WhatsApp combat the spread of COVID-19 misinformation
WhatsApp is looking to stem the ‘dissemination of fake news’ by imposing limits on forwarded messages. WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging platforms in the world, with upwards of 1.5 billion recorded users across its chat and video call features. A large part of the appeal comes from WhatsApp’s...
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YouTube to rival TikTok with short-bite feature ‘Shorts’?
YouTube is looking to ride the coattails of TikTok’s recent success by launching its own video-bite feature in 2020. It’s fair to say YouTube is getting a little greedy taking names in 2020. Despite sitting atop the podium of biggest video platforms (and second in the most visited site), pipping Twitch to...
The unstoppable rise of video calling apps in COVID-19 lockdown
Video calling platforms have gone from professional obligation to recreational pastime during the Covid-19 lockdown. Trying to muster positives in a time of global crisis is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Businesses are going belly up every day that the lockdown persists, with most global stock markets down...
Instagram is bringing ‘Selfie Stickers’ to Stories
If your Instagram stories weren’t zhushy enough already, the social meccas are now testing a feature dubbed Selfie Stickers. With social media platforms reporting peaks in user engagement throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, now seems the perfect time to introduce and test new features. Instagram are doing just that. Over 500 million users were already viewing...
Netflix to lower European streaming quality
It’s a temporary measure, but Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube will be reducing their streaming resolutions across Europe due to a surge in web traffic. Who would have thought COVID-19 would affect our ability to watch internet content in HD? Starting from today Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube will be...
Facebook ramps up moderation team amidst Covid-19 mental health crisis
Facebook is gearing up for an increase in anxious and depressed users, as the world is forced to hunker down into self-isolation. This week has certainly been an unusual one, to say the very least. As most of Europe and the US begin working from home on mass due to the...
Newly discovered ‘Super-Earth’ planet could inhabit life
A nearby exoplanet called K2-18b has been analysed by astrophysicists and could be host to life, despite being far bigger than Earth. The idea of other life forms being somewhere out there in the vast, slightly terrifying abyss of space has been discussed for centuries, but we’ve still yet to find anything concrete that proves we aren’t alone in the universe. There’s reason enough to be a little more hopeful...
Facebook tests cross-posting stories to Instagram
Some users can now share stories from Facebook on Instagram, as Zuckerberg’s tech titan tests out new merging features. Let’s be honest, who uses Facebook stories? Aside from dodgy advertisements and small announcements from bands and artists, very few of us ever post anything personal on them. This is not the case with Instagram, however, which sees 500 million people use its stories feature every single day. My timeline is...
SpaceX makes history with 50th rocket landing
After launching another load of supplies to the ISS, SpaceX proved once again that the sky is no limit when they successfully landed their 50th rocket booster. SpaceX continues to dominate innovation when it comes to space flight, successfully landing its 50th ever rocket this weekend. Two years ago, SpaceX won a $1.6 billion USD contract with NASA to send supplies to the International Space Station (ISS), providing CEO and founder...
NASA opens applications up for new astronauts
For the first time in four years, NASA is accepting new applications to be an astronaut, but the qualifications needed are particularly demanding. Fancy a flight to the moon? Do you spend your time daydreaming about being the next person to make a giant leap for mankind? Do you also have a medical doctorate and 1,000 flight hours logged as a pilot? Then do I have the niche application...
