Social – Page 13

Discord doubles down on apps to make servers more dynamic • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 17, 2022Posted in discord, Social, social mediaNo Comments

Discord is refreshing its popular chat app with a handful of new features, including one that developers who build tools for the platform have wanted for a long time. The changes seek to make the community-building app a more versatile place to hang out, with new ways to customize the servers where hundreds of thousands of people regularly gather around games, hobbies or even well-loved creators. Discord says that more than a third of its chat room-like servers use apps, often referred to as bots, already. The apps, miniature bits of automated software that run within Discord’s servers, offer utilities like moderation, digital DJing and basic games. Now, the company is introducing a full directory of apps, elevating the many bots and quirky bits of software that make Discord tick with a proper directory. The app directory, which launches on Tuesday, will give server admins a one-stop shop for ways to build out their server to their liking. There’s already an app for almost everything. A sneakerhead server tracking new releases might plug in the StockX DropBot app, while a role-playing community could play a text-based RPG together directly within chat with IdleRPG. On Discord, apps have largely been the realm of scrappy, small developers looking to build useful utilities. But it’s clear that the company’s vision for its in-server experiences is moving in a more official direction that could involve more official partnerships with big, established software makers. The company is also announcing an expansion on the games front, introducing “activities” that bring more elaborate mini games like virtual golf, chess and poker into servers. While they’re not limited to games — one activity lets users queue and watch YouTube videos together — the new feature is designed to offer server members more ways to casually hang out and spend time together. Discord’s new activities launch this week. All users will have access to Putt Party (virtual putt putt) and the Watch Together activity from the jump, while anyone subscribed to Discord’s premium Nitro membership can play additional games including poker, a Pictionary-like game, chess and a Scrabble clone called Letter League. Users who pay for Nitro can invite non-premium members to play the expanded roster of games, but non-premium users won’t be able to initialize the full suite of new games and activities. In addition to the app-focused changes, Discord is also adding a new entry-level subscription tier for Nitro that will cost less. Nitro Basic will cost $2.99 a month, offering some core features for casual users including custom emojis, larger file uploads and a profile badge. The new tier was available already for some users in the UK but it will launch globally on October 20.

the billionaire tantrum • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 17, 2022Posted in SocialNo Comments

This morning Kanye West announced he’s buying Parler, the annoyingly-named so-called “free speech” platform that ignores the proper French pronunciation of its moniker in service of a poor pun. The deal terms aren’t out there yet, but the startup has so far raised $56 million and I bet it has a tidy little exit on its hands if this goes through. A spurned billionaire purchasing a social networking company because of perceived encroachments on their free speech rights (where none actually exist) seems… somehow familiar. Oh, that’s right: Elon Musk is doing basically the same thing, on a grander and more litigious scale. Elon and Kanye have history, of course, and the Tesla founder was quick to welcome Ye back to Twitter when the latter was blocked from Instagram for anti-semitic posts. Kanye quickly used Twitter to push more anti-semitic trash, however, leading to him having his account locked and Musk then issuing a weak admonishment (if you can even call it that) for his pal’s inexcusable behavior. Leaving aside that Musk’s response is a terrifying vision of what moderation on Twitter could become if the multi-CEO gets his wish and does complete the $44 billion transaction to acquire the platform, the interaction and Monday’s Parler news say a lot about where we are socially and the state of the media tech industry. In particular, watching these two over-moneyed and over-indulged boys spend their way to “uncancelable” status illustrates a lucrative new exit path for startups looking to disrupt the status quo when it comes to letting people say things they shouldn’t say. It used to be that billionaires having a temper tantrum would result in the death of media outlets, but the new trend seems to be not attempting to quash the object of their ire, but instead spending boatloads of cash to warp a collective social viewpoint to fit their specific worldview. Whether that money is their own, or the collective wealth of their fawning retinue of deep-pocketed sycophants scarcely matters — there’s a lot of economic opportunity to be had for down-on-their-luck networking tools with flexible moral outlooks. This is only half tongue-in-cheek: There really have been a lot of startups and companies cropping up to address the social media companies being allowed to “control what we can and cannot see,” as one extremely mistaken ex-attempted despot put it. In a sane market those would need to contend on the measures we typically use to judge startup success: User traction and engagement, revenue, etc. Now, it looks like they might be able to use a bruised ego to help their investors return the fund.

