1500 pound pumpkin, then spent two hours carving it using basic tools like knife and a shovel.

    “There’s been so many roadblocks that have happened, and to actually be in the water in a giant pumpkin was so much fun,” Chang revealed to abc7 Chicago.

    Chang paddled in the giant pumpkin from the Cambridge side of the river to the Boston side and back. A dozen people donated to the lab in order to get a chance to row in a pumpkin, raising hundreds of dollars for the lab.

    “It was also so much fun to let other people try this as well,” Chang responded to the viral videos. “Seeing how excited and how strange of a feeling it was for other people to be inside this pumpkin was just as fun for me as being in it myself.”

    Check out this hilarious TikTok made by WBZ News Radio on how Chang accomplished his dream to make a pumpkin

    @wbznewsradio It’s the great pumpkin, Charles River. #Boston #Massachusetts #NewEngland #HarvardUniversity #HarvardSquare #massachusettsinstituteoftechnology #CambridgeMA #AllstonMA #BrightonMA #CharlesRiver #WatertownMA #BostonUniversity #EmersonCollege #BostonCheck #BostonTikTok ♬ original sound – WBZ NewsRadio

  • ‘Cry to my lord’: Pakistani celebrities shocked at Gaza hospital bombing

    ‘Cry to my lord’: Pakistani celebrities shocked at Gaza hospital bombing

    On 17 October, Israeli jets bombed the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, where countless Palestinians had sought medical treatment and refuge from the ongoing genocide. Reports say that the strike was the deadliest attack committed by Israel in its history, with 500 confirmed dead and the death toll rising, according to Al-Jazeera.

    Celebrities like Ushna Shah and Osman Khalid Butt took to social media to express their outrage at the world’s apathy towards the Palestinian genocide.

    Ushna Shah wrote: “A hospital. A HOSPITAL! What do we boycott? Where do we strike? What do we do? Someone tell me what to do! All I am able to do currently is pray and cry to my Lord, hold my dear ones close and write on this platform. Someone tell us what to do, where to begin.”

    Actor Osman Khalid Butt demanded an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to enter into Gaza.

    Writer and columnist Fatima Bhutto criticised Israel’s attempts to distract the world from its crimes by attempting to thwart the narrative.

    British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan shared videos of the sea of dead bodies found after the bombing, and expressed his grief over the loss of lives in Gaza.

  • These are the celebrities raising their voice for Palestinians

    These are the celebrities raising their voice for Palestinians

    While it does feel like many celebrities in Hollywood are either pushing false information or ignoring the bombing of Gaza, there are singers and actors who are raising their voice in favour of Palestinian civilians, demanding that a ceasefire be declared.

    Roger Waters

    The former Pink Floyd singer released a video statement where he spoke about his Palestinian friend Lomi Algeria, who lost 11 members of her family during the Israeli bombing. He called for a ceasefire between both parties. Waters has been a very vocal proponent of the Palestinian cause.

    Academy and Emmy award winning actor Riz Ahmed released a lengthy statement on his social media accounts where he called for the world’s attention to the crimes committed by Israel in Gaza.

    Veteran Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon has been a staunch supporter for the freedom of Palestine, sharing video clips on her Twitter account calling to attention the dilapidated hospitals of Gaza.

    Hollywood actor John Cusack shared an account of his visit to Palestine and the difficulty it took to get through the security and borders, describing the land as an “open air prison”.

    He also addressed the argument that Palestinians should call for their freedom in a peaceful manner, sharing how they were shot by Israeli’s

    Avengers star Mark Ruffalo, shared a post by the UN calling to attention the limited facilities available for children and women in Gaza.

  • McDonald’s in Turkey, UAE, Oman donate to Gaza: Pakistani twitter users question their franchise

    McDonald’s in Turkey, UAE, Oman donate to Gaza: Pakistani twitter users question their franchise

    After controversy rose a few days ago when #BoycottMcDonalds began trending on X (formerly Twitter) after the fast food giant’s Israeli franchise announced that they were providing free food to soldiers carrying out operations in Gaza. Several McDonalds country franchises, including Pakistan, released statements distancing themselves from the Israeli chapter. However a few of them have announced donations for Gaza.

