Communications Major

The one-time teen heartthrob is grateful for two things: Martin Luther King. Jr. and 10 million followers. Online backlash ensues.

Why not? With DOMA dead and LGBT rights continuing to make strides around the world a little history is a good thing. It may also help to raise awareness about the struggles the LGBT community has overcome and help unite forces to combat current oppression in Russia, the Middle East and some African countries that have harsh anti-gay laws that threaten the very livelihood of LGBT people.

A square box with thick pink horizontal lines (the mathematical equal symbol) was offered for sharing this week by the Human Rights Campaign as the U.S. Supreme Court took up arguments in key marriage rights cases.

The image, replacing profile pictures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest and elsewhere, is a makeover of the advocacy group's logo, usually a blue background with bright yellow lines. The HRC made it available in red — for the color of love — on Monday and estimated tens of millions of shares by Wednesday.

In a week that should have belonged to President Barack Obama, taking the oath of office for his second term and making a courageous speech dedicated to equality for all, it was the ladies around him who captured the social media spotlight.

More politicians are finding self-flattering ways around press conferences and on-the-record interviews. How? By making their own vanity videos.