Gen Z help location apps flourish but is our privacy at risk?
Dating apps and COVID-19 tracking services have seen huge growth this year - particularly with Gen Z and Millennials - but should we be concerned about the privacy risks? It’s official - a second wave of COVID-19 is here in full swing. With no real end to the pandemic restrictions...
Current in Social
The rise of ‘dark social’ is changing brand marketing
Gen Z is one of the biggest drivers of dark social traffic, often blurring the line between private and public social media activity - it’s only set to increase. Dark social is commonly used to describe any online interaction or click that can’t be traced by third parties or...
Quibi shuts down following lockdown marketing misstep
Launching in lockdown has proved a fatal miscalculation for mobile centric streaming service Quibi. Six months ago, at the height of the first COVID-19 lockdown, veteran execs Jaffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman boldly opted to launch a mobile-centric streaming service called Quibi. Spurred by a clear consumer demand for short-bite TikTok-esque...
Digital trends company MSCHF pays TikTok users to ‘kill brands’
MSCHF has released nine TikTok sound bites that you can use to talk smack about big companies and you’ll be paid depending on your view count. It’s the definition of an anti-ad. Obscure digital content company MSCHF has launched a new campaign encouraging TikTok users to create videos attacking...
Facebook’s new ‘Emotional Health Centre’ addresses Covid blues
Right on cue for World Mental Health Day, Facebook has announced the launch of a new Emotional Support centre for users struggling with challenges imposed by COVID-19. Understandably, physical health is at the forefront of everyone’s minds at the moment. Though we appear to have navigated the first initial peak...
Twitter to root out misinformation with ‘Birdwatch’
Twitter users will soon be able to warn one another about misinformation propagating on the platform through a new feature called ‘Birdwatch’. In the grips of a global pandemic, the last thing people need is a bunch of loosely based conspiracy theories spreading online. That’s how anti-lockdown rallies ignite and...
Facebook promises to cut emissions by 2030
The social media giant has also launched a ‘Climate Science Information Centre’ for some users alongside ambitions carbon reduction plans. Facebook joins many larger tech firms in promising to heavily reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decade. It has said it will be purchasing renewable energy and offsets to counterbalance its current carbon footprint, with a future focus on investing in renewable energy projects and initiatives. In addition,...
Oracle wins bidding war for TikTok’s US operations
A month of uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s future in the US has reportedly ended, with tech consortium Oracle winning the race to head up all Western operations. Trump has made no secret of his disdain for TikTok since ByteDance’s acquisition of Musical.ly in 2017, but a deal has been reportedly been struck to ensure the platform maintains its major presence in the US for years to come. Right when it appeared TikTok...
This beautiful TikTok challenge honours cultural heritage
POC creators unite in a global celebration that highlights traditional dress, challenging the app's algorithm in the process. Gen Z’s app du jour, TikTok is a hotbed of challenges, dances, and trends. Forever growing in popularity, in recent months the video-sharing platform has gone trans-national and trans-generational, the latest hype to grace its For You Page a celebration of traditional dress synonymous with users’ cultural heritage. The newest hit of 15-second-fame...
Snapchat launches face masks for 2020 March on Washington
Six black artists were enlisted to create digital face mask filters and Bitmoji accessories for Snapchat. Real, physical versions are also available to purchase. Snapchat has released a set of new selfie filters that allow users to wear digital face masks to commemorate the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington. Six artists were enlisted to design original pieces that celebrated recent racial justice causes and protests, most notably the...
