How Clubhouse is helping Thailand’s pro-democracy movement
The spontaneous audio chat app Clubhouse is providing a safe space for pro-democracy advocates to question Thailand’s powerful monarchy. In a nation where standing against the monarchy can lead to 47 years behind bars, Thai citizens eager to discuss politically taboo subjects are now flocking to emerging chatroom app Clubhouse. Originally...
Current in Social
Twitter pushes back against India’s social media control
India’s government has long sought to impose a nationwide bill enabling the review and removal of any social media content. With Facebook and YouTube said to be compliant, Twitter is pushing back in the name of free speech. Rumblings of India’s ‘digital media law’ have finally come to fruition, and...
Snapchat’s ‘Story Studio’ to make stories more professional than ever
Snapchat this week announced a slew of updates at the Snap Partner Summit, chief among them an overhaul of its Story editing software in the form of new standalone app Story Studio. Snapchat is embracing its evolution from a once key player in social media messaging to mobile’s chief creative...
TikTok testing out new Gen Z recruiting tool
TikTok is reportedly testing out a beta version of its new recruiting tool for Gen Z, which does away with normal CVs. Could this lead to wider change across the board? Who said TikTok was a waste of time? If, like us, you spent far too much of your lockdown limbo...
Snack: The Gen Z dating platform using vertical video
Snack, billed as the perfect dating app for Gen Z, is merging young people’s love of low-pressure platforms and vertical video. Think Hinge meets TikTok. If you’ve ever been deemed too ‘thirsty’ in the TikTok comment section, Snack may soon become the natural platform to migrate to. You’d imagine if Gen...
Investigation claims Facebook rife with political manipulation
A former employee at Facebook alleges that the social media giant prioritises PR in the west. In other countries with less influence, policy abuses and political deception on the platform are reportedly being ignored. Facebook is reportedly allowing world leaders and influential figures to go against company policy and post...
Facebook app ‘Sparked’ to bring kindness to dating
In a ruthless age of dating, where potential suitors are mercilessly swiped by and matches routinely ghosted, Facebook is promoting a kind approach to speed-dating with its new app ‘Sparked.’ Getting into dating these days is easier than ever, thanks to a multitude of free apps such as Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge. However, this level of convenience and boundless choice has brought with it a wave of unsavoury dating behaviours that...
Facebook unveils its Clubhouse competitor ‘Hotline’ with beta test
Hot on the heels of Clubhouse and wanting to gain a slice of the burgeoning audio chat market, Facebook is finally showing its hand with ‘Hotline’ beta tests. Well... that didn’t take long, did it? Clubhouse’s meteoric rise over the last year has cemented ephemeral audio chat as the hottest new USP in social media’s ever-fleeting wheelhouse, thus putting a gigantic target on the app’s back. Keen to usurp the newcomer platform,...
Clubhouse users can soon make in-app donations to creators
As the latest part of its monetisation efforts, Clubhouse will allow users to make donations to their favourite creators. The flagship audio app won’t take a cut of payments. It’s been quite the inaugural year for flagship audio chat app Clubhouse. Already numero uno in the audio chat space, Facebook and Twitter are set to up the competition in 2021 with their own ephemeral updates. Clubhouse is now being forced to...
The Biden administration looks to bring ‘vaccine passports’ to the US
With talk of overseas travel and big entertainment events returning in the not so distant future, the Biden administration is pushing digital apps to credentialise those who have been vaccinated. If you’re planning a holiday to or from the US in the next few years, you may have to bring a ‘vaccination passport’ along with your physical ID. That’s if the Biden administration gets its way anyway. Mere months into his...
