PIRATE BAY- THE SEQUEL NFT’s on The Bay

It’s like 2003 all over again. For those of you, born after the 2000s. You might not be aware of what Pirate Bay is.

Well, it’s a secret, not so secret place where angsty teenagers used to download and pirate music and movies.  And you would tie up the phone line for hours. And you mom would yell about not being able to gossip with the Aunt Sheila.

Now that’s out the way.

NFT’s are all the rage now. And if you don’t know what an NFT or non-fungible tokens is, it’s basically a picture that you own the rights to and no one else can distribute or use it without your express written consent.

And this new reimagine Pirate Bay is trying to demolish that by basically making it so you can reproduce and reuse the once original and NFT. And that would in turn dismantle the system that is NFT.

See the problem?

Making something that is supposed to be exclusive available to everyone eliminates the novelty.

Folks on the twitterverse are weighing in on the morality of this which is hilarious in itself.

For more info check out Vice News

https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgdxvw/someone-made-a-pirate-bay-for-nfts

@TrackerTrial, a prominant account that was giving reports on the Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking scandal preliminary was deleted by new Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal. The account, which was controlled by The Free Press Report, had amassed 525,000 followers in only fourteen days.

In a post on Substack, The Free Press Report shared a picture of the message they got, which blamed them for utilizing Twitter in a “manner intended to artificially amplify or suppress information or engage in behavior that manipulates or disrupts people’s experience on Twitter.”

This is extremely concerning, as it seems that the consequence of censorship is being handed out for little to nothing. Everyone can agree morally that groups such as Qanon or ISIS probably shouldn’t have a platform online, however the norm of social media CEO’s being able to take down any account they want creates a slippery slope. Any account that makes edgy content or is simply reporting on controversial issues run the risk of facing demonetization and or full out suspension.

Haley Mlotek, a writer for the Columbia Journalism Review, wrote an article recently discussing the appeal and the appearance of right-wing media to those who consume it. She suggests there are two main “aesthetic modes” of said media. First, is an exaggerated sense of seriousness, whether that be to do with the message itself, or simply the set design having contrasting colors and headlines that take up half the screen.

According to Irwin Chen, the lead designer at the New School’s Journalism and Design program, “Once you start saying This is the color we’re using, this is the typeface we’re using, it doesn’t matter if there is a lack of a style or a lack of design discipline,” Chen said. “It’s just that you’re being consistent.”

This consistency proves to be effective not only in extremist media, but in most forms of marketing. It’s easy for consumers to associate something arbitrary with the product you’re selling.

Mlotek’s second aesthetic mode is invisibility. She argues that places on the internet that allows people to be anonymous platforms like Facebook. These sites often are overly mundane, and have the potential to display misinformation right next to images of people’s vacations and pets, which suggest to consumers that the misinformation they are seeing is normal and justified.

Famous rapper Soulja Boy has managed to get himself banned, unbanned, and re-banned within 24 hours. The reasons for his banishment are unclear, however, after recently joining the streaming world, Soulja Boy has already made an impression. In the past, he’s claimed he’s the reason for Twitch’s success and often criticized those who left the platform for YouTube.

One theory for Soulja Boy’s first short-lived five-minute ban is an accidental copyright strike. One fan reported Soulja Boy playing sound samples minutes before the ban. This ban could have been automatic on Twitch’s end which is why it was so short. The second ban is still unclear.

The whole situation has amused Soulja Boy’s fans. Some fans even claim that Twitch has been trolling the rapper. This isn’t the first time Soulja Boy has caused drama on social media and it certainly won’t be the last.

I chose this article because I know little about Twitch. I think it’s interesting that Twitch hasn’t made an official statement for why the rapper was banned. Although the responses to the situations have been light-hearted a lack of response from Twitch could change that.

Sources:

https://gamerant.com/twitch-bans-souljaboy-twice-same-day/

America is living in an age of misinformation. During a Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, Senator Ron Johnson a Wisconsin Representative made a casual remark that gargling mouthwash has proved to kill the coronavirus. Senator Johnson has been at the forefront of spreading covid-19 conspiracy theories and had even had his Youtube channel removed for violating their misinformation policy.

