Social media buzz: Clubhouse, Fox cancels show, Foot Locker

Clubhouse, Silicon Valley’s invitation-only audio chat room, is gaining popularity among Chinese users, who are flocking to the rare western social media app that hasn’t been blocked by the Great Firewall. The hashtag “Clubhouse Invite Code” was trending on Weibo this week.

• In the U.S., Clubhouse broke into the Top 30 of most downloaded apps among iPhone users, according to SensorTower, after Elon Musk made an appearance in a chat room last Sunday.
• Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also joined Clubhouse and chatted about the company’s AR and VR developments.

Fox Corp. canceled the nightly show of Lou Dobbs, a fierce ally of former President Donald Trump, swapping the program for a series called “Fox Business Tonight” with rotating hosts.

• Separately, a New York Times science reporter whose fame grew during the Covid-19 pandemic is stepping down after allegations that he used the N-word during a company-sponsored student trip to Peru in 2019.

Kansas City Chiefs outside linebackers coach Britt Reid was involved in a car accident Thursday night that left a child with life-threatening injuries. He is no longer expected to travel to Tampa, Florida, for the Super Bowl, ESPN said. Reid, who was driving, told the police that he’d had drinks, according to a police officer’s statement.

Foot Locker rose to Top 10 on Twitter’s trending list Saturday morning, ahead of its release of new kicks inspired by Michael Jordan’s 12th game shoe.

Washington, New York and the rest of the Northeast will get a quick blanket of heavy snow Sunday that could hamper travel for the Super Bowl, the quasi-secular U.S. holiday when the National Football League plays its championship game.

By Yueqi Yang