Coroner’s report into UK schoolgirl’s suicide urges social media regulation • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 14, 2022Posted in Government & Policy, Instagram, molly russell coroner's report, Online Safety Bill, Pinterest, Social, social media regulationNo Comments

A ‘Prevention of Future Deaths’ report following a U.K. coroner’s inquest into the suicide of British schoolgirl, Molly Russell, who killed herself almost five years ago after viewing content on social media websites that promoted self harm, has recommended the government looks at requiring age verification on sign-up to social platforms to ensure the separation of age-appropriate content for adults and children. The inquest into Russell’s death heard she binge-consumed content about suicide and depression on sites including Instagram and Pinterest — some of which was algorithmically curated for her, based on the platforms tracking her viewing habits — before taking her own life, aged 14. Coroner, Andrew Walker, concluded last month that “negative effects of online content” were a factor in her death, adding that such content “shouldn’t have been available for a child to see”. His ‘Prevention of Future Deaths’ report — which was made public today after being sent to a number of social media firms and to the government — also recommends that lawmakers consider setting up of an independent regulatory body to monitor online platform content, paying special attention to children’s access to harmful content and to content-shaping elements like algorithmic curation and advertising. Additionally, the coroner’s report recommends that the government reviews provisions for parental controls on social media platforms accessed by kids and considers powers that would provide caregivers with access to content viewed by children. “I recommend that consideration is given to enacting such legislation as may be necessary to ensure the protection of children from the effects of harmful online content and the effective regulation of harmful online content,” he adds, before urging platforms not to wait for a change in the law. “Although regulation would be a matter for Government I can see no reason why the platforms themselves would not wish to give consideration to self-regulation taking into account the matters raised above.” Tech companies including Meta (Instagram’s owner), Pinterest, Snap and Twitter have been given 56 days to respond to the coroner’s report — with a deadline of December 8 for them to provide details of any actions taken or proposed (setting out a timetable for proposed actions), or else they must provide the coroner with an explanation why no action is being proposed by them. We reached out to the companies for a response to the coroner’s report. At the time of writing Meta had not responded. A Pinterest spokeswoman told us it has received the report and plans to respond by the due date. In a statement, the social sharing site added: Our thoughts are with the Russell family. We’ve listened very carefully to everything that the Coroner and the family have said during the inquest. Pinterest is committed to making ongoing improvements to help ensure that the platform is safe for everyone and the Coroner’s report will be considered with care. Over the past few years, we’ve continued to strengthen our policies around self-harm content, we’ve provided routes to compassionate support for those in need and we’ve invested heavily in building new technologies that automatically identify and take action on self-harm content. Molly’s story has reinforced our commitment to creating a safe and positive space for our Pinners. A Snap spokeswoman also confirmed it has received a copy of the Coroner’s report and said it’s reviewing it and will respond within the requested timeframe. A spokeswoman for Twitter also confirmed it has received the report too but said the company has nothing further to add. The U.K. government has already proposed legislation aimed at making the U.K. the safest place to go online in the world, as it touts its plan for the Online Safety Bill — a piece of legislation that’s been years in the making and has a stated focus on children’s safety. The bill also empowers a content-focused internet regulator, Ofcom, to enforce the rules. However the Online Safety Bill’s progress through parliament was put on pause by the recent Conservative Party leadership contest. Since then, the new prime minister, Liz Truss, and the new secretary of state she appointed to head up the department, Michelle Donelan, have extended that pause by freezing the bill to make changes — specifically to provisions tackling the area of ‘legal but harmful’ content in response to concerns about the impact on freedom of expression. There is no fresh timetable for restarting the bill. But with limited parliamentary time left before a general election must be called, and — more pressingly — widespread chaos across Truss’ government, it is looking increasingly likely the bill will fail to pass — leaving platforms to continue self regulating the bulk of their content moderation. (An age appropriate children’s design code is being enforced in the UK, though.) We contacted the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) for a response to the coroner’s report. A spokesman at DCMS told us it would send a statement “shortly” — but six hours (and minus one chancellor) later we’re still waiting to receive it. Calls to the DCMS press office line were being routed to voicemail. (But SoS Donelan was spotted busily tweeting the latest Truss ‘hold-the-fractious-government-together’ line — which includes the unfortunate appeal that we “must come together and focus on delivering”) In a statement to the press following the coroner’s report, Molly Russell’s father Ian called for social media firms to get their house in order without waiting to be ordered to do so by unruly lawmakers. “We urge social media companies to heed the coroner’s words and not drag their feet waiting for legislation and regulation, but instead to take a proactive approach to self-regulation to make their platforms safer for their young users,” he said, adding: “They should think long and hard about whether their platforms are suitable for young people at all.”

