Latest Stories from Jamie
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...
Google’s integrity is brought into question over research bias
Google, the ubiquitous search engine we all use for reliable and impartial research, could soon start to oust information on ‘sensitive topics.’ Is this a censorship storm waiting to happen? Alphabet’s flagship platform Google is under serious fire this week regarding censorship measures, and concern is growing that bias could soon discredit the platform as a reliable search engine. Sparked by the forced resignation of Dr Timnit Gebru, an AI...
The anonymous French outfit debunking anti-vax theories online
With the world on the cusp of finally beginning to administer a viable Covid-19 vaccine, an anonymous French collective is rooting out ‘the very worst’ anti-vax sentiments on social media. If you thought anti-vax demonstrations in London and California were bad, France is by definition the most vaccine-sceptical nation on the planet, with as many as 1 in 3 believing immunisation to be dangerous or unsafe. In 2017, mandatory vaccines...
Netflix’s ‘Guide to Meditation’ aims to alleviate the stress of 2020
After a turbulent year, Netflix is helping subscribers to breath, unwind, and reset for 2021 with an original series dubbed ‘Headspace: Guide to Meditation.’ When it comes to evoking a sense of FOMO, 2020 has been the ultimate adversary chiefly because, thanks to the pandemic, everyone has been missing out all year round. Confined to our homes, now in a third lockdown (in the UK), both work and play have been...
Is VR technology set to take over the videocall space?
Are virtual reality meetings the next logical step from videocalls in a post Covid world? While the coronavirus pandemic has decimated certain job markets, it has inspired tech companies to innovate and keep businesses thriving from a remote setting. In a radically shifting 12 months, we’ve adapted into something of a Zoom-centric society where people are accustomed to living out something close to their ordinary lives through the guise of...
Will Facebook’s Reels update pose a threat to TikTok?
Facebook continues to make a play for TikTok’s crown by gearing up to introduce Instagram Reels to users’ feeds. With Instagram testing out a new option that could soon see ‘recommended’ Reels end up on parent company Facebook’s news feed and video feature Watch, it’s safe to say that Facebook isn’t keen on playing second fiddle to TikTok in the vertical video space for much longer. Just last week, we...
Nine year-old Ryan Kaji leads YouTube’s top earners for 2020
Ryan Kaji, nine, has once again topped the charts of YouTube’s biggest earners, with toy unboxing and games review videos raking in close to $30 million for the child influencer. It’s time for our annual reminder that children are earning way more than us, and having more fun doing it too. Once you’re all done grinding your teeth and/or pondering your career choices, reconvene with us below and let’s get...
Amazon’s packaging is a plastic pollution nightmare
Marine conservationists have revealed some truly shocking statistics concerning e-commerce giant Amazon and the abundance of its plastic packaging currently being dumped into our oceans. Amazon has been embroiled in controversy for years over its persistent use of plastic packaging habitually ferried across all four corners of the globe, and as we approach the end of 2020, recent statistics divulged by marine conservationists won’t do the retail giant’s PR any...