The Senator has been open about his skepticism towards the vaccine mandates and has even been an active promoter of drugs such as Ivermectin that have been proven to be ineffective in treating the coronavirus. His latest mouthwash cure is yet another example of his lack of knowledge.

According to health experts mouthwash can partially kill off the coronavirus in one’s mouth however most coronavirus infections are present in the nose. The Senator wasn’t completely off base with his latest theory however infectious-disease expert, Kim Woo-Joo tells the Washington Post,  “Even if gargling kills some of the virus, it won’t be able to clean the nasal area, nor the viruses that’s already penetrated deeper into the body,”.

Experts are currently exploring mouthwash and its effect on the virus.

Unfortunately for the Senator, there isn’t enough current evidence that’s strong enough to back his claim. Listerine has even debunked his theory on their website.

This article frustrated me. I struggle to understand how people in positions of power with access to correct information choose to believe myths over facts. People in power have a responsibility to provide accurate information to the public even if it differs from their personal beliefs. In the case of the covid-19 pandemic, misinformation could result in lives lost.

I think Americans should hold our leaders to a higher standard. I respect Youtube for taking Senator Johnson’s Youtube page down. This statement was a reminder to his colleagues and others that share similar views, that their actions do have consequences.

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/12/09/ron-johnson-mouthwash-covid/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wp_main

https://www.listerineprofessional.com/covid-19-update

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/09/10/ivermectin-covid-humans/

It goes without saying that many social media platforms today, despite various efforts are incapable of self-regulation. Facebook has once again made the daily headlines for misleading claims made toward advertisers and investors about public safety advertisement reach. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Maria Cantwell are urging federal regulations to look into Facebook or its executives to determine whether they have violated security laws. Particularly, Warren is calling on the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission. Cantwell, on the other hand published a letter in which she encouraged the Federal Trade Commission to hold Facebook accountable for its deceptive business practices. Evidence of the claims made by the Senators came directly from a testimony made by one of Instagram’s directors, Adam Mosseri, before a commerce subcommittee in regards to the protection of minors on the platform. Apparently, disclosures made by whistleblowing ex-employee- Frances Haugen- of security violation, laid the foundation for the building of tangible argument with an actual case. Warren uses Haugen’s statements to justify her initial request of putting Facebook in the spotlight. This post is important because privacy and social media are two elements that have long gone head to head in disagreement. Facebook policies have made headlines time and time again, and has yet to cease being reprimanded for policy regulation.

Source: CNBC News

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/09/sens-cantwell-warren-urge-federal-investigations-into-facebook.html

Your debt collectors can now message you on social media…Yes! It is happening. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has put out new rules regarding debt collectors getting in touch with their debtors. They can now text, email or private message people on social media. Although it has been made clear and an important rule that these debt collectors must announce their identity and their purpose of contact, as they are prohibited from simply befriending their debtors on Social Media.

Michael Lawton, a representative with Wisconsin’s Department of Financial Institutions explained to TMJ news yesterday, that the traditional methods of communication are simply no longer utilized by folks. This includes phone calls and emails- this phenomenon has made it harder for debt collectors to get in touch with their clients in a timely manner. He also explained that this is the first change to ever have been made to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act since 1977. Though it may seem far fetched at first, the process of getting in touch is lawfully required to be very private, and as previously mentioned, debt collectors are required to identify themselves, and finally, recipients are granted an opt-out option at any time after receiving the messages. It is important to note that even with these changes, consumers still have rights to cease further contact, should the exchange of messages become excessive. This article is very important because it is a clear representation of our current definition of privacy, and superbly exemplifies the rising importance of social media in our lives.

