Whether you’re a venture capitalist, angel investor, founder, influencer or simply someone who wants to learn from some of the most influential individuals in the tech and startup scene, social media can offer a gateway into the ideas shaping the local landscape.
We’ve done our best this year to follow the ideas and big moves in L.A.’s startup scene by following influential local thinkers on Twitter, who often blast out their ideas using the hashtag #LongLA.
We’ve put together this list of 20 influential and diverse voices in social media who are worth following. Have a look. Anyone we’re missing? Let us know!
Anna Barber (@annawbarber)
Investing partner at M13, partner at the Fund LA, and former managing director of Techstars LA.
Qiana Patterson (@Q_i_a_n_a)
General Partner at Tamaa Capital, Chair of Pledge LA at Annenberg Foundation and Advisor and Investor at Cap Table Coalition.
Trish Halamandaris (@THalamandaris)
Director of the Venture Accelerator at UCLA School of Management.
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- Venture Capitals Investing in Southern California Startups - dot.LA ›
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Snap’s parental controls.
Courtesy of Watchful.
Snapchat is planning to introduce Family Center, which would allow parents to see who their children are friends with on the app and who they’ve messaged within the last seven days, according to screenshots provided by Watchful, a product intelligence company. Parents would also be able help their kids report abuse or harassment.
The parental controls are still subject to change before finally launching publicly, as the Family Center screenshots—which were first reported by TechCrunch—reflect features that are still under development.
Santa Monica-based Snap and other social media giants have faced mounting criticism for not doing more to protect their younger users—some of whom have been bullied, sold deadly drugs and sexually exploited on their platforms. State attorneys general have urged Snap and Culver City-based TikTok to strengthen their parental controls, with both companies’ apps especially popular among teens.
A Snap spokesperson declined to comment on Friday. Previously, Snap representatives have told dot.LA that the company is developing tools that will provide parents with more insight into how their children are engaging on Snapchat and allow them to report troubling content.
Yet Snap’s approach to parental controls could still give teens some privacy, as parents wouldn’t be able to read the actual content of their kids’ conversations, according to TechCrunch. (The Family Center screenshots seen by dot.LA do not detail whether parents can see those conversations).
In addition, teenage users would first have to accept an invitation from their parents to join the in-app Family Center before those parents can begin monitoring their social media activity, TechCrunch reported.