For years, using social media has been mostly free. But that’s slowly changing. Following in Twitter’s footsteps, Meta has launched a subscription service for its platforms. We’ll discuss what paying for social media might mean for our online culture. And, the latest news about SVB (of course) and the regulators that may have dropped the ball. Plus, a round of Half Full/Half Empty. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Why American whiskey is the real winner of St. Patrick’s Day” from CNN “Meta launches subscription service in US” from Reuters “Fed Blocked Mention of Regulatory Flaws in Silicon Valley Bank Rescue” from The New York Times “The Fed Was Too Late on SVB Even Though It Saw Problem After Problem” from Bloomberg “U.S. Pushes for TikTok Sale to Resolve National Security Concerns” from The New York Times “Buffalo Wild Wings sued over boneless wings” from CBS “Could the Fed’s new emergency bank lending program encourage risky behavior?” from Marketplace Beer Purchasers’ Index from the National Beer Wholesalers Association Our March fundraiser ends today! Help us meet our goal this week so we can cover our costs and plan for the future: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn

Back in the ’30s, news of bank collapses traveled slowly. But in the early hours of Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse, the news spread like wildfire through startup messaging chains on WhatsApp, Slack, Signal and Telegram. Today, how rumors and anxiety contributed to SVB’s downfall. Plus, grocery bills bum consumers out more than banking meltdowns and China’s population decline has far-reaching repercussions.

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, meaning people around the world will be wearing green and celebrating Irish culture — even those who don’t have roots there. But according to the BBC’s Leanna Byrne, it’s also a big day for Irish diplomacy and business, as the country uses its widely-recognized national day to foster economic ties around the world. And, we spoke with Yale’s Steven Kelly about the limits of comparing the now-defunct Silicon Valley Bank with the rest of the financial system.

This past week, banks have been ramping up their cash borrowing at record rates to shore up reserves in the wake of recent bank failures. We look at who’s been lending smaller institutions money, including the Federal Reserve and larger banks, and why it matters. New academic research on America’s banking sector has found that the real value of the industry is less than it looks on paper because of rising interest rates. And, a trip to Louisiana, where residents of a former “Black Wall Street” community are raising questions about how the construction of a highway has damaged the area’s economic welfare.

From the BBC World Service: There have been protests inside and outside the French parliament as President Emmanuel Macron invoked special constitutional powers to pass his contentious pensions bill, which he said is needed to ensure the system does not go bust. BBC Paris Correspondent Hugh Schofield was watching proceedings unfold in the French capital. Plus, today is St Patrick’s Day, so how does Ireland make the most of this opportunity when it comes to trade? Marketplace’s Leanna Bryne’s been finding out.