The unsettling rise of Facebook Marketplace sperm donors
Why bother with expensive IVF or IUI treatments for your fertility needs? Facebook Marketplace apparently has you covered. What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve heard today? Wait, here us out. Thousands of people are currently looking for unregulated fertility treatments on – get this – Facebook Marketplace. Now, it goes without saying...
Current in Social
Digital portal between Dublin and NYC shuts down after just one week
This is why we can’t have nice things. What happens when a digital ‘portal’ is placed on the streets of Dublin and New York City with the aim of encouraging residents to connect and interact with each other through a live video stream? If you answered something along the lines of...
World’s first beauty contest launched for AI influencers
In an attempt to further blend emerging AI trends with reality, a new beauty pageant has been announced for AI influencers. Despite the event creators’ excitement, critics have warned we should approach with caution. Thought the world of AI influencers couldn’t get any weirder? Hmm.. think again. Fanvue, a...
Palmsy is the new anti-social media app feeding our tech addiction
With artificial likes and follows, Palmsy replicates the dopamine hits we receive from social media whilst protecting our private information. But are these projects doing more harm than good? Social media dominates nearly every interaction we partake in nowadays. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is still up for...
Facebook allegedly shared user messages with Netflix for a decade
In a shady bid to better tailor content for its subscribers, Netflix has allegedly been peering at our private messages on Facebook – get this, for as long as a decade. Facebook is back in court, again. The charges levelled at parent company Meta follows a long rap sheet of previous...
New research finds Gen Z prefer social video over TV
Streaming giants such as Netflix, Disney +, and Paramount could be facing problems in the future, as a new study finds Gen Zers prefer social video and live streaming over traditional television shows. Remember the days when your family would settle down for the evening, turn on the TV,...
Will calls to ban smartphones for children be answered?
A new poll suggests that most parents want smartphones to be banned amongst children. Could it happen? Are our beloved smartphones addictive? I think we all know that the answer is yes, but a large proportion of people are now going as far as labelling them ‘electronic drugs’ which young people are particularly vulnerable to. With so many children growing up with these devices in their pockets – and a sharp rise...
Facebook sees Gen Z boost after relaunching ‘poke’ feature
Once a staple of Millennial internet use, Facebook has reintroduced the long-defunct ‘poke’ feature to its platform, allowing users to mildly annoy one another at their leisure. If you’re a Millennial, you probably know exactly what we mean when discussing Facebook’s long lost ‘poke’ feature. Although simple, the ‘poke’ button allowed friends to flirt with one another, receive attention, or simply keep up a long-running gag for the thrill of it....
Spotify testing freemium e-learning video courses
E-learning video courses are Spotify’s next offering as the service pushes for better subscriber retention and growth. Third parties like Skillshare and BBC Maestro are on board and a freemium model will generate new revenue – if people take to the idea. Remember when Spotify was purely a music streaming service? Those days are well and truly done. Diversifying business is the name of the game for Daniel Ek and co....
YouTube launches #WomenofYouTube mentorships for Shorts creators
YouTube has announced a new #WomenofYouTube mentorship program which will foster collaboration between female creators on the platform’s Shorts feature. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, YouTube is looking ahead to the future and ways in which it can further elevate its female creator base. At the forefront of this mission is a new #WomenofYouTube mentorship program, which will become a key pillar for the next phase of Stories. This community-based...
