To Be First or to Be Accurate? The Social Media Catastrophe Following the Death of Kobe Bryant

On By Danielle SalvatoIn Social Issue(s), Social Media, Sports, Twitter, UncategorizedLeave a comment

NBA: Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Pelicans

When the death of retired NBA star Kobe Bryant broke the news, TMZ was the first to report it. Despite having only the information that he was involved in a helicopter crash on Saturday in Calabasas, TMZ is now receiving backlash for their reporting. LA County Sheriff tore into the news outlet saying that Bryant’s family should have been informed with a full police report before TMZ had published anything. TMZ had been so early to report it that social media had even questioned its accuracy. As news of the helicopter crash started to catch wind, more and more social media rumors began to spread. These rumors caused much inaccuracy in other news outlet’s reports as well as celebrities and political figures, such as President Donald Trump, to send their condolences out into the cyber world despite being false. ABC News had falsely reported that all of Bryant’s children “were believed to be” killed in the accident, while the LA Times has send out on their social media that they have heard the news regarding Bryant, but are waiting for actual confirmation and police reports in order to report the news accurately.

The events following the TMZ report were nothing short of an absolute mess. News organizations today are more concerned with being the first to break a story rather than getting all of the facts and waiting to publish an accurate report. There is even the lack of empathy from outlets like TMZ who didn’t have the decency to wait until the families of the departed had been notified. Instead, the people closest to Bryant had to find out about his death like the rest of us, through social media. Is this type of reporting something that we should just expect with the evolution of how quick media is, or should there be an unwritten rule to wait until the families of those killed are made aware before you start reporting? Nonetheless, today many journalists would rather be first than be accurate.

Motives Behind the NFL ‘Inspire Change’ Ad is Full of Hypocrisy

On By Aidan PlunkettIn Political, Social Issue(s), Sports, TelevisionLeave a comment

The first time I saw this ad for the NFL’s “Inspire Change” program was when it premiered earlier this month during the AFC and NFC Championship games. The 60-second ad, set to air again during the Super Bowl, is about Corey Jones, cousin of retired NFL star Anquan Boldin, who was tragically shot and killed by an officer in plain-clothes who came upon Corey unwarranted and never identified himself as law enforcement.

The heartbreaking story is told by Anquan Boldin of how his cousin Corey Jones was murdered by a police officer and goes on to show a reenactment of the unprompted shooting: Corey’s car had broken down and he was waiting for a tow-truck on an I-95 exit ramp when (at the time) Palm Beach Gardens Police Dept. officer Nouman Raja entered the exit ramp from the wrong direction in an unmarked vehicle; as he approached Corey’s car in plain-clothes, Raja, who failed to say that he was police, began yelling and cursing, and proceeded to fire multiple shots into the car, killing Corey. Next, the ad shows news clips and Jones’ family reacting to the loss of Corey. 

When I first saw this ad, I found it to be powerful and profound for bringing attention to the issue of blatant, unjust stopping, harassment, brutality and killings of minorities, specifically black men by law enforcement across the United States. This systematic and recurring issue is one that needs to be dealt with; and to air it on such large stages as the NFL conference Championships and the Super Bowl is what I thought to be a step in the right direction. However, an article by AdAge.com suggests that the NFL’s motive behind the “Inspire Change” program is actually to save-face, in terms of PR perspective, by funding initiatives run by players or ex-players to distract the public from the fact that the NFL essentially banned Colin Kaepernick for protesting police brutality, and this specific ad, involving the cousin of ex-49er Boldin, brings up some pretty clear controversy and hypocrisy. Does the NFL support protesting or bringing attention to social issues, such as police brutality, or not? Is raising awareness okay as long as it’s off the field? Then why air this during the most watched NFL games of the year?

https://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/nfl-takes-police-shootings-black-men-new-ad/2228616

