Dove campaign examines ‘cost of beauty’ for youth mental health
The brand’s research has revealed that nine in ten children are being exposed to toxic beauty content on social media, which is having a ‘heart-breaking’ impact on their mental and physical wellbeing. Renowned for championing self-esteem, Dove has just debuted a report titled ‘The Real Cost of Beauty Ideals’...
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How personalised ads are contributing to climate change
A new report from Global Action Plan analysing the scale of unnecessary emissions being generated by Big Tech’s business model has uncovered just how energy intensive it really is. Recently, it’s become all but impossible to use social media without being constantly bombarded with ads. And while online marketing is nothing...
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,...
WhatsApp could end UK services over upcoming Online Safety Bill
The UK’s Online Safety Bill is due to come into effect by the end of this year, but its rules conflict with WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption feature. The messaging app’s leaders are refusing to weaken their privacy standards when 98 percent of its users are located elsewhere. For most users of...
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...
New online tool allows teens to remove explicit images
‘Take it Down’ aims to give back agency to teens and victims of revenge porn. Young people are often vilified for sharing explicit images of themselves online. ‘Everything on the internet lasts forever’ is often the warning cry of older generations. The reality is that many teens are coerced into uploading...
Snapchat announces its own integrated chatbot ‘My AI’
Snap has announced its own ChatGPT-style chatbot called ‘My AI,’ rolling out to paying subscribers and eventually everyone. This is billed as more a virtual friend, than all-powerful writing machine. Being ahead of the curve isn’t necessarily always best. In the realm of tech, sitting back and learning from rival mistakes can sometimes be the better recipe for success. With an eager eye on the commercial AI race unfolding between Microsoft...
Opinion – Netflix’s anti-password sharing plan will surely backfire
Netflix has finally done it. Months of speculation re incoming anti-password sharing plans have manifested angering subscribers the world over. Are streaming platforms now completely out of touch? Once the undisputed king of the streaming farmyard, Netflix now seems hellbent on alienating its subscribers with a continuous slew of dodgy decisions. Tossing beloved shows away with the zest of a liberated hoarder, Netflix cancelled some 20 series last year, many of which...
Gen Z rejects consumer culture with ‘de-influencing’
Instead of waxing lyrical about the latest launches, social media content creators are increasingly advising followers against purchases and calling criticism to cult-favourite products. Social media has always been synonymous with influencing. From the earliest stages of Instagram to our current, obsessive product pushing culture, nearly everyone who has ever used the internet has been swayed into buying something through influencer recommendations. Open the comment section of a...
Opinion – sexual assault victims need more digital protection
Reality star Stephen Bear was convicted for acts of revenge porn against ex-girlfriend Georgia Harrison. His case sets a precedent for protecting women in the digital world. On 2nd August 2020, reality TV star Stephen Bear and then-girlfriend Georgia Harrison were captured having sex on CCTV cameras in his garden. Harrison was unaware they were being filmed, and had asked Bear not to share the footage when they discovered it existed. But...
