Social Media Buzz: Crypto, Zuckerberg, Mastriano, Britney Spears

What’s buzzing on social media this morning:

BUZZING CURRENCY:

Bitcoin dipped briefly below $20,000 on Saturday for the first time since July 14, extending its rout this year to 57%, as hawkish comments a day earlier by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell rippled through global markets. Cryptocurrencies slid after Friday’s speech in which the US central bank signaled it would remain hawkish on policy to get inflation under control. Cryptos including Ether and Avalanche also slid. Despite the tumble, some analysts say the recent trading pattern presents a buying opportunity

BUZZING COMPANIES:

The FBI said it “routinely notifies US private sector entities, including social media providers, of potential threat information” after Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook limited distribution of posts about Hunter Biden’s laptop in the days before the 2020 election. The FBI’s Friday press release was issued after a Thursday interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, in which Zuckerberg said the agency “came to us” with a warning to be on high alert for possible Russian misinformation. He said the FBI didn’t warn specifically about the Biden laptop story but that it “fit that pattern.” Meta said on Friday Zuckerberg had revealed the same information in October 2020.

BUZZING HEADLINES:

Doug Mastriano, the Donald Trump-backed Republican candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, donned a Confederate uniform in a 2013-2014 faculty photo at an Army war college, according to a copy of the image obtained by Reuters. The photo was released by the college under a Freedom of Information Act request. Of the nearly two dozen faculty members in the photo, Mastriano was the only one who chose to wear a costume of the Confederacy, Reuters reported. Mastriano, a current state senator who is trailing his Democratic rival in the gubernatorial race, did not respond to the news agency’s requests for comment. 

Britney Spears, months out of a conservatorship and supported by legions of #FreeBritney fans, has debuted a new song with music legend Elton John. Titled “Hold Me Closer,” it’s already gone to the top of the UK and US iTunes charts.