Lawsuit filed against dating apps claims they are βfuelling addictionβ
Since the emergence of online dating apps almost a decade ago, theyβve become one of the most common ways new couples meet. However, some users are claiming that their addictive nature is causing harm to our relationships and mental health. On Valentineβs Day, six dating app users filed a proposed...
Current in Social
Reddit signs over its user data to train unnamed AI model
As user data becomes an increasingly hot commodity, an unnamed AI company is reportedly plotting a $60 million swoop to scrape Reddit for AI training purposes. Should we be concerned? Decades of Reddit ramblings could become fuel for the next generation of AI models. The self-proclaimed βfront page of the internetβ...
New AI tool can find any image of someone ever posted online
PimEyes is the latest AI tool causing a stir on the internet. Although it has been created to help artists, photographers, and individuals βprotect their privacyβ and personal content online, other internet users see its potential to be βa stalkersβ dream.β The capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) seem to be...
Opinion β Social mediaβs ageist conversation is exhausting
TikTokers are currently discussing how and why Gen Z are βrapidly ageingβ compared to their Millennial peers. The conversation is symptomatic of a wider generational obsession with age, life milestones, and external societal pressures. The whole thing is draining. If youβre an avid TikTok or Instagram Reel user, youβve...
Study lays bare Metaβs intrusive data gathering for targeted ads
Facebook has anything but a clean record when it comes to the intrusive data gathering of its consumers. Now, data watchdog Consumer Reports has revealed that tens of thousands of companies send Facebook data on single users. Your phone isnβt actually listening to you, donβt worry about turning your mic...
X launches new AI tool called βGrokβ for US-based users
Allegedly modelled after the Hitchhikerβs Guide to the Galaxy, it is designed to answer questions and help content creators generate creative and engaging tweets. With the turn of the new year, Elon Musk has introduced a new feature to the platform he acquired a little over a year ago. You...
Search engines are amplifying misinformation
A study published in Nature last week has uncovered that using online search engines to vet conspiracies can actually compound the probability that someone will believe it.
In November, UNESCOβs Director-General Audrey Azoulay sounded the alarm on the intensification of misinformation and hate speech online, which she said poses βmajor risks to social cohesion, peace, and stability.β
Her warning came on the back of a UNESCO-commissionedΒ
Will AI-generated influencers dominate social mediaβs future?
If Instagram is the place where the worldβs most beautiful people can easily garner global attention, followers, brand deals, and immense wealth β is it not the perfect playground for influencers generated by AI to succeed? Would you buy a product promoted by a person who wasnβt real? Itβs possible you already have. The capabilities of Artificial Intelligence, specifically its capacity for realistic image generation, are getting freakishly good. At the...
Flip is a βshopping social networkβ which could crack Gen Z
Those of us who purchase products on TikTok almost habitually have Trustpilot open in another tab. Can emerging βshopping social networkβ Flip cut out the middleman by combining authentic video reviews and in-app ecommerce? When youβve a captive audience boasting $360bn in spending power but markedly declining attention spans, what do you do? You quite literally create a one-stop shop. Meet Flip, the βsocial shopping networkβ targeting Gen Z which...
βLapseβ emerges as the latest Gen Z photo-sharing platform
Stepping onto the digital scene with the slogan βfriends, not followersβ, can the new photo and status-sharing app Lapse hold our attention in a way that BeReal couldnβt? Itβs starting to feel like the reign of social media is collapsing. Twitterβs engagement is at its lowest ever after rebranding to X under Elon Musk. Facebook β um, what even is that? Instagram has become a marketplace / TikTok rip-off where our...