Twitter is developing a way for users to control who can mention them • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 14, 2022Posted in Apps, Social, social media, TwitterNo Comments

Twitter is developing a feature that has the potential to curb harassment and bullying on the social network. App engineer Jane Manchun Wong discovered that the company is developing a way for users to control who can mention them on Twitter. According to a screenshot posted by Wong, the new controls would give users the option to limit mentions to people they follow or turn off mentions altogether. Of course, you would still have the option to allow anyone to mention you, which is how Twitter currently operates. Giving users the option to turn off mentions altogether would be a dramatic shift for the company, but it would also give users a way to protect themselves from all sorts of bullying and harassment they face on the platform. Although users who are targeted by trolls currently have the option to block or mute users, individually blocking abusive accounts or muting specific tweets does not scale in instances when there may be hundreds of accounts involved in the targeted abuse. As with any other test feature, it’s unknown when or if Twitter plans to roll out the new controls officially. When asked about the possible upcoming change, a spokesperson from Twitter told ZebethMedia that the company doesn’t have anything to share at the moment. It’s worth noting that Twitter privacy designer Dominic Camozzi confirmed the new controls were in the works in a now-deleted tweet, as noted by The Verge, and had asked users for feedback. If Twitter decides to roll out the feature, it would join the social network’s current audience management features. Two years ago, Twitter gave all users the option to limit replies to their tweets. The feature lets you limit replies to people you follow or the people you mentioned in the tweet. With this feature, trolls can still unfortunately Quote Tweet another user’s tweet as a way to send abuse. The new controls uncovered by Wong would likely get rid of this workaround and protect users from incessant trolls. Twitter also rolled out its “Unmentioning” feature to all users earlier this year. The feature allows users to remove their name from another user’s tweet so they’re no longer tagged in it and any ongoing chatter around it won’t keep appearing in their mentions feed. The new controls would take this option even further by preventing your handle from being mentioned in the first place. The new controls would be a welcome addition to the platform and it’s nice to know that Twitter is looking at ways to help users protect themselves from abuse beyond the existing anti-abuse features. Coordinated trolling attacks have been an unwanted part of Twitter’s platform and the company has frequently been criticized for not doing enough to prevent harassment and abuse. Although public figures may be more likely to face higher levels of harassment than other types of users, it’s a problem that isn’t limited to users with a public profile, especially when racist abuse remains a problem on Twitter. The new controls would be a step toward protecting users online from all sorts of abuse and trolling.

Meta files to dismiss FTC complaint over acquisition of VR fitness company Within • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 13, 2022Posted in meta, Social, Virtual reality, WithinNo Comments