Coronavirus Effects Apple

On By hannahc41442In UncategorizedLeave a comment

Apple could see some impact from coronavirus in China, Cook says

In this article it explains how Coronavirus is effecting Apple. Coronavirus is a deadly disease that started in Wuhan, China. It is spreading rapidly and has affected up to 4,500 people in China. The disease it starting to be fatal killing up to 100 people. Apple could even see some significant impact on the virus. They could have to close their stores in Wuhan and reduce hours in other locations because of it. Several of their retail partners have also closed stores in China. Apple had robust sales, in there first quarter setting a record for the highest it’s ever been. China is Apple’s biggest iPhone market, so they are worried about what this virus will do to their sales. Many of their electronics are also assembled in China, so many factors could go into Apple’s decline in sales and revenue. Apple, as of now, is very unsure what will happen to their products, income, and sales. They are currently working on mitigation plans to make up for their expected production loss. The way that the coronavirus is spreading it does not look good. It has also spread over to the United States and Europe, so it is multiplying. This is not good for businesses because workers and production could be affected by this deadly disease. It interested me to learn that the virus isn’t just effecting people, its effecting companies, and their production. Apple is supporting and donating to help find the cure and get this disease contained, so it doesn’t effect anyone else.

 

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DOT to Make Auto Industry Tech & Features Speak the Same Language

On By Aidan PlunkettIn Auto Industry, Regulation, TechnologyLeave a comment

An article by Aarian Marshall from Wired.com brings up how terms like Automatic Emergency Braking, Collision Imminent Braking, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Collision Intervention, Autonomous Braking, and Dynamic Brake system all actually mean the same thing and are just some examples of the different words and phrasing that automaker’s marketing teams come up with to make their technology of automatic emergency braking systems to seem unique and appealing. 

As of a week ago, the Department of Transportation is supporting efforts to educate the entire auto industry- drivers, dealers, manufacturers and marketers on the approved language surrounding new technology in personal vehicles. The list of approved terms was released a year prior and states that when operating a vehicle, “the driver is responsible for the primary task of driving”, whether it be a Tesla using their ‘Autopilot’ feature or a Ford with ‘Pre-Collision Assist and Automatic Emergency Braking’. 

Image result for car safety technology

Studies by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety show that drivers overestimate the range of capabilities in features like ‘Autopilot’ or ‘Adaptive Cruise Control’ as well as automatic emergency braking systems. A review by AAA showed that in the U.S. automaker marketers use 20 different terms for adaptive cruise control and 19 different terms for blind-spot warning systems. Another study done by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety looked at police report data and insurance claim data to find that vehicles with front collision warning features were involved in 27% less front-rear accidents than those without and vehicles with front collision warning features and automatic emergency braking systems were involved in 50% less front-rear accidents. 

The list of approved terms released last year by the Department of Transportation won’t fix the issues of vague or confusing marketing in the auto industry but they will lead to a list of mandated terms of which manufacturers can use to describe their technological features. The list, as stated before, aims to educate drivers (consumers) about the reality of the capabilities of the features in their vehicles, but also will shape the future for regulation on informing consumers of what the fancy marketing terms actually mean. 

https://www.wired.com/story/auto-safety-features-speak-same-language/

Online Tool Allows You to limit Facebooks Ad Collection

On By kashifwIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

As of Tuesday Facebook updated its site to reflect the current landscape of media. Many social media users worry about their privacy while on certain applications. Facebook in particular has been working with advertisers, selling them information about Its users. Now users are given more control and advertisers less. Deep in the settings of Facebook there is a “Off Facebook Activity Tool.”

This tool, that was announced in August, is not easy to find as it is buried deep in your settings under “Your Facebook Information.” Once on this tab you can access the “Off Facebook Activity Tool”, which allows you to see all the websites Facebook shares data with, and remove that information from account, turn off tracking for specific sites, or disable them completely.

https://www.inc.com/jason-aten/you-can-now-stop-facebook-from-tracking-your-activity-on-other-websites-heres-how.html

Disney+ Giving Netflix a Run for Their Money

On By Lola MigginsIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The intense competition and rapid growth of Disney+ subscriptions has Netflix thinking twice about their prices.

