Spotify’s yearly song and podcast wrap is something Spotify users across the globe look to in anticipation following a year of listening. Now with Youtube coming forward with their release of their new “Wrap up”, Youtube music listeners are giving spotify a run for its money as well as its listeners. The new feature shared on monday reveals who users favorite artist, genre, song, music video as well as their favorite playlist to round out 2021. Many of the features of the new Youtube music app closely resemble that of the Spotify yearly round up. The new wrap up allows diversity amongst streaming platforms to allow people who don’t just use spotify to express their favorite artist and playlist. Something that spotify users have been doing for years. So now is the time for all music fans to go out and share your yearly music favorite for the world to see!
CNN primetime anchor Chris Cuomo was fired by CNN on Saturday, December 4. According to CNBC, the termination comes from new information detailing how Cuomo helped his brother Andrew Cuomo respond to sexual assault allegations.
Back in early August, then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was exposed for accounts of sexual harassment of over 11 women. After being urged to resign from the majority of the Democratic party and even President Joe Biden, Gov. Cuomo resigned on Tuesday, August 10.
Since then, Chris Cuomo’s position at CNN was in danger. The network placed Cuomo on an indefinite suspension on Tuesday, November 30, after New York Attorney General Letitia James released the evidence of Chris Cuomo’s involvement in aiding Gov. Cuomo, CNBC reported.
The suspension also came only hours after the request for CNN to fire Cuomo by a former Gov. Cuomo aide. The aide, Charlotte Bennet, was one of the 11 women that accused Gov. Cuomo of sexual harassment. After the suspension, it only took a few days for new information to come out, showing the network that Cuomo was more involved than originally assumed.
This new information alludes to Cuomo leveraging his position and resources at CNN to help Gov. Cuomo’s case and possible sexual assault allegations of his own.
Cuomo posted a statement on Twitter the afternoon after his termination, stating his disappointment and how he disagrees with how CNN handled the situation.
On social media, some showed support for CNN’s decision to fire Cuomo.
I liked him but here’s the thing: we are not a cult. He crossed an ethical line and we should hold him to a high journalistic standard. If we circle the wagons to protect our own when they’re wrong, we are as bad as they are.
There are many observing the situation that understand both sides.
I really can’t blame him, it’s his brother & they are very close, but it broke professional standards. He should have been stronger & respected his position to American viewers by simply standing down on entire issue. Difficult but choice he made has consequences now. Too bad.
Since his termination from CNN, Cuomo has lost his book deal with HarperCollins, originally set to release in 2022. Cuomo also stepped down from his SiriusXM show after being urged to by the network.
A hefty legal battle is likely the next chapter of this saga. According to Insider, Cuomo is pondering suing CNN for $18 million, the rest of his contract value.
The decision to keep the Google owned platform Youtube, on their newer devices comes with a multiyear distribution deal between the two companies. The decision to keep the app on the Roku platform comes just a day before Googles deadline to keep Youtube or cut off the main Youtube app. This agreement with Google and Roku also allowed Youtube to be restored to Rokus channel platform just a few hours after the decision was finalized on Wednesday afternoon. Youtube is known for being the world’s largest platform of digital videos with a total number of more than 2 billion monthly visitors to the site. The decision to allow the app back onto Roku streaming services will allow many to enjoy and watch Youtube all while still staying on the Roku platform. The Roku platform is also well aware of the fact that even though Google owns one of their largest used apps, Google is still a huge competitor in the field of streaming TV with some of the others being Android TV, and Apple TV.
Apple scores a win in a long legal battle with the maker Epic Games, who is known for their game Fortnite. Fortnite which offers different modes to fit the player’s needs and wants for the game. These modes feature a battle royal feature that allows users to play against an upward of 100 other players. The lawsuit between Apple and Epic Games has been a long process over the years with the court of appeals finally coming to an agreement to delay the Judge’s order to make changes to the way in which app developers are paid though Apple’s App store. Apple and Epic Games are now in their own appeals process which is on track to take upwards of two years to see any sign of an agreement amongst parties involved. One Judge who spoke on the appeals process stated “Apple has demonstrated, at minimum, that its appeal raises serious questions,” If apple was not successful in their victory in the appeals court, users of the game would be forced to pay the developer of the app directly when trying to purchase things such as extra lives as opposed to just though the app itself.
