By TIM CHAN

The hashtag #WhiteLivesMatter may have caused some confusion on Twitter on Wednesday, after K-pop fans took over the trending topic by spamming it with fan cams and memes of their favorite artists.

The united effort effectively drowned out the white-supremacist messaging that organizers of the hashtag were likely hoping to spread, with K-pop fans using the hashtag to promote their favorite groups instead, while also linking to anti-racist organizations and messaging.

Me when I see #WhiteLivesMatters pic.twitter.com/Q5a3jkvPet

— +✶?Multi Supportive ARMY⁷ ☺️?∞? ⟭⟬⟬⟭ (@MonbebesArmy) June 3, 2020

The idea for Wednesday’s trending topic takeover stemmed from a similar action over the weekend, when K-pop fans spammed the Dallas Police Department’s “iWatch Dallas” app with fan cams and photos. Dallas PD had claimed they were using the app to monitor “illegal activity from the protests,” but many residents complained that the department was actually using the app to “snitch” on protesters. K-pop fans replied to the cops’ call for videos by sending them homemade clips of their favorite Korean artists performing onstage.

“The idea of spamming these types of white supremacist hashtags came from the idea of spamming the Dallas Police Department app,” explains the Twitter user “Lovely Doya,” a 17-year-old BTS and ONEUS fan from California. “We did it to protect the people at the protest because K-pop fans agree that they do not deserve to be arrested for gathering to fight for justice. Since this plan was successful, we realized it would work with other things like burying hateful white-supremacist tweets in their own hashtags.”

For Sarah Jimenez, a 20-year-old BTS and Monsta X fan from California, the social media takeover was a way for the K-pop community to unite for something positive, while also refuting common stereotypes about the fandom.

“People think that sometimes we start those dumb party trends because K-poppers want views for their fan cams, or that we don’t even know what the tag is about [and that] we just want the views, but it’s a misconception,” Jimenez says. “On some occasions, when we don’t like what a tag is trending for, we unite and purposefully spam to overtake it, like was the case for this tag,” she explains.

While K-pop fans have been known to passionately defend their favorite groups, they’ve been unified about the way they are using their voice these days, offering up a more empathetic example of “stan culture” online.

“Some big accounts have stopped posting about their idols (favorite artists) and started posting about the Black Lives Matter movement instead,” Jimenez explains. “The accounts are taking advantage of their already-big platforms to drop links to articles explaining where we can donate funds, and made threads on what we can do to help out the protesters.”

“The K-pop community has also started censoring the idols names [on their tweets] so that we don’t accidentally trend them like we usually do,” Jimenez says. “We want the Black Lives Matter tag to keep trending at number one [rather than the artists].”

a thread of hashtags used by the cops to recognize protestors and share informations between each other (m@ga/bluelivesmatter etc..) that we have to spam with fancams/edits espacially on twt and instagram.

go get your views #BlackLivesMatter

— BTS SNIPER⁷ bIm ACAB (@BTS_SNIPPER) June 3, 2020

For “Lovely Doya,” who declined to provide her name but identifies as Mexican-American, participating in Wednesday’s #WhiteLivesMatter takeover (which quickly merged to spam the #WhiteOutWednesday tag) came naturally to her and the thousands of others who helped to bury the hashtag’s racist messaging and original intent.

“Although K-pop fans are using a very unique and interesting approach, we show our support in this way because social media is our forte and we know we have the ability to make things trend easily,” she says. “It’s important to show support because the BLM movement is about bringing justice to all the innocent lives lost at the hands of racist police officers. It is something that myself and countless other K-pop fans believe in, because many of us, including myself, are POC. At the end of the day, we are human before we are K-pop stans.”

By Alicia Lee and Brian Ries, CNN

When Nathan Caraway joined a protest in Columbus, Ohio, he was going as a white man who wanted to help his city’s activists be safely heard, he said. But online, he was accused of more nefarious intentions.On Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, Caraway’s been called an anarchist and an Antifa organizer. Police called him a “person of interest.” Twitter users claimed he was instigating violence — accusations he strongly denies.”My mission was to go support the people who were there to let their voice be heard and to express that I’m an ally,” Caraway told CNN on Tuesday. “That was my only intention.”The 32-year-old Ohio native shot to infamy this week when he was seen in a widely shared video speaking to a group of black men during Saturday’s protest. “We’re building a barricade. Go get everything you can find,” Caraway can be heard saying. He appears to hand some money to one man out of his wallet.It’s unclear where the video originated. But what’s clear is how quickly it spread and where it wound up. After it was tweeted by many people, including conservatives such as podcaster Wayne Dupree, the Columbus Division of Police posted pictures of Caraway to Facebook, asking the public for help finding this “person of interest.”

