New app Honk targets Gen Z with real-time texting
Honk is attempting to corner those weary of Facebook’s monopoly on mobile communication, offering real-time texting more akin to Snapchat than Messenger. Ever sent a friend or potential love interest a risky message and regretted it? Perhaps a meme on the group chat that went down like a lead...
Current in Social
Instagram ups its creative tools for Reels and Stories
Following on from September’s convenient updates, Instagram is swiftly rolling out the next batch of creative features for Reels and Stories. It’s no secret that Instagram is dead set on challenging TikTok to become numero uno in the vertical video space, and this week’s tweaks to Reels and Stories, minor...
Google’s integrity is brought into question over research bias
Google, the ubiquitous search engine we all use for reliable and impartial research, could soon start to oust information on ‘sensitive topics.’ Is this a censorship storm waiting to happen? Alphabet’s flagship platform Google is under serious fire this week regarding censorship measures, and concern is growing that bias could...
Will Facebook’s Reels update pose a threat to TikTok?
Facebook continues to make a play for TikTok’s crown by gearing up to introduce Instagram Reels to users’ feeds. With Instagram testing out a new option that could soon see ‘recommended’ Reels end up on parent company Facebook’s news feed and video feature Watch, it’s safe to say that...
Nine year-old Ryan Kaji leads YouTube’s top earners for 2020
Ryan Kaji, nine, has once again topped the charts of YouTube’s biggest earners, with toy unboxing and games review videos raking in close to $30 million for the child influencer. It’s time for our annual reminder that children are earning way more than us, and having more fun doing it...
Why new ‘Hype Simulator’ app could be harmful to Gen Z
Hype Simulator is the new app giving everyday folk a taste of social media virality akin to that of super influencers like Kylie Jenner and Dixie D’Amelio. Should we be concerned? Everyone has wondered at some stage what it would be like to become an internet sensation overnight while trawling...
Klima: the new app simplifying carbon offsetting
Offsetting carbon emissions alone won’t save the planet, but it certainly has a significant role to play. At the helm of this is ingenious new app Klima, designed to simplify the process. For some reason, the concept of small change for big sustainable impact is often met with criticism. Ardent climate warriors suggest that offsetting carbon emissions is just an excuse for huge corporations and governments to avoid making wholesale...
Will Snapchat’s tweet integration up cross-connectivity on social media?
Twitter has revealed iOS users can now display tweets within their Snapchat Stories. Is this the beginning of social platforms playing nice? In a single move sure to freshen up Twitter’s user base and simultaneously bring a more mature audience to Snapchat, iOS users will now be able to display clickable tweet previews within their Snapchat Stories. Naturally, social media platforms rarely play nice. Each big player – whether we’re talking...
Pornhub pressured to crack down on non-consensual uploads
In light of a recent New York Times exposé detailing the damage done by non-consensual videos posted to pornography sites, Pornhub has announced a set of major changes to the platform. ‘Serena Flietes was 14 when a boy she had a crush on asked her to make a naked video and send it to him,’ begins The Children of Pornhub, a New York Times exposé detailing...
WhatsApp ‘Carts’ could seriously harm e-commerce start-ups
WhatsApp’s new in-app feature ‘Carts’ is set to make online shopping easier for its 2 billion user base. Small e-commerce start-ups are real concerned. Just in time for the holiday season, WhatsApp has this week announced plans to roll out a new in-app shopping feature called Carts which allows buyers to group multiple purchases into a single message. Tech really is all about convenience these days. Those who keep up with...