Meta submitted a request to dismiss the Federal Trade Commission’s complaint about its acquisition of Within. The Los Angeles virtual reality firm makes Supernatural, a rhythm game-turned-workout app that, in our humble opinion, is a legitimately excellent use of VR. It makes sense why Meta wants to absorb the company, but the FTC has raised concerns that it may be an anticompetitive acquisition. “Meta and [CEO Mark] Zuckerberg are planning to expand Meta’s virtual reality empire with this attempt to illegally acquire a dedicated fitness app that proves the value of virtual reality to users,” the agency wrote in July. Today, Meta filed a request in the Northern District of California court to move forward with the deal despite the FTC’s complaint. At first, the FTC argued that the acquisition would limit competition in the VR fitness market. The agency wrote, “Meta already participates in this broader market with its Beat Saber app, as does Within with its premium rival app Supernatural. The two companies currently spur each other to keep adding new features and attract more users, competitive rivalry that would be lost if this acquisition were allowed to proceed.” But the FTC filed a new complaint last week and removed these allegations. If we want to get technical about it, Beat Saber isn’t really a fitness app — some people just break a sweat because the game requires a lot of fast arm movement, but Beat Saber wasn’t built with exercise in mind. The games just draw comparison because they’re both rhythm games. In any case, Meta capitalized on the FTC’s less intense filing by arguing that the complaint shouldn’t stand in the way of the acquisition. If Meta were to acquire Within, then the FTC would have a much more difficult time forcing the merged companies to separate. “Having abandoned its claim that Meta and Within compete for fitness consumers, the FTC proceeds only on the claim that Meta and Within could compete, and that the fear of such competition drives Within and others to compete more strenuously,” Meta’s filing says. But the company’s lawyers argue that, per legal precedent, “perceived potential competition” hasn’t stood up in court as grounds for blocking a vertical merger. “The FTC alleges only that generalized fear of possible entry by Meta is a spur to competition,” the filing says. Meta has waged an enormous bet on virtual reality; in 2021, the company spent over $10 billion in its Reality Labs division, and it’s not seeing anywhere near that amount in revenue. At its developer conference this week, the company formerly known as Facebook unveiled its high-end VR headset, the Quest Pro, which retails for $1,499.99. Meta Motion to Dismiss by ZebethMedia

Twitter’s making it easier for professional account users to link to their content and services • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 13, 2022Posted in Apps, Social, Twitter, twitter for professionalsNo Comments

Twitter is launching a new ‘Link Spotlight’ feature that lets professional account users add an interactive button to their profiles that links to a specific URL. The social network says the purpose of the Link Spotlight button is to give businesses and professionals a way to drive potential customers to their content, services or products. With this new button, you can refer users to take a look at your menu, listen to your podcast, make a reservation and more. The Link Spotlight feature is currently available to professional account users in the United States. Professional account users can choose to add buttons that say “Listen now,” “See live,””Watch now,” “Stream live,” “Read now,” “View menu,” “Book an appointment” and “Make a reservation.” Once you select a button, you’ll be able to enter a destination URL. The interactive button will then be displayed above your tweet timeline on your profile. 👋 Link Spotlight is now available to all professionals in the U.S. This new spotlight adds an interactive button to your profile that can drive your customers to whatever touchpoint is most important to you – viewing a menu, listening to your podcast, making a reservation, etc. pic.twitter.com/HGJdJcFceZ — Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) October 12, 2022 The button options are designed to give creators a more direct way to promote their content, while also giving businesses a way to attract and bring in more customers. The social network says the list of options is currently limited as it tests the new feature, noting that it may consider expanding the list in response to feedback. It’s worth noting that only URLs from Twitter’s allowlist of domains can be added to Link Spotlight. There are 34 domains in this list, including Spotify, Twitch, Grubhub, ChowNow, Vimeo, Etsy, Github, Kickstarter, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Ticketmaster, Soundcloud, Tidal, Deezer, Amazon Music, Substack and more. The full list can be found on Twitter’s Link Spotlight FAQ page. It’s not surprising that Twitter has an allowlist, since it probably doesn’t want to end up linking users to spam websites. Prior to the addition of the Link Spotlight feature, professional accounts have had the option to add a website link in their profiles, but you aren’t able to categorize the link. The addition of Link Spotlights gives professional accounts the option to link to more content or services in a clearer and more direct way. The launch of the new feature comes a few months after Twitter expanded its Location Spotlight feature to all businesses with professional accounts to allow them to display their location address, hours of operation and additional contact information on their profiles. Twitter first introduced Professional profiles last year and it made the option available to all users earlier this year in March. A professional account, which Twitter refers to as “Twitter for Professionals,” gives brands and creators access to additional tools to distinguish their profile. Twitter classifies anyone who uses Twitter for work as a professional.