Source: https://www.tmj4.com/news/i-team/debt-collectors-can-now-private-message-you-on-social-media-learn-about-new-rules-and-your-rights

Social media star MrBeast has recently recreated the entire set from the recent hit show Squid Games. There were 456 contestants that had played in his real-life recreation, costing him $2 million to make all the design sets. Though the outcomes of his games were not death, there were cash prizes for each contestant getting at least $2,000 in cash. Whoever was able to last the longest and won the challenge would win $456,000 and MrBeast used $1.5 million for the other cash prizes. Though this is one of the most expensive sets he’s done, this is not something new to his YouTube channel. 

The video has started out the same with the game in the Netflix tv series, Squid Games, with Red Light, Green Light. In this game, everyone wore a wireless device around their waist that is connected to the number they are wearing and burst open with fake blood letting everyone know they moved during the red light. After this event, only 232 contestants moved on into the next round, which is the famous honeycomb scene. In this challenge, the contestants had to carve out a shape in hardened sugar without breaking the shape. The shapes were a circle, triangle, star, and umbrella, if they were not able to take out the shape without breaking it they will not be able to move onto the next round. During this time, they were only given 10 minutes to put more pressure on them.  Only 142 contestants were able to complete the challenge. They then moved on to the tug of war game which split the contestants into groups of 10 with 12 groups total as 22 people had left before the start of the game to earn more money. This then lead to only 60 people left in the game with the next challenge being the Marbles. During this game, everyone is in a pair and only one of them can move on to the next round, which leaves only 30 people left in the game. In the next game, only 16 people were allowed to move on and it was to the first 16 people who were able to turn over a red envelope on the ground by throwing a blue envelope at it. Once the 16 people moved on to the next round, they had to cross a glass bridge. The glass bridge had two paths and with each step they took, there was a 50/50 chance of them taking the wrong path. In the end, only 6 contestants were able to cross and move into the next round. The last game was musical chairs and finally, there was a winner who got $456,000 and second place with $10,000. 

Squid Games has been out on Netflix since September 17^th of this year and has immediately gained a lot of popularity quickly. MrBeast has first tweeted about wanting to recreate the series in real life on October 14^th and how he was going to go all-in with the setup. Also during his video, some of the contestants have stated that they did not even watch the Netflix series as they want the cash prizes. Some people are commenting how it’s very ironic for him to do because the main reason why there was a Squid Game was for the wealthy people to watch these people suffer for only one person to win and to live through it. Though this video may seem a bit of a reach, MrBeast is also someone that puts his time and money into other things that are good for the environment and tries to give back to the people. During the time he was setting up the real-life Squid Games, he was also raising money for TeamSea. TeamSea is organized that helps remove waste from our oceans through donations they get. MrBeast also raised money to plant over 20 million trees.  

Source: https://bbc-edition.com/entertainment/squid-game-the-youtubeur-mrbeast-recreates-the-sets-of-the-series-for-a-game-in-reality/

One of the largest and most beloved platform for content creators of all different realms, YouTube has recently been experimenting with some of its video settings and is excited to announce a few very convenient updates. First and foremost, YouTube will give its audience members the opportunity to view any destinations mentioned in videos by creators on the spot, by providing an additional space with appropriate links directly after the spots have been mentioned. Though a minor change, it is important to note that up until now, YouTubers have had to add in text links to add information about places mentioned in the video. According to Social Media Today, This feature will simplify this process by adding a new visual ink format for videos where YouTube can detect a place to mention.

Youtube is also making changes in the subscription department through tightening its organizational strategies. There is a new “Collections” option in the work, and it is being tested currently. This option is intended to group together channel subscriptions that belong to the same category, and this will make it easier for audiences to find videos based on the creator channels that they are already subscribed to. This also prevent audiences from missing new content published by their favorite YouTubers and will decrease the likely hood of a channel becoming shadow-banned. I found this article important because as a regular content consumer since the very young age of eleven, I have always wondered about things that were featured on my YouTube page, and how that content landed on my screen. These strategies of content distribution are essential in enabling a well-functioning platform.

Source: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-looks-to-highlight-places-mentioned-in-videos-adds-collections-t/611354/