Current in Social

swipe
How personalised ads are contributing to climate change

How personalised ads are contributing to climate change

A new report from Global Action Plan analysing the scale of unnecessary emissions being generated by Big Tech’s business model has uncovered just how energy intensive it really is. Recently, it’s become all but impossible to use social media without being constantly bombarded with ads. And while online marketing is nothing new, you may have begun noticing that whenever you open up your favourite apps these days, the products being pushed...

By London, UK
Spotify is pivoting toward short-form video content

Spotify is pivoting toward short-form video content

Music streaming platform Spotify has announced a newly designed user interface that prioritises short-form video and quick preview snippets. It is the latest app to follow TikTok’s design model. Spotify is rolling out a new user interface that focuses on short-form video content. Previous iterations of the app displayed albums, songs, podcasts, and playlists as stacked tiles fixed to your home screen. The updated interface will instead offer an endless,...

By Bristol, UK
WhatsApp could end UK services over upcoming Online Safety Bill

WhatsApp could end UK services over upcoming Online Safety Bill

The UK’s Online Safety Bill is due to come into effect by the end of this year, but its rules conflict with WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption feature. The messaging app’s leaders are refusing to weaken their privacy standards when 98 percent of its users are located elsewhere. For most users of the platform, WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption feature is a benefit. It acts as a guaranteed layer of security, ensuring that only those...

By London, UK
Opinion – Twitter and Meta push to make social media worse

Opinion – Twitter and Meta push to make social media worse

On Wednesday, the New York Times reported another round of Twitter layoffs, including Twitter Blue creator Esther Crawford. The news comes a week after Meta announced a similar paid verification service. Why is Meta copying this seemingly terrible idea? Along with another 200 employees, Twitter CEO Elon Musk has fired Esther Crawford, the person who headed the launch of his flagship policy, Twitter Blue. This decision reflects widespread discontent...

By London, UK