Latest Stories from Charlie
Is Zuckerberg ditching his Metaverse utopia?
A new Meta blog post has outlined how Zuckerberg intends to deliver on his ‘year of efficiency’. 10’000 jobs are to be cut and a further 5’000 open roles are closing. ‘Lower priority projects’ will also be shut down. Is Zuckerberg giving up on the Metaverse? Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced 10’000 layoffs and a freezing of 5’000 open roles in the company’s ‘year of efficiency’. It follows a...
Heinz unveils Fortnite island to highlight soil degradation
Tomato and bean producer Heinz has unveiled a new community-built Fortnite island that highlights soil degradation. Named ‘S.O.S Tomato Island’, players will be able to explore a reconstructed Heinz tomato farm. Fancy learning more about Heinz tomato production? Need an excuse to jump back into the marketing juggernaut that is Fortnite? Heinz has announced a new playable community-built island called ‘S.O.S Tomato Island’, where players can learn about soil degradation...
Spotify is pivoting toward short-form video content
Music streaming platform Spotify has announced a newly designed user interface that prioritises short-form video and quick preview snippets. It is the latest app to follow TikTok’s design model. Spotify is rolling out a new user interface that focuses on short-form video content. Previous iterations of the app displayed albums, songs, podcasts, and playlists as stacked tiles fixed to your home screen. The updated interface will instead offer an endless,...
TikTok imposes sixty minutes screen time limit for teens
Teenagers under the age of 18 in the US must now type a password into TikTok after sixty minutes of daily use if they want to continue. It comes as the platform faces a possible ban and mounting privacy concerns. Young people in the US will have to input a password if they want to continue using TikTok after an hour of daily use, the platform has announced. A further prompt...
Gen Z are spending more time on TikTok than any other app
Data by Measure Protocol has found that Gen Z spends the most time on TikTok compared to any other app. However, only 83% of teens use TikTok compared to 87% on Instagram. Here’s some news that is neither shocking nor surprising. Research by Measure Protocol has found that Gen Z spend most of their time on TikTok compared to other social media apps by quite some margin. Those aged between...
Does the post-apocalypse shooter ‘The Day Before’ really exist?
‘The Day Before’ has been billed as a massive online post-apocalypse zombie shooter. It is the second most wish-listed game on Steam and has lapped up serious levels of hype. There’s only one catch – nobody is sure if it actually exists. When I mention video game disasters, what comes to mind? Most of us would probably list buggy, unplayable games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Fallout 76 as the biggest...
Spotify lays off 6% of work force in latest tech cuts
Music streaming platform Spotify is to cut 6% of its 10,000 employee work force, after hiring aggressively over the pandemic period. It is line with other tech companies who have stripped back their workforces. Spotify will be letting 6% of its work force go after major cuts to improve company ‘efficiency’. CEO Daniel Ek has said that he was ‘too ambitious’ and expanded the company too quickly. It follows similar...
Designer Gyuhan Lee upcycles McDonald’s bags into lamps
These nongreasy upcycled lamps were made from McDonald’s paper bags by Gyuhan Lee. They’re a fun example of how packaging and waste can be repurposed to become useful decoration. Fancy yourself a midnight snack? Craving the golden arches of fast food convenience? Single-use packaging could be worth more than you think, even after it’s been used to store burgers and fries. Korean designer Gyuhan Lee is known for his sculptures...
Study shows most musicians can’t afford equipment
New research by charity Help Musicians says that over 90% of all musicians can no longer afford equipment to perform live shows. Being a musician is a tough ordeal in the age of streaming. Most consumers aren’t buying CDs or vinyl, with touring and merchandise usually serving as the main sources of income for most independent artists. Now, new research suggests that things are worse than first thought. A study...
Study says Gen Z have become loneliest generation
Despite assumptions that older generations are lonely, new research suggests young people struggle the most with feelings of isolation. Balancing between real and digital life has become increasingly tougher too, the study says. New research suggests that Generation Z are now the ‘loneliest generation’. It’s believed that the pandemic, lockdowns, an emphasis on digital life, and rising costs of living are having a detrimental effect on the mental wellbeing of young...
