Crypto investors raised $40 million to buy a copy of the US Constitution
Pipped at auction by a late bid, crypto investors were close to purchasing a rare and early copy of the US Constitution for over $40 million. Is a practical purchase ever made using cryptocurrency? Whether we’re talking of the multi-million dollar sales of eight bit gifs, the early year hijacking of...
Current in Social
New Instagram and Twitter updates target harmful online behaviours
The latest Twitter update will prompt users to reconsider the ‘vibe’ of a heated discussion, while an Instagram ‘nudge’ feature aims to steer teenagers away from harmful content. Despite a newfound urgency in recent years to finally address online hate and content tied to adverse mental health, the big social...
Domo reveals how the internet is used every minute in 2021
Domo has just released its annual infographic showing how we divide our time online every 60 seconds. With a pandemic-induced shift in digital trends, as well as a 10% rise in those with access to the internet, there are some notable changes from last year. Still reeling from the Facebook,...
Leaked report shows Instagram knows it damages mental health
An internal presentation outlining two years of research on the psychological effects of Instagram has been leaked. The reports conflict with company representative’s public narratives of the platform. By now, we’re all aware of the potentially negative consequences of social media use, whether that knowledge was obtained through our own...
Most Gen Zers worry about being addicted to their phones
A new survey of over 2,000 adults by OnePoll indicates that almost 75% of young people worry about smartphone addiction. Should we be surprised at the numbers? Every wondered if you rely on your phone too much? Taking gadgets to the bathroom, sleeping next to a charger, or catching up...
The new Ugandan app tackling online abuse against women
A Ugandan tech company called Pollicy has created an interactive game to help women across Africa become digitally literate and clued up on digital safety. The digital game, Digital Safe-tea, provides women with digital safety training by allowing them to confront online violence scenarios as three different personas: Goitse, Aisha, and...
TikTok expands its first-party creative tools with AR Effects Studio
With AR developers opting for Facebook and Snapchat as their go-to apps for creating effects, TikTok is set to completely overhaul its own creative features. Could this spell the beginning of the end for TikTok’s feeder platforms? As TikTok moves to stop feeder AR softwares like Spark AR and Snap AR from profiting off its massive audience, one message is clear for the social giant’s 1 billion plus user base:...
Twitter finally makes reporting misinformation simple for users
Following mounting pressure from the White House, Twitter has announced a new user feature intended to better tackle the online spread of misinformation. If ever there was a specific period to really underpin the dangers of misinformation, with Covid-19, the introduction of 5G, and the US presidential election, 2020 was certainly that year. Those who previously spread unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about the dangers of Covid-19 vaccines or uncounted electoral votes –...
Facebook plans to become ‘water positive’ by 2030
The social media giant has announced it will restore more water than it uses globally within the next decade, intensifying the competition between tech firms to become carbon neutral. Your nan’s favourite source of stale memes and clickbait headlines, Facebook, has just announced plans to become ‘water positive’ by 2030. This means the company intends to restore more water than it consumes across the world - not just its US...
Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp suspended during Zambia’s election
Zambia officials threatened to suspend all broadband services on the day of its election to combat misinformation. In the end, its Ministry of Information froze traffic on WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. In the fight to stem the spread political misinformation during its presidential election, has Zambia compromised a sense of genuine democracy? When it comes to political advertising, social media sites frankly don’t know whether to stick or twist. Throughout large...
