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...
Current in Social
Facebook’s donation tools raise $5bn for worthy causes
Through public donation tools on both Facebook and Instagram, Zuckerberg claims more than $5 billion has been raised in non-profit fundraisers. The pandemic has definitely been something of a double edged sword for Facebook. With folk condemned to their homes across the globe over the last 12 months, engagement has risen...
Facebook considered least secure social media site
A recent study suggests that Facebook is considered to be the least secure social media platform, despite TikTok’s ties to China and longstanding controversies. Before receiving the results from the latest tech surveys you’d be forgiven for thinking that TikTok takes the crown as the least secure social media...
Clubhouse opens monetisation opportunities to creators
With other big players circling to take advantage of the audio chatroom space, Clubhouse is now opening monetisation opportunities to keep its creators in house. Clubhouse is fast discovering that there’s no such thing as a USP patent in the social media space. But as user incentives go, free...
How ‘virtual escape rooms’ are helping students enrol during Covid-19
Thanks to Covid-19, enrolling at new schools has become a challenging process on all fronts. With campus tours and face-to-face interviews off the table, admissions officers are now evaluating prospective students through virtual escape rooms. It turns out ‘escape room’ experiences have uses beyond bringing workmates together for novel team...
Twitter jumps on the audio chat bandwagon with ‘Spaces’
Ephemeral audio chat platforms are seriously striking a chord with Gen Z in early 2021. Twitter is now looking to get in on the act with ‘Spaces.’ There may be some truth in the notion that lockdown has made us all a tad lazier, because big social networking platforms are...
Plots of Amazon rainforest illegally sold through Facebook ads
As deforestation becomes an increasingly pertinent issue for the Amazon rainforest and its indigenous peoples, a new exposé reveals plots of land are being illegally sold through Facebook ads. Recently, it seems every passing week throws out a new troubling story about threats to the Amazon’s biodiversity and its indigenous peoples. Forced to contend with the worst wildfires in a decade over the last two years, and facing the potential...
David Dobrik’s photo app Dispo raises $20m in funding
Dispo lets users take pictures through disposable camera filters and locks them for viewing until 9am the next day, imitating the vintage experiences of 90s photographers. You may know David Dobrik for his YouTube vlogs and Madison Beer antics, but he’s also a savvy venture capitalist and tech innovator. His invite-only, ‘in the moment’ vintage photography app Dispo launched in beta last year, generating significant buzz with his sizeable YouTube...
Instagram’s support initative for National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
The ubiquitous photo app, which has previously come under fire for promoting unrealistic body standards, is providing resources to support users throughout National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. When it comes to those afflicted with eating disorders or body dysmorphia, social media is often a triggering factor – especially when talking Gen Z. Therefore, it’s the moral duty of the biggest online platforms to provide accessible support for those who’re...
Is big tech aiding a tyranny against India’s climate activists?
As an international conspiracy falls apart against India’s adored climate activist Disha Ravi, big tech is being forced to answer for its role in aiding a national tyranny. In India, one of the nation’s most affected by climate change, it appears eco-activists are no longer safe to protest. Last month, Disha Ravi - a 22-year-old climate activist and one of the founders of Fridays for Future - was arrested on conspiracy...