In the comments of its post, the division linked to a YouTube video that claimed Caraway was a “Columbus Antifa paying people to do tasks in riots,” and on Twitter, thanked one of the people who tweeted the clip for tagging them.Local media carried the police’s message and the images of Caraway’s face even further.Then the President stepped in.”Anarchists, we see you!” President Donald Trump said in a tweet accompanying the video Monday, using a term long used as a fill in for leftist extremists, helping the clip rack up over 12 million views with hundreds of thousands of likes.After the President’s tweet, things took an especially nasty turn, Caraway said. His name and address were leaked online, and he’s received death threats. He even had a scary real-life encounter.

“Two individuals started chasing the vehicle I was in due to that misunderstanding,” Caraway said. “And that didn’t happen until after President Trump had shared that tweet because I believe he has one of the most powerful voices on the internet.”The Columbus Division of Police have since updated their social media posts to say they’ve identified the man in the video. On Twitter they said, “This person has been identified. Thank you for your assistance.” Caraway’s lawyer, attorney Sean Walton, said they haven’t been contacted by the police and his client hasn’t been charged. He said they did stop by Caraway’s house, but he wasn’t home.The Columbus Division of Police did not respond to CNN’s multiple requests for comment. A spokeswoman for the US Attorney’s Office Southern District of Ohio said it would not comment on any matters potentially under investigation.

What the video shows

Caraway admits that, yes, he was hoping to help the protesters build a barricade — but that was for their defense.And while the video does show him seeming to hand over some money, a moment that has been interpreted as Caraway paying people to riot and be violent against the police, he says he had asked the men to buy supplies to set up a wash station for people who had been pepper sprayed.

“I took it upon myself to build a wash station for the street medics who could help clean people’s faces off. I had asked some young men that I had seen on bicycles if they would be willing to go fetch some supplies like water, baking soda, baby wipes and milk,” Caraway said, noting that he handed them $60 to buy the supplies from stores that were still open further up north.”I only had given the money because they had stated that they would be willing to help, but they didn’t have money,” he added. “Before they left (I asked them) to help me build a barricade.”Eric Stonewall, 22, was also at the protest. He saw Caraway there.”As soon as I saw him identified as a person of interest, I was frustrated,” Stonewall told CNN. While the two don’t know each other personally, Stonewall said they interacted briefly at the protest.”In terms of what I saw, honestly more than anything he was helpful and respectful. He came up to me and some other people saying that we need to help others get more cover with loose boards and trash cans,” he said. “Someone tried to empty out a trash can, but he said, ‘Grab the empty ones. We’re not trying to make a mess.'”

His first time at a protest, he says

This was the first time Caraway, who works as an extractor at a medical cannabis company, participated in any sort of protest, Caraway told CNN.Through his lawyer, Caraway said he has no political affiliation and was only doing what he could to help others. “Nathan is not a member of any organization whatsoever, let alone Antifa or any other group,” his lawyer Sean Walton said.Daniel Ortiz, a pastor who’s known Caraway for over two years, told CNN, “My heart broke for him. I know him and I know that’s not the type of person he is. He’s justice-oriented. He wants to help others and bridge the gap between people. He’s not a divider. He’s a uniter.”

Caraway and his lawyers did not comment on whether they will be taking any legal action towards anyone. What they want to do first and foremost is clear his name, his other lawyer Jalyn Parks said.”For him to literally be in the act of trying to help people and better his community. With one video, he’s been vilified and afraid for his life,” Parks added. “The goal here is to tell his story so that people know and understand some of the consequences of spreading misinformation.”While he’s still in fear for his life, Caraway said he has forgiven all parties involved in spreading the misinformation, including Trump.”I forgive him and I have no resentment in my heart,” Caraway said regarding Trump. “I’d like to see his office make our country a better place.”Google, which owns YouTube, did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Twitter said they were looking into the video and corresponding tweets on Tuesday afternoon.

