On Tuesday Disney announced that Bob Iger would step down from his position as the CEO of Disney. This announcement is apparently effective immediately since Iger will become the executive chairman of Disney throughout 2021. Iger’s reasoning for stepping down shortly before his supposed retirement in 2021 he claims is due to the fact that he wants to focus more on the creative aspect of major projects, especially now more than ever with the newly launched Disney+. When it comes to the success and monopoly of Disney, Bob Iger is responsible for its immense success in terms of acquiring more content and media companies before launching Disney+. After the announcement of his stepping down, shares of Disney fell about 2.5% in the following hours.

       Stepping into the CEO position is Bob Chapek, former chairman of Disney “parks, experiences and products.” According to Chapek, Iger had formed such a distinct path and “strategic pillars” which he intends to keep working on and following. Currently, Chapek will continue to report to Iger until he is formally appointed to the Board of Directors. When it comes to the position and what is to come in the future, Chapek says, “That’s my sweet spot, and that is something I could leverage now throughout all my experiences not only at Disney, but even before Disney, in terms of figuring how we take the data, information, the technology, and once again our storytelling, right direct to the consumer so that we can take all the great equities we have and continue to build those for our shareholders.”

Until Bob Iger takes his formal position on the Board of Directors, we can only speculate what is to come for Disney in the future.

According to a new report published by the Guardian, TikTok viral stars could potentially bring in earnings of up to $1 million per post. Given these numbers, it should come to no surprise that more than half of millennials and Gen Zers aspire to become social media influencers. TikTok has quickly become the go-to site for overnight celebrities as its algorithm alone enables virality. Platforms like YouTube and Instagram tend only to reward those who already have achieved fame. This factor has led to the rapid growth of the app and subsequent commercialization. 

Those who achieve virality on TikTok could potentially make a lucrative career out of their success on the platform. According to current research, popular TikTokers can charge up to $200,000 per post for brand collaborations and promotions. As the app continues to expand, researchers predict TikTokers will cost as much as $1 million per post as soon as next year. In exchange for a 15-60 second post, brands are willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars. Estimates suggest users can charge up to $0.005 per follower for sponsored posts and collaborations. This perfectly demonstrates the value and reach of the app and the profit potential that has attracted users. 

Among the app’s most successful accounts is that of 17-year-old Loren Gray from Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Gray is considered the most marketable creator on the app. This fact has led researchers to estimate earnings of over $197,000 per post. Loren’s popularity on the app has secured her record deals with major labels, including Virgin Records and Capitol Records. She shares new videos daily and has received over 2 billion likes collectively. Just last year, Gray was paid to participate and promote a “guac song dance-off” by Chipotle. This being only one of countless brand collaborations, the 17-year-old has shared with her more than 38 million followers. 

For some, $1 million for a 15-60 second post is unheard of and downright ridiculous. According to industry strategy professionals, this signals a significant shift in the industry. Brands are now allocating funds to digital marketing, and in turn, moving away from more traditional media and advertising conventions. Popular Tiktokers have the potential to make or break a product launch for a brand and allow brands to spread their message at the touch of a button. The influence held by these individuals makes their platform invaluable, and brands across the globe are willing to spare no expense to collaborate. 

Mike Bloomberg came on the democratic campaign trail late but his presence has certainly been made and not necessarily for the right reasons. Hundreds of social media campaigners in California are being offered $2,500 dollars a month to post on social media accounts in support of Mike Bloomberg. However useful money is for Bloomberg it’s not buying him loyalty with these social media influencers.

Bloomberg’s coalition has been asked to spend up to 30 hours a week using various forms of media to engage with their respected followers in hopes to secure California in the democratic primary. However it seems most of the newly acquired army of social media pages are strictly there for monetary reasons. The only qualifications for the job are to have social media accounts and know how to use them. According to business insider one of Bloomberg’s social media operatives said their friends had thought that their social media accounts have been hacked and one comment read, “I hope you’re being paid for this”.

The campaign blurs the lines between a grassroots movement and political advertising but the message aren’t being received the way Bloomberg would have hoped. The goal was to meet voters on all platforms but the lack of true support is seeping into the fray. When twitter realized users were posting an identical tweet from Bloomberg’s campaign they quickly suspended the accounts for platform manipulation and spam.  The copied tweet was then later the butt of a joke across twitter sparking memes such as a photo shopped Bloomberg throwing money from a helicopter. All in all Bloomberg has spent over $409 million of his personal cash on his own campaign with more wasted money surely to come.

Image: https://gawker.com/helpless-mayor-bloomberg-cant-stop-himself-from-gettin-1350568789

Article: https://www.businessinsider.com/bloombergs-2500-month-campaign-fee-is-attracting-lukewarm-workers-2020-2

 In this article it explains how Snapchat is launching a new feature which is called “Here for you” which helps people who are dealing with mental illness or emotional crisis. It also gives people insight on how they can help their friends who are coping with any of these things. It will be coming out in the upcoming months. It will include different safety resources from professionals when people search for topics that have to do with mental illness—for example, anxiety, depression, stress, and a lot more. If someone were to google depression, it would come up with all different shows and episodes to educate people and teach you how to cope and handle it. It shows what you can do and that there are many resources and ways to handle it. It talks about all of these mental illnesses and emotional crisis in a constructive way. Social media has become such a significant aspect in people’s lives today, and there are about 186 million Snapchat users today. The number of people with mental illnesses is also increasing, so by having this platform and educating people when they are young, they will know how to handle everything. I thought this was an excellent article, and I believe what Snapchat is doing is fantastic. Millions of people suffer from mental illnesses and emotional crises every day and having this feature on a platform that people use hours upon hours a day is beneficial and can tell people they are not alone.

While “Parasite” has won four awards, including Best Picture at the U.S. Academy Awards, a global craze has been brewing, raising allegations that an Indian filmmaker plagiarized his film.

CJ Entertainment, the distributor of “Parasite,” said Wednesday that it has not received any contact from Indian film producers who claim to plagiarize “Parasite.” Nothing has been said for the distributor and the production company.

Earlier on Thursday, Indian media, India Express mentioned that Indian filmmaker, PL Tenapan had reported preparations for the lawsuit, claiming that Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” plagiarized his film.

PL Tenaphan claims that “Parasite” is similar to his 1999 work “Min-sara Canna.” “Min-Sara Canna” is a romantic comedy about a man who goes into the rich woman’s home as a driver to see a woman he loves. The main character’s family also works as a servant and cook in the family, keeping their status secret.

PL Tenaphan said, ”Parasite” took our movie plot. Our movie inspired “Parasite,” he said, adding that he will appoint an international lawyer to discuss the charges.

“This debate will bring international attention about the film to people,” said Ravikumar, who directed “Min-Sara Canna.” “I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I’m glad ‘Parasite’ inspired by ‘Min-Sara Canna’ won an Oscar. The plagiarism suit is up to the producer,” he said in a cautious stance.

https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/parasite-plagiarism-row-minsara-kanna-producer-pl-thenappan-sends-intimation-mail-1647884-2020-02-19