Truth Social debuts in the Google Play Store • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 13, 2022Posted in content moderation, Google, Social, truth socialNo Comments

Though it’s been available for the iPhone for months, Truth Social is now listed in Google’s app marketplace for the first time. Axios first reported Wednesday that Truth Social, former President Trump’s social network, cleared the necessary hurdles to get approval from Google. The app became available on Android shortly after and is now live in the Play Store, extending its reach to Google’s mobile operating system. Axios reported back in August that Google opted to block Truth Social from the Play Store after it discovered a number of posts that broke its rules, including content containing physical threats and incitements to violence. Truth Social was never formally banned from the Play Store, though its approval was on ice until sufficient changes were made. Unlike on iOS, there are other distribution options available for Android apps that don’t get formal approval from Google. Google tolerates sideloading apps through other avenues and Truth Social recently offered the app as a direct download — the same strategy that fellow “free speech” app Parler previously employed to circumvent a similar situation. Google told Axios that Truth Social agreed to enforce its policies against some forms of content, including posts that incite violence, in order to get approved. It’s not immediately clear how the app will handle hate speech — unlike the mainstream social networks it seeks to supplant, Truth Social doesn’t have rules against hate — but Google’s rules for user-generated content explicitly forbid content that incites hatred.

Meta and news outlet’s spar deepens India’s trust deficit • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 12, 2022Posted in Facebook, india, Media & Entertainment, meta, SocialNo Comments

Tech giants and news organizations sparring over news reporting isn’t new. Companies often complain to journalists about getting nuances wrong and usually air their dismay “off the record.” Journalists usually agree to include the rebuttals provided the companies can offer the same assertions on-record. The companies don’t follow through and the conversation typically ends there and the world never finds out about what is more often than not a very mundane thing. That’s one of the factors that makes Indian news outlet The Wire’s reporting this week on Instagram and Meta’s responses remarkable. Lawmakers and newsrooms in the U.S. and India are closely watching one of the strangest episodes of a newsroom and its subject publicly disputing — and doubling down on their claims. The Wire, an organization known best for holding the ruling party to account in a way that very few do, reported on Monday that Facebook has given governing party BJP’s top digital operative an unchecked ability to remove content from the platform. The report, which relies on what it claims are internal documents, appears to advance WSJ’s reporting of an internal company program called XCheck, where Facebook shields millions of VIP users from the company’s normal enforcement process. Meta insists that the XCheck program “has nothing to do with the ability to report posts” and has publicly called the documents “fabricated.” Andy Stone, Meta’s comms, tweeted: “The posts in question were surfaced for review by automated systems, not humans. And the underlying documentation appears to be fabricated.” The unexpected twist came on Tuesday, when Wire doubled down on its reporting, claiming to include a picture that appeared to show an alleged email Stone sent to internal teams where he is questioning members how the documents leaked. The picture also showed that Facebook maintains a watchlist of journalists. Wire’s response immediately went viral for several hours and most people believed it. In a way that separates it from most other companies, Facebook has earned a reputation where its denials are not really taken on face value. This is the reason why at least two major outlets in India have chosen not to acknowledge Wire’s story — nor Meta’s denials of those reporting, according to two people familiar with the matter. (Though in its credit, Facebook is suing the Indian government over right to users’ privacy.) The matter was considered closed, and it appeared that Facebook, which identifies India as its largest market by users, was trying to mislead again. But the drama’s lifespan has been extended as Meta has since doubled down on its denial, saying Meta’s Stone’s purported email in the story is “fake.” Guy Rosen, the chief security information officer at Meta, said: “The supposed email address from which it was sent isn’t even Stone’s current email address, and the ‘to’ address isn’t one we use here either. There is no such email. That same story makes reference to an internal journalist ‘watchlist.’ There is no such list.” Facebook, like many other companies, does maintain dossiers on journalists. I (Manish) know this because they accidentally sent me the link to one about five years ago. Meta also does maintain email addresses with the fb.com domain. (The generic press contact remains a fb.com email. Though that’s not proof that Stone still actively uses a fb.com email.) Wire is standing by its reporting. However, if Meta is proven right, tricking a reputable outlet into running an explosive story that could’ve been easily refuted by a big megacorp like Meta would damage press credibility across India at a time when the country’s media is increasingly grappling with a series of existential crises. Who would have the least to lose and most to gain here, especially if the goal was to undermine credibility in the press? These documents were triangulated with other elements of the story that we reported. Meta’s strategy is to try and push us in to a corner with its preposterous “fabrication” charge and force us to reveal information which may compromise our sources. This isn’t going to happen! 2/ — Siddharth (@svaradarajan) October 11, 2022

My virtual torso watched Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Connect 2022 keynote • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 11, 2022Posted in SocialNo Comments