Trump and allies shift the blame

The claims that an anarchist or member of the Antifa, which stands for anti-fascists, was caught on tape comes as the second week of nationwide protests continues following the death of George Floyd, some on the right have sought to blame Antifa for the violence.Federal law enforcement officials have said that they are aware of outside groups using the protests as a cover to destroy property and incite violence, and Trump has pointed to far-left groups as responsible for that, though without offering evidence.

He has even tried to designate Antifa, short for anti-fascists, as domestic terrorists, despite the loose network of activist groups having no clear coordination or leadership and the clear constitutional concerns such a designation would surely invite.

CNN’s Evan Perez, Jason Hoffman, Donnie O’Sullivan and Betsy Klein contributed to this report.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/03/us/ohio-protester-anarchist-antifa-trump-twitter-trnd/index.html

By Team NewsLagoon

Lizzo took to Instagram Live earlier this week to speak about the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests.
In her speech, she highlighted the importance of people coming together to fight for a better country.
As the outrage surrounding George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter protests continue, more celebrities are coming forward to express their horror at the current state of events. Ariana Grande joined protestors yesterday, while Halsey shared her experiences with treating injured protestors on the frontline. Now, following suit, Lizzo is speaking out about the recent injustices against protestors and calling for it to stop.

“This is the most outrage I’ve seen as a country and that is starting to give me the first semblance of hope that I’ve had in a long time,” Lizzo told her followers on an Instagram Live session this past Sunday. “I really do believe in the good in people and maybe that makes me naive, but I’ve seen Minneapolis rise up and do incredible things and this isn’t the first time,” adding that the protestors “didn’t ask for any of this—all they asked for was justice.”

She continued, “I am just one person and this is just one person’s thoughts, one person’s point of view, and you watching, you’re just one person, but what we do when we actually come together for each other is what the future of this country is all about. It definitely ain’t about the past.”

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

In a separate Instagram post, Lizzo shared some daily reminders to her Black and white followers about how they can navigate the current climate in the best way possible, and had one final word about the protests.

“Protest is the beginning of progress, not the end of it. And now that the protesters have everyone’s attention, what are the next steps we’re going to take to make sure we’re actually moving forward and we don’t go back to this bullsh*t? Now is the time,” she said. “The world is standing still and waiting for action. Let’s make progress.”

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Starr Bowenbank
Editorial Assistant
Starr Bowenbank is the editorial assistant who writes about all things pertaining to news, pop culture, and entertainment—you can follow her here.
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by TORI CROWTHER

Accepting your skin for how it is can be hard; there’s no denying it. And when you throw Instagram and the pursuit of perfection into the mix, it can make this acceptance even harder.

But there’s a growing movement committed to spreading positivity and acceptance when it comes to skin. There are currently over 65,000 posts on Instagram under the hashtag #SkinPositivity, and that number is only increasing.

Skin positivity encourages people to proudly show off their blemishes and scars, and embrace their struggles with rosacea and eczema, with the aim to normalise conditions and break stigma around them.

While in recent years, the beauty industry has seen huge strides away from the unachievable over airbrushing and Facetuning in favour of showing the beauty of real skin, there’s still a way to go when it comes to normalising certain skin conditions in real life and online.

Instagram has become a hotspot for dedicated accounts of people sharing their story and experiences living with skin conditions like, rosacea, acne, eczema, vitiligo, psoriasis, and much more. The accounts focus not on skin progress per say (although many people do share resources and advice on what remedies worked for them), but on acceptance and helping those with a similar journey. While documenting successes with treatments are being shared, the focus is less on achieving perfection (which, when it comes to skin, doesn’t exist) and more on soothing discomfort and finding what works for each individual.

We rounded up some of the skin positivity accounts out there that are helping to spotlight and normalise skin conditions and empower others to do the same through their shared experiences.

https://www.popsugar.co.uk/beauty/people-embrace-skin-conditions-instagram-44561130

Package Included

1 package = 5000 Instagram Views Video

Type of promotion

MOST USERS ARE REAL, PERCENT RESPONSE 10-15%

By Herb Scribner

Emma Watson has responded to critics who roasted her about her Blackout Tuesday post.

What is Blackout Tuesday?

• Blackout Tuesday was a social media event that aimed to drown out new content so people could speak and engage with community. Entertainment industry leaders started the idea as many others around the country picked up on it and shared their own black squares.