Microsoft has followed Facebook with the creation of their metaverse Microsoft Mesh. Last month the company announced its building of the metaverse. Microsoft Mesh will allow users to connect through interconnected virtual worlds however its main focus will be on work and corporate applications. The first phase of the metaverse is Microsoft Teams chat. This software will feature digital avatars and include office sharing capabilities such as sharing PowerPoint presentations. Microsoft Teams chat is in testing now and is set to release towards the end of 2022.
Microsoft has taken the corporate needs to a whole new level with their new product Dynamics 365. This will also be featured in the metaverse and allows users to virtually move through store recreations and facilities. So far Microsoft has used Dynamics to virtually visit a COVID hospital ward, a Toyota plant, and the International Space Station again. Microsoft doesn’t want to stop at the corporate level and has made the serious intention of entering the gaming world.
“If the metaverse is meant to be one immense, interconnected virtual space where brands, creators, and individual users can cohabitate, how will it work if every company wants to build its own metaverse…”. This is the main question in people’s minds, including mine. Due to the recent pandemic, I understand the urge companies have to embrace virtual reality. There is no doubt that virtual reality has the potential to bring mass amounts of people together, especially organizations. If we are trying to achieve a world in support of the common good then I worry about the effect that any localized metaverse will have.
With the rise of virtual reality (VR), I’m intrigued to see how media companies incorporate VR into their media strategies.
After five years Instagram has announced its plan to bring back the chronological feed in a new and improved way. On Wednesday, Adam Mosseri confirmed Instagram has been working on a current version of the chronological feed for months. This feed will provide users with the “option to see posts from people you follow in chronological order.” Instagram is also experimenting with a “favorites” feed. This feed will show posts from selected friends appearing higher on your feed. The article mentions that both feeds will be optional. Instagram expects to launch the new feed options in the first quarter of next year.
Many people have been advocating for the return of the chronological feed. The chronological feed differs from Instagram’s current model based on algorithms. In a blog post, Mosseri claimed the transition into an algorithm-based feed would expose users to different content on their feed. Their current algorithm-based feed has received endless scrutiny over the years, specifically for its younger users.
As a long-time Instagram user, I prefer the chronological options over the algorithm. The algorithm is very forced and still limits the content on my feed. This new feed must provide Instagram with a return on investment(ROI). Unfortunately, this ROI is based on money.
This is why I respect public media companies over commercial ones. Since Instagram is a commercial media company they are motivated by money. In public media, the companies are mission-based placing their resources into serving their core audience. This means they make decisions based on what their core audience wants not what will make them the most money. It will be interesting to see the public reaction to the chronological timeline as well as the “favorites” feed option.
We want to be clear that we’re creating new options — providing people with more choices so they can decide what works best for them — not switching everyone back to a chronological feed. You can expect more on this early next year!
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri testified before Congress this morning, CNBC reports. Mosseri refused to cancel the plans to create a kid-friendly version of Instagram for users under the age of 13.
CNBC stated that “Mosseri told the Senate Commerce subcommittee on consumer protection that he is the ultimate decision-maker on the matter.” His plan is to create this version of Instagram to keep children under the age of 13 from downloading Instagram without their parent’s permission.
The day before this testimony, the company announced that it will be making new teen safety adjustments to the app, such as a “Take a Break” notifications, removing users’ ability to tag teens that do not follow them, and eventually options to allow parents to monitor teens’ Instagram usage.
The Congress hearing was about online child safety and protection, as too many underaged users have created Instagram accounts due to issues with age verification. Lawmakers have been unhappy with the speed of the plaform’s implementation of safety measures, feeling as if Instagram is not committed to the safety of children.
Instagram’s commitment to safety has been a hot topic since whistleblower Frances Haugen released documents from Facebook and Instagram, exposing Meta‘s tendency to ignore negative data. According to The Washington Post, data shows that Instagram negatively affects young users’ mental health and body image, with “17% of teen girls [saying] that their eating disorders got worse after Instagram use.”
The subcomittee now lacks trust in Instagram and Facebook, seeing how they ignored and hid negative data, rather than building solutions and implementing safety measures.
The day before this testimony, the company announced that it will be making new teen safety adjustments to the app, such as a “Take a Break” notifications, removing users’ ability to tag teens that do not follow them, and eventually options to allow parents to monitor teens’ Instagram usage.
With all of this new information about how Instagram plans to improve its safety measures, it leaves people wondering about the effectiveness and if something like a kid-friendly Instagram should even be created. Though it seems like a safer option at first, it could pose a new set of safety issues that could have been avoided.
Despite all of this, development of the app has been paused and there is no projected release date at this time.
Following successes like The Kissing Booth or After franchise, ViacomCBS is partnering with Wattpad WEBTOON studios to adapt original online content for the screen.