Moments before Meta’s big annual developer conference was set to begin, ZebethMedia’s staff scrambled to see who had a charged Meta Quest headset, which is turned out was nobody. But because I knew what corner of the closet mine was in (upper left), here I am. After merging my work Facebook account (Taylor Linguini) with Meta’s new universal login system, I pushed a software update, RSVPed to Mark Zuckerberg’s big keynote and popped on that bad boy. I also popped on its USB charger because this thing doesn’t last that long to begin with and I was on like 30 percent power and sometimes Zuckerberg likes to do a lot of words. It took me a little bit of gesticulating wildly to remember the controls, but then I was ready to watch the Meta CEO’s keynote, which was attended by myself and 5.4K of my closest friends (torsos only) a number that probably accurately reflects how many Meta employees and wayward tech reporters were required to watch this thing in three dimensions instead of two. Image Credits: Meta/ZebethMedia My main impressions from the event, the virtual one, were that… it was fine. I was plopped into a virtual plaza full of helpful signage about the keynote location and developer events and a big brand fountain in the center (all brands need a fountain) with that floppy blue infinity sign. After navigating to the keynote portal by thrusting my virtual torso into a large depiction of Mark Zuckerberg I was sucked into a VR timeloop situation for five minutes or so, wherein I got kicked back to the plaza and had to do it all over again. Once I was in, I watched Zuckerberg’s newly revamped avatar chat with various employees on stage in a small instance with maybe 15 other people, all of whom probably worked for Meta and thought I was completely deranged, which is mostly not true. While they stood around a small virtual amphitheater watching the keynote calmly, I did the opposite, scooting frantically between them and taking screenshots while pressing myself as close to Zuck’s instanced avatar as I could, much like any self-respecting press nightmare person would do at an IRL event. Image Credits: Meta/ZebethMedia Everything worked pretty well and it was mildly more entertaining to watch a tech keynote in VR rather than on my computer, but way less practical. I couldn’t really record the audio any more or take notes, since my field of vision was dominated by virtual reality, which is not yet superior to reality reality as far as jotting down my little notes goes. And it was hard to describe the funny things happening to my work pals, who were not in VR with me, which drove a wedge between us, in my opinion. One thing I will say is the avatars in Horizon Worlds look pretty okay now (mine is kind of hot to be perfectly honest), but man, people are doing some wild stuff with their arms. Presumably like me, everyone else in my little pocket world was watching while seated at their desk, intensely gripping their little joystick deathstars as the only tether to regular old tactile reality. Image Credits: Meta/ZebethMedia Image Credits: ZebethMedia/Meta The effect of that is everyone sticking their zombie arms straight out or worse, twisting them up in horrible contortions because, like me, at some point they got sick of holding the controllers and set them down haphazardly. I even found one poor fucker levitating in space at the great floppy infinity fountain, his body folded hopelessly into itself three feet off the ground. I’m just bringing this up because we’re adding feet now, but maybe we should be un-adding arms, you know? Image Credits: Meta/ZebethMedia Ultimately everything went pretty smoothly except the scary stuff with the arms. There should probably be a “desk mode” that puts up a standard animation of crossed arms or whatever so we don’t all look like horrorshows in Horizon Worlds. Meta if you’d like to hire me I’m a genius but I do think that would be a conflict of interest. Also I have to say that my dog licked me out of nowhere while I was in there and that was totally shocking and I said “woah!” out loud, and that really pulled me out of the experience.

Among Us is coming to the Meta Quest 2 on November 10 • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 11, 2022Posted in Gaming, meta, Meta Connect 2022, SocialNo Comments

Among Us may have had its heyday two full years ago, but Meta isn’t counting out 2020’s hottest multiplayer whodunnit. Today during its big VR developer event, Meta announced that the indie game will hit the Meta Quest 2 on November 10. Meta first announced Among Us back in April, promising that the game would hit the VR platform by the end of the year for players age 13 and up. It’s not likely that we’re going to see AOC playing Among Us in VR these days — that ship has sailed — but Meta can still use all the help it can get pushing adoption for its VR hardware with hit titles that might lure people away from traditional gaming consoles and PCs. Still, it’s pretty late for a viral multiplayer Twitch-powered title like Among Us, which even felt late to the Nintendo Switch and that version hit all the way back in December 2020.