Latest Stories from Jamie
Netflix is striving for ethnicity and gender equality in 2021
Netflix has revealed its first ‘inclusion report’, a handy roadmap outlining how the company will be improving ethnicity and gender diversity for 2021 and beyond. 2020 was a challenging year for film and theatre. Hollywood productions were being upended and cinemas closed across the board, yet TV subscription services reaped the benefits of a captive lockdown audience and came out on top. By June of last year Netflix had already secured...
How to use Spark AR’s DIY resources for pro Instagram Stories
Facebook’s Spark AR is making digital design more accessible than ever before for aspiring creatives. Get involved and make a buck. Creatives are finally getting a peak behind the curtain in regard to digital design tools on social media, and developing the knack of producing professional quality work is easier than ever before. In this case, we’re looking into the augmented reality features you’ll no doubt have seen on countless Insta...
Facebook’s ‘smart glasses’ bring us closer to wearable AR in 2021
2021 is set to become a breakthrough year for the rollout of smart glasses and Facebook is at the front of the queue with its own wearable tech, though it’s not without a significant catch. Frankly speaking, the future of wearable gadgets and real-world integration with augmented reality is easily top five on the list of most exciting developments in tech right now. It’s also the worst kept secret in...
Parler servers shut down in wake of US Capitol riot
Originally peddled as a social media network for unbridled free speech, Parler has been taken offline by hosts Amazon following the Capitol riots in the US. Parler, the Twitter clone known for peddling unbridled free speech with dangerously loose content moderation tools – depending on which side of the fence you sit – has this week seen its hosting services pulled by Amazon. After less than three turbulent years of...
The legal state of abortion worldwide in 2021
Attitudes towards the ever contentious pro-choice/pro-birth debate have shifted varyingly over the last 25 years across the globe. In 2021, here’s where different regions currently stand on the legality. A week after Argentina secured a huge milestone for pro-choice campaigners by becoming the largest Latin American country – and only the third one in the region – to legalise abortion, consumer data mogul Statista has released a definitive record...
Start-ups are racing to build the world’s first flying taxis
The flying cars of science fiction could soon become part of our everyday reality, and savvy start-ups are looking to build city infrastructures now. The recent Blade Runner sequel depicted a futuristic Los Angeles in the year 2049, where acid rain fell from skies crowded with flying cars called ‘skimmers’ that zip along aerial highways. Disappointing as the movie was, its Hollywood writers may have been onto something in terms...
Too Good To Go is leading the tech revolution against surplus food waste
Too Good To Go is the rapidly growing social impact start-up leading a revolution against surplus food waste across Europe and the US. Whether or not you’re partaking in Veganuary, there’s no question that diving into 2021 people are more conscious than ever before in terms of what we’re eating, and limiting carbon footprints will no doubt be one of the popular New Year’s resolutions this year. Now able to arm...
Illicit apps promoting Covid-19 parties are finally being pulled
Brought to light by a reporter on Twitter, a controversial phone app that connected cooped up socialites at nearby ‘pandemic parties’ has finally been pulled. An app that promoted and claimed to host illegal parties during lockdown has this week been ousted from iOS, and efforts have been elevated to upend plans of this nefarious variety altogether. Vybe Together, whose slogan happened to be ‘Get your party on, Get your rebel...
Invite-only social app Clubhouse to become a hit with Gen Z?
Clubhouse, a ‘spontaneous’ chatroom app, is trading its influencer exclusivity for a full-scale public rollout this year, and it’s set to be a real hit with Gen Z. Social tech fanatics who keep up to date with the newest apps will know all about Clubhouse, the ambitious social network focused on live chat rooms. Chances are they won’t have had to chance to use it yet, though. Built on exclusivity, Clubhouse...
Instagram ups its creative tools for Reels and Stories
Following on from September’s convenient updates, Instagram is swiftly rolling out the next batch of creative features for Reels and Stories. It’s no secret that Instagram is dead set on challenging TikTok to become numero uno in the vertical video space, and this week’s tweaks to Reels and Stories, minor as they may be, are designed to maximise users’ creative options on the platform. Having drastically improved the trimming and deletion...