Webtoon is a virtual publishing website where users can write and publish their written work. Many authors get their start on the site and gain popularity from online readers, eventually landing them a publishing deal. This was the case for the authors of The Kissing Booth and After. There are millions of stories published on the site along with sister site, Webtoon, that published comics and illustrated stories rather than just text. Wattpad and Webtoon became Wattpad Webtoon studios when Wattpad was purchased by Naver, Webtoon’s parent company, for over $600 million USD in June 2021.
With the studio, ViacomCBS plans to develop original content for several of its networks and properties, one of which being Paramount+. This partnership and plan show that ViacomCBS is working on rolling out more content specifically catered to a millennial and Gen Z audience.
“Wattpad WEBTOON Studios is home to some of the most exciting new voices in comics and literature,” “Between our massive global IP catalogue with built-in fandoms, and a roster of superstar comic artists and indie authors, we’re fueling a new era of data-backed entertainment. We’re thrilled to work with ViacomCBS International Studios, a company that shares our vision to transform entertainment by elevating the creativity and fandoms of a new generation of storytellers. Working together with ViacomCBS International Studios, we’ll bring more diverse, original voices to screens all over the world.”
Aron Levitz, President of Wattpad WEBTOON Studios
As media professionals, this partnership is meaningful because it shows a liaison between big, traditional media and new media. Like “youtube creator” or “tiktok creator” becoming new and relevant jobs in the field, a digital author is one as well. Anyone can get their start on Wattpad or Webtoon if they make an account. Now, hopping on your laptop and writing fanfiction for fun might land you a steaming series deal with media giant ViacomCBS.
Travis Scott at Astroworld Concert 2021. CREDIT: Erika Goldring/WireImage/Getty Images
Last month rapper Travis Scott’s highly anticipated Astroworld festival led to 10 deaths and left hundreds injured. On November 10, 110 people filed lawsuits. That number has increased to nearly 300. On December 7th, Travis publically requested to be removed as a defendant from many of the lawsuits. Travis and his team have stated they will continue to file for similar dismissals in the future. Amongst these dismissals is a case involving the death of 22-year-old Bharti Shahani. Although Travis was named in many of these lawsuits his team claims he “is not legally liable”.
Travis and his company Cactus Jack arent the only ones denying their legal liability. On Monday, concert promoters Live Nation and Score More denied all allegations and culpability for the event.
Law firm Brent Coon& Associates currently represent the most Astrowolrd concert-goers at a total of 1,547 individuals. They have filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Travis and Astroworld organizers. Brent Coon& Associates have requested the consolidation of all cases with a hearing set for December 13th.
This Astroworld situation reminded me of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. This section is intended to protect social media platforms by removing their liability from the content their users’ post. If social media platforms won’t be held accountable for their user’s posts then who will? The same can be said for artists at their concerts. Hundreds are people were psychologically and physically affected by this event and yet no one wants to claim responsibility. Since I don’t know all of the legality issues I can’t say it was solely Travis and Live Nation’s fault. After doing my research I believe both parties are partially responsible. I’m going to continue following the story to see its resolution.
Amazon experienced a cloud computing outage on Tuesday that showed the world just how much it relies on Amazon and its services.
According to CNBC, the outage started around 11 a.m. EST and lasted until 6:30 p.m. Amazon Web Services’ status page stated that it was having issues primarily in its main US-East-1 region.
While the general public may not know much about what the AWS cloud-computing system does or about its existence at all, many users still felt the effects of the outage when trying to use some of their favorite websites or apps.
AWS is a host for institutions such as universities, governments, and companies, according to the Associated Press. When the hosting system goes down, its entities follow suit.
Users had trouble streaming when using Amazon Prime, Disney+, or Netflix. Work and academic performance were affected by the outage of Slack and Canvas. Users could not even access finance-based apps like Coinbase or Robinhood.
The outage disrupted the company’s retail operations as well, as warehouse and delivery workers were unable to scan or deliver packages. Workers were instructed to just wait until services were up and running again. This was unfortunate timing with the holiday season in full-swing.
In the midst of the outage, users took to social media to express their concerns, commentary, and frustration.
Seeing how many daily operations were affected by just an hours-long shortage puts into perspective how much the world, more specifically the United States, relies on Amazon. It really poses the question of what would happen if the outage lasted days or weeks instead of a few hours. Or more hypothetically, what would happen if Amazon shut down for good?
With these questions in mind, the more important notion to ponder is: what should be considered a monopoly?
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