The release of Disney+ and Apple TV+ has Netflix experiencing a slight falloff in subscription growth. The analytics from Netflix’s fourth-quarter earnings report showed they came up short on their projections, yet again. This made it the third quarter in a row that Netflix subscriptions had not been up to par.

Netflix had already been facing a slow down in membership growth last year because of their price raise, along with competitors coming on the rise. However, their competition will only continue to grow with the introduction of newer, more convenient and cheaper media-service providers. Disney+ prices already undercut Netflix’s prices, making them more appealing to consumers from the jump. Disney+ has an option of charging $7 a month or $70 for the year, whereas Netflix’s starting price is $9 a month.

Many believe Netflix needs to realize the price-sensitivity of Americans before they start losing extreme amounts of subscribers. Needham analyst Laura Martin predicted Netflix to lose more than 4 million subscribers in the next year if they do not adjust their prices to even the playing field with their competition. She says, “Netflix must add a second, lower-priced service to compete with Disney+, Apple+, Hulu, CBS All Access and Peacock, each of which have $5–$7/month choices.”

As a whole, Netflix needs to be more affordable if they want to keep their company afloat. Martin suggests a $5-$7 per month tier for users, lessening sharing of passwords and attracting the attention of lower-income consumers.

Sources: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/28/why-netflix-pricing-may-decrease-as-risk-of-subscriber-losses-grows.html

Instagram in the controversy about lowering self esteem

On By hyeseongparkIn InstagramLeave a comment

The controversy about lowering self esteem in social networking services is not just about today. The problem is that Instagram has quite the right configuration to become a catalyst for inferiority complex, with its “photo” base and other services that simply measure its external reputation by measuring the number of friends or good quality. A so-called hopeless Instagram.

Unlike traditional social networking sites such as Facebook, which were based on text, Instagram needs to convey its emotions, circumstances, and even a form of bravado, with its photos and videos being delivered intuitively. Therefore, people are increasingly trying to maximize the pride and splendor in the picture, and the problem is that they are building up a lot of mental fatigue. As this trend has grown, many reports say that social problems such as the culture of officialdom and mental depression are becoming more problematic in many ways. Instagram’s distinctions run into the extremes of glamour. For example, In Korea the social situation in the 2010’s when people were struggling to find jobs, are having an adverse impact on the mental health of the youth, who are the main users.

To counter this trend, Instagram is said to be conducting updates that do not expose the number of “likes”. Instagram said the decision was chosen to allow users to focus on what they like without caring how much “likes” is pressed.

Article : https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/instagram-can-lower-self-esteem-make-you-unproductive-heres-how-to-break-away/articleshow/66130212.cms?from=mdr

Image : https://thebite.aisb.ro/index.php/how-is-social-media-affecting-our-self-esteem

The 5G Boogaloo

On By Jeff WilloughbyIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Industry is pushing the “race” to produce 5g. It seems as though 5g will be the next big thing in quest for global communication dominance but what is underlying conflict that makes the race to have 5g so important? Truth of the matter is that the race for 5g is not existent and only serves as buzz word for mainstream telecommunications giants like Verizon and Comcast to pander to lawmakers throughout the country. 

The race for 5g is nothing more than a bargaining chip these communications giants wield in order to produce company gains.  The company’s that can show the “best” 5g service maps are the one that win the race for government tax breaks, incentives, and subsidies. The companies will win but the consumers will lose. The United States technically won the battle for 4g but we don’t talk about that anymore. However, what we are left with after that grueling 4g race with china to see who will have the first nationwide coverage was higher monthly internet/phone bills, coverage that seems to lack the speed that was promised, and stellar customer service. Don’t get me wrong with the emergence of 5g coverage internet speeds will increase but so will the costs, and the ability to piggy back on the consumer will be easier due to the FCC’s decision to give up on consumer protection.

