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Mia Sato

@miasato.bsky.social

reporter at @theverge.com, and things of that nature. i cover social media/tech companies and life online. contact me securely on signal: @miasato.11.

1411 Posts48989 Follower498 Folgt
Mia Sato@miasato.bsky.social · last wk.

I’m in Hokkaido rn and reading the local news and apparently people are scared because someone swapped all the lights in Sapporo park bathrooms to LEDs lmao

Mia Sato@miasato.bsky.social · 4w ago

Sorry did Kalshi AI generate the Dodgers starting pitchers? Why is Skubal a mix of Ohtani and Alex Call? What did they do to Glasnow? They made Blake Snell’s facial hair even worse?????

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Mia Sato@miasato.bsky.social · last mo.

I think I maybe undersold how gross the “prank” played on this employee was. Imagine you come into work, try to help customers, and later realize they've racked up 500,000+ views on social media by harassing you and your coworkers.

In August, Toru Hinkle was stocking shelves at their job at Target when they noticed two customers and asked if they needed any help. The men requested a price check on an item — but even after Hinkle told them the item was $20, the customers asked for the price again and again. “After a while, I realized that I’m basically being pranked, and I noticed the glasses,” Hinkle says, referring to the frames with a blinking light. They were the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, and the customers were filming. Hinkle eventually called a store manager over, but the pranksters antagonized her, too — asking the price repeatedly, deliberately misgendering Hinkle as “ma’am” and the female manager as “sir.” At one point, Hinkle attempted to stop the recording by saying “Meta, stop recording” out loud, hoping to trigger a voice control setting. The customers pretended to be confused by the accusation that they were recording Hinkle. The confrontation made Hinkle queasy. “I felt like this pit in my stomach just started to build up,” Hinkle recalls. “After this whole exchange happened, the rest of the shift, I was just quiet and didn’t even talk to anyone because I was just so shaken up by it.” Another customer called the police, Hinkle says, and the two men were escorted out of the store. Target declined to comment.
Mia Sato@miasato.bsky.social · last mo.

New: Target staff "pranked" for social media; a comedian filmed mid-set; a Sprouts worker whose boss started wearing Meta glasses; and a cashier worried customers are filming down her shirt. Meta glasses are in the workplace, and workers feel powerless to stop it. 🎁 www.theverge.com/report/98241...

Mia Sato@miasato.bsky.social · last mo.

We shouldn't discount the fact that at least part of the data center backlash (and by extension the broader techlash) is because people feel like the tech industry has not given them anything cool, inspiring, beautiful, or useful in a long time

Mia Sato@miasato.bsky.social · last mo.

I know my reporting often feeds the "We live in hell" fires but I'm working on a story rn that is making me so angry and that you all will absolutely hate even more than usual

Mia Sato@miasato.bsky.social · 2mo ago

ICYMI: Brands and corporations are going into subreddits for music, beauty, weight loss and more, blending in with average users and secretly promoting themselves. The future of online search might depend on the moderators trying to stop them. www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Can Reddit fend off a new wave of AI SEO spam?

The era of AI-powered search has made Reddit mentions highly valuable. Subreddit moderators are catching brands trying to take advantage.

theverge.com

matty monroe🥤@monrovianprince.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Spoke with @theverge.com about some of the work we’ve been doing on r/indieheads in regards to self-promotional spam, burner accounts and dealing with the music industry. Thank you again to @miasato.bsky.social for talking with me for this great piece of reporting!

Mia Sato@miasato.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Is your favorite subreddit filled with brands blending in with real users while they promote themselves? Reddit is more important than ever. I wrote about the skincare brands, record labels, and weight loss apps descending on Reddit to get seen by people — and AI. www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Rich Stroffolino (非球面)@mranthropology.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I’ve seen this in the cybersecurity community. Lots of obvious Reddit spam but also tons of skepticism on post authenticity

Mia Sato@miasato.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Is your favorite subreddit filled with brands blending in with real users while they promote themselves? Reddit is more important than ever. I wrote about the skincare brands, record labels, and weight loss apps descending on Reddit to get seen by people — and AI. www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Mia Sato@miasato.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Is your favorite subreddit filled with brands blending in with real users while they promote themselves? Reddit is more important than ever. I wrote about the skincare brands, record labels, and weight loss apps descending on Reddit to get seen by people — and AI. www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Can Reddit fend off a new wave of AI SEO spam?

The era of AI-powered search has made Reddit mentions highly valuable. Subreddit moderators are catching brands trying to take advantage.

theverge.com