What did Emma Watson post?

• Watson posted three simple black squares opposed to one. She added the hashtags #blackouttuesday, #theshowmustbepaused, #amplifymelanatedvoices and #amplifyblackvoices.
• Critics on social media slammed Watson, saying she added three squares to not ruin the aesthetic of her Instagram feed, according to Fox News. The critics said she posted the photo for her personal gain rather than as an activist. On Instagram, the top nine photos of a feed can be seen at once. Many influencers and users will post photos to rework how the entire feed looks.

How did she respond?

Watson shared another post that had the caption, “I stand with you.”

The image included four photos of a quote fromWatson, which read:

“There is so much racism, both in our past and present, that is not acknowledged nor accounted for. White supremacy is one of the systems of hierarchy and dominance, of exploitation and oppression, that is tightly stitched into society. As a white person, I have benefited from this.”

“Whilst we might feel that, as individuals, we’re working hard internally to be anti-racist, we need to work harder externally to actively tackle the structural and institutional racism around us. I’m still learning about the many ways I unconsciously support and uphold a system that is structurally racist.

“Over the coming days, I’ll be using my bio link and Twitter to share links to resources I’ve found useful for my own researching, learning, listening. I see your anger, sadness and pain. I cannot know what this feels like for you but it doesn’t mean I won’t try to.”

https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2020/6/3/21279166/emma-watson-blackout-tuesday-instagram

Julia Mullaney

Beauty mogul Kylie Jenner is one of the most-followed people on Instagram, with nearly 180 million followers. And whenever she posts a photo, she receives thousands of comments. While many are directly relating to Jenner’s post, she also sometimes receives spam comments, also known as comments from thousands of users about something that either isn’t related to or directly contradicts what Jenner is saying. And a surprising group just spammed her recent photo.

Kylie Jenner loves posting to Instagram

A few months back, Jenner passed her older sister, Kim Kardashian West, to become the most followed member of the Kardashian-Jenner family. Jenner loves posting to Instagram and often shows off her hair, nails, cars, and money. The majority of Jenner’s posts feature designer brands or high-end products, but she also gives plenty of love to her daughter.

Throughout quarantine, Jenner has kept fans entertained by continuing to post photos of her daily routine. She started gardening and spent plenty of time cooking. Plus, she was in lockdown with ex Travis Scott, which certainly piqued fans’ interest.

Fans have called her out on not speaking up about politics

Though Jenner spends plenty of time on social media, she’s been called out for not bringing enough awareness to ongoing political, environmental, and social issues around the world. When the fires were burning in Australia, fans commented on Jenner’s posts, condemning her for not doing more to bring awareness to the problem. Jenner then posted to Instagram that she had donated $1 million to help fight the fires.

When George Floyd died in late May, Jenner once again came under fire for not speaking out enough about equality issues, though her Instagram has since picked up its coverage and dedication to the problem.  

Jenner’s post was just spammed by Trump supporters

Jenner recently took to Instagram to ask her followers to vote in the various primaries that were held on June 2. It was another way for Jenner to inform fans that she’s serious about supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Jenner’s comments are normally spammed with followers typing “L” or “Follow” (as a means of gaining more likes and followers), but this time, it was Trump supporters who were filling the comments section.

Jenner’s post about voting was spammed by those asking people to vote Trump in 2020. Up and down the comments section, “Trump 2020” could be seen, with American flags, heart emojis, and exclamation points. Jenner did not respond to any of the comments.  

Celebrities have been taking on those against the BLM movement

Many celebrities of all races have posted to social media to inform black Americans that they stand with them in the fight for equality. And some have been directly fighting back when people vocalize their disagreement. Seth Rogan responded with a “f*ck you,” to anyone who disagreed with the movement. And Justin Bieber did the same when Trump supporters filled his comments after encouraging his followers to vote. Though Jenner didn’t respond to the comments, it’s possible she will acknowledge them at some point — maybe in another post.

LEE MORAN

Tiffany Trump posted a black square on Instagram as part of the Blackout Tuesday campaign.

President Donald Trump’s youngest daughter captioned her post on Tuesday with a quote from the author and activist, Helen Keller: “Alone we can achieve so little; together we can achieve so much.”

