Latest Stories from Charlie
Report says recession leaving Gen Z the worst off
A cost of living crisis, stagnant wages, and shrinking economies are leaving young people worst off, according to a new study. Many Gen Zers are unable to save or invest for the future. This may not come as much of a surprise, but it turns out Gen Z may be financially struggling more than any other generation. New survey data from financial services company DailyPay found that only 28% of...
GaeaStar’s new coffee cups are made using only clay
San Francisco and Germany-based startup GaeaStar has developed a new disposable coffee cup made from clay. It can be thrown on the ground and discarded with no negative effect on the environment. Most of the time, throwing used coffee cups on the ground and walking away is selfish, lazy, and deserving of criticism. However, these new clay coffee cups created by startup GaeaStar could be the exception to the rule....
Should we criticise musicians for entering high luxury fashion?
Frank Ocean’s $27,000 USD sex toy left many fans disappointed and muddled. At what point does a popular musician’s entry into fashion and other high-end avenues become exploitative? Frank Ocean unveiled a $27,000 USD male genital sex toy last year - complete with a nude photography demonstration, obviously - leaving many fans feeling deflated. It’s been six years since the release of Ocean’s last full length LP Blonde, which has...
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...
