Welcome to the toilet-talking, midnight phone-junkie generation

Dan Sabbagh: We spend more time watching TV, logged on or communicating by phone as the pace of consumption accelerates

Facebook and Twitter fuel iPhone and BlackBerry addiction, says Ofcom

Regulator says half of British teenagers and 25% of adults now have smartphones as sales outstrip regular mobiles. By Josh Halliday

Facebook facial recognition software violates privacy laws, says Germany

Social network must stop programme and delete data already collected on users – or face fines up to €300,000, says official

Twitter valued at $8bn after large investment

Social media site boosted by DST Global's $400m, as value doubles since December and daily traffic triples in a year

Facebook buys iOS book-app publisher Push Pop Press

Stuart Dredge: The developer of Al Gore's Our Choice snapped up, but says social network isn't moving into digital publishing

Facebook bans Nirvana album cover – then says Nevermind

Social networking site removes image of naked baby from 1991 LP for violating terms of use ... then changes its mind

White House rickrolls Twitter user who complains of ‘dull’ feed

Charles Arthur: The spirit of fun is alive in the White House, even as debt ceiling negotiations go down to the wire

Thanks Marshall, I think we’ve finally got the message…

Marshall McLuhan's ideas about media seem more insightful than ever, writes John Naughton

Friendship: why social networks are too crowded to get close

Social networks are trying to be more subtle at accommodating our shifting allegiances, but they're no substitute for real time with our friends, writes Aleks Krotoski

How the internet created an age of rage

The worldwide web has made critics of us all. But with commenters able to hide behind a cloak of anonymity, the blog and chatroom have become forums for hatred and bile. Tim Adams reports

SingStar creator’s new startup explores social, mobile, music and fashion

Stuart Dredge: Paulina Bozek tells the Evolve conference about her new company Inensu

Social mobile developers taking their pick from investment sources

Stuart Dredge: StarFund is just the latest initiative promising to fund innovative mobile game ideas

EMI inks Facebook social games licensing deal with MXP4

Stuart Dredge: Players will pay using Facebook Credits to play games including tracks from Lily Allen, Gorillaz, David Guetta and other artists

Google+ guide: how good is it?

It's the perfect anti-social network – so should you be hoping for an invite?