She also shared the #blackoutTuesday and #justiceforgeorgefloyd hashtags.

DL CADE

Instagram landed in hot water yesterday after some users discovered they were being blocked from posting anything with the hashtag #blacklivesmatter. In a statement on Twitter, the photo sharing site blamed its anti-spam system.

In a message posted to the Instagram Comms Twitter account yesterday afternoon, the Facebook-owned photo sharing site said it were aware of the issue, and attempted to explain what happened. While some online were suspicious of institutional censorship, Instagram said the problem was caused by its automated anti-spam system, which was triggered by the sheer number of posts being uploaded with the hashtag #blacklivesmatter.

“We’re aware that some people are incorrectly running into ‘action blocked’ messages when using the hashtag #blacklivesmatter, or resharing related posts,” wrote Instagram. “We have technology that detects rapidly increasing activity on Instagram to help combat spam. Given the increase in content shared to #blacklivesmatter, this technology is incorrectly coming into effect.”

Instagram users trying to use the hashtag were being prevented from posting by a pop-up that read, “Please try again later. We restrict certain content and actions to protect our community.”

The company didn’t outright say it had fixed the problem, nor did it disclose how many users/posts might have been affected by the issue. All users were told is that “we are resolving this issue as quickly as we can.” Then, earlier today, the Twitter account shared a request “from the community” asking people not to use the #blacklivesmatter hashtag on their #blackouttuesday posts:

Of course, this isn’t the first time Instagram or its parent company have been called out for incorrectly flagging content, but given the highly sensitive topic at hand, and the protests currently taking place across the entire United States, Instagram and Facebook will receive far more intense criticism than usual if issues like this aren’t resolved promptly.

Alicia Adamczyk @ALICIAADAMCZYK

In just a few days, bail funds across the country have received tens of millions of dollars in donations after the killing of George Floyd, a black man, while in police custody in Minneapolis.

The influx of donations is so large in such a short period of time that some funds, including the Minnesota Freedom Fund and the Brooklyn Bail Fund, are asking people to donate to other organizations and causes that need the money more. The Minneapolis Freedom Fund received $20 million in donations between Wednesday, May 27, and Monday, June 1, the New York Times reported. 

The swell in donations comes in large part from people publicizing their donations on platforms like Twitter and Instagram and encouraging their followers to match their donations, Octavia Smith, emeritus board president of the Minnesota Freedom Fund, told the New York Times. Celebrities, including Chrissy Teigen, comedian John Mulaney and actress Stephanie Beatriz, who plays a police officer on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” have also publicized the funds and encouraged their millions of followers to donate.

Bail funds are charitable organizations that collect money to pay for the release of people who have been arrested as they await trial. Around 450,000 people who have not been convicted of a crime remain in jail each day in the U.S. because they cannot afford to pay bail, according to the ACLU.

Activists, too, are harnessing the outpouring of donations to support other causes, includingmutual aid groups, such as NYC United Against Coronavirus and NYC Mutual Aid Network. These volunteer groups provide resources and financial assistance to those in need in their communities. Donations to mutual aid groups can be used to pay for medical bills, rent and other necessities.

After hearing from a friend at a bail fund that the organization had received more donations than it could use “for the foreseeable future,” Lydia Mason, 21, started encouraging people on Twitter to donate to mutual aid groups nationwide. 

“You almost forget that we’re in the middle of Covid-19 and there are so many people who need help,” Mason tells CNBC Make It. “It’s not just about combating police brutality, but making sure the communities we’re fighting for are supported beyond the next few weeks.”

Mason, who has been organizing with the Black Lives Matter movement since she was 15, has attended a protest for George Floyd. But she lives with people who are immunocompromised and has decided it is too risky to keep going out. Raising money for bail funds and other organizations on social media is her way of continuing to support the movement.

“I was feeling kind of frustrated with myself that I wasn’t able to make as much of an impact,” she says. “It’s so important to me, so I decided to pivot to helping people learn how to donate money effectively.” 

On Twitter and Instagram, Mason has witnessed fellow Gen Zers post screenshots of their donations and ask followers to match; others, who don’t have as much money, have offered services or artwork to followers who can donate in their stead. The creativity people are showing is “amazing,” she says.

“It’s really refreshing to see a new generation of people being so motivated to ignite change,” she says. “There are a lot of ways to make our country better.”