    Read more: McDonalds Pakistan, Turkey, Lebanon release statements; dissociate themselves from Israel

    The Turkey franchise released a statement where they distanced themselves from the Israeli branch and announced they were donating $1 million dollars to provide relief and aid to the communities currently suffering in Gaza.

    McDonald’s franchise in UAE wrote they were deeply saddened by the events in the region, and announced that they were sending AED 1 million dollars to Emirates Red Crescent for their ‘Tarahum for Gaza’ campaign.

    In Oman, the McDonald’s franchise wrote that the company was standing with Gaza in these difficult times, and have donated $100,000 dollars towards relief efforts.

    The McDonald’s franchise in Pakistan released a statement on Saturday, distancing themselves from the Israeli branch, but many Twitter users questioned why the company did not announce solidarity with Gaza and donated to provide humanitarian aid like the rest of the countries had.

    Veteran actress Nadia Jamil was among the critics as she wrote: “But do you stand with Palestine? That’s the answer we all want.”

    “If you are a Pakistani entity then where is your condemnation of Israel bombings? Where are your meals for Gaza? This wouldn’t cut it unfortunately,” another user wrote.

    “Spineless chain. Could have supported Palestine but all they care about is their commercial interests and not making international stakeholders unhappy,” another user wrote.

  • ‘Treaty of Versailles for stan Twitter’: Beyonce, Taylor Swift pose together at Eras Tour movie premiere

    ‘Treaty of Versailles for stan Twitter’: Beyonce, Taylor Swift pose together at Eras Tour movie premiere

    Taylor Swift debuted a gorgeous bob and blue gown as she posed on the red carpet at the premiere of her Eras Tour movie, but what shook stan Twitter to it’s core was Beyonce showing up to the event.

    Beyonce and Taylor Swift were pitted against each other by media as the former led her ‘Renaissance World Tour’ around America, while Taylor was performing in concerts under the Eras tour. The duo have publicly praised each other in interviews over the years, and Beyonce was even seen attending Taylor’s 25th birthday celebrations, while Swift has publicly expressed her love for Beyonce’s songs and congratulated her over Grammy wins.

    Stan Twitter was overjoyed to witness the display of solidarity as the two women leading the music industry were seen posing together at Taylor’s film premier, shutting down all the haters.

    Taylor shared a boomerang with Beyonce at the cinema where she praised the ‘Formation’ singer for breaking all the rules and defying industry norms.

    “I’m so glad I’ll never know what my life would’ve been like without @beyonce‘s influence. The way she’s taught me and every artist out here to break rules and defy industry norms. Her generosity of spirit. Her resilience and versatility. She’s been a guiding light throughout my career and the fact that she showed up tonight was like an actual fairytale. ”

  • Does Jungkook have a girlfriend?

    Does Jungkook have a girlfriend?

    It’s time we address the real elephant in the room: who is Jungkook dating?

    During a livestream session with fans on Weverse, the BTS band member was taken aback when a fan member asked him about his relationship status. The ‘Seven’ singer quickly shut the question down by responding that he did not have a girlfriend, and instead he said it was the ARMY band whom he considered to be his girlfriends.

    “Do I have a girlfriend? Why do you keep asking that? I don’t have a girlfriend! So, you don’t need to ask questions like this. I only have ARMY’s..I’m only looking at ARMY’s..ARMY’s be my girlfriend..okay?”

    Some BTS fans weren’t happy that the ‘3D’ singer was asked an invasive question about his personal life, and asked for other followers to respect the singer’s privacy because by the end of the day, Jungkook is a human like anyone else who shouldn’t have to justify his life choices to anyone.

  • What is the ‘boy math’ trend all about?

    What is the ‘boy math’ trend all about?

    If you’re chronically online like the rest of us, you’ve probably noticed that among the top trends on Twitter is the term ‘boy math’. What even is this trend all about and why is it all the rage on social media? We got all the deets here.

    Boy math is a term that was begun to counteract sexist backlash ignited by men on Twitter that women are not good at math or any technical things. Pakistani women are currently leading the game with some hilarious burns using the boy math trend, and we’re sharing some of the responses here.

    Pakistani women, please never change and never lose your wicked sense of humor. We salute y’all.