The race rhetoric only serves the interests of the conglomerates that created it. In a country that can’t afford to subsides school lunches to public schools, or has to cut spending on important infrastructure to keep its people safe, it only seems right to throw a couple billion towards the Verizon’s and Comcast’s of the world to insure that the country gets that fast 5g internet that it craves. What we’ll also get is more lack luster customer experience, price hikes, and potentially some new health problems from all the new high frequency 5g towers.

Article: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20200116/08134343743/race-to-5g-is-giant-pile-lobbyist-nonsense.shtml

Image: https://thegarnetmine.com/12493/uncategorized/are-the-new-5g-towers-a-new-concern/

No more cookies for you, says Google

On By Mónica G. RodríguezIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

One of the richest companies in the world, Google, recently announced they would be eliminating “cookies” from the Chrome browser by the year 2022.

Image from seroundtable.com

Explaining the concept of ‘third-party cookies’ involves a little more tech lingo, but the gist of it is that they’re basically a digital advertiser’s best friend. Cookies on websites help them track where you have visited across the web, how many times, and from where. They then send you targeted ads of your ‘interests’, based on those those visits patterns.

While browsing the web, you may have noticed a little announcement that pops up usually from the end of the screen letting you know “This website uses cookies.” It then proceeds to tell you something along the lines of “By continuing to browse this website, you agree to the terms and services.” Maybe you just clicked “Ok” to get that stubborn little banner out of the way. Or maybe you never even noticed any trace of cookies at all. Whatever it may be, if you use Chrome, it’s very likely they are there.

According to the company, the decision to ban third-party cookies is part of an effort to ensure more privacy on the internet, especially for users. According to some experts, Google had no other choice but to eliminate cookies altogether, because their competitors Safari and Firefox already banned that third party activity.

Many advertisers big or small rely on cookies to target ads more efficiently, therefore Google is offering two years to let them figure out new digital advertising strategies.

 It seems like people are torn with this announcement. While, on the one hand, it’s a positive thing to promote a more private web by excluding third parties from acquiring your data; on the other, it allows both Google and Facebook to gather even more information from you because there is less competition to gain your data. Others argue that eliminating cookies will take a toll on smaller businesses that rely on their targeted ads. Meanwhile, some say that a cookie-free browser will create a more strategic and fair digital advertising environment.

What do you think about this? As a consumer, do you think you might notice a change in the ads you come across online?

Source: https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/1/16/21065641/google-chrome-cookie-ban-advertisers

Mind Reading Technology: No Longer So Futuristic

On By lilybarnabyIn TechnologyLeave a comment
Source: roadtovr.com

In the CNBC article, “Mind-reading technology lets you control tech with your brain — and it actually works” by Julia Boorstin, Boorstin discusses the recent developments in mind-controlled technologies, ranging from video games to TV, to prosthetics. This category of companies is known as “Brain-Computer Interface”. These products use sensors attached to the scalp to interpret brain signals into specific actions.

One of the major players in this industry is Next Mind. The CEO, Sid Kouider explains “Your vision is in your brain, and we analyze your vision in your brain and we can know what you want to act upon and then we can modify that to basically create a command.” The author of the article sampled the technology herself and was able to use the sensors to select specific keys on a TV, functionally replacing a TV remote. She could also manipulate the settings such as channel and volume. While this may sound like science fiction, the industry is projected to make over $1.5 billion this year alone. This technology has wide-reaching applications, from entertainment to medicine and prosthetics. Another company, BrainCo, has been masterminding a wearable prosthetic which will retail for $10,000-$15,000, almost half of the current prosthetics on the market. What makes this even more revolutionary, the system operates on muscle signals, which can be learned over time to increase functionality and dexterity.

While much of this technology is not yet available to consumers, companies like Next Mind are offering developer kits in hopes that others companies will be inspired to create extensions and applications to better the technology.

Article Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/10/ces-2020-mind-reading-technology-lets-you-control-gadgets-and-games.html