social media news

Cloudious9 is set to launch its innovative, inexpensive Atomic9 dry-herb vaporizer. I’ve had my mellow hands on a review unit for the last month and I’ve been nothing but impressed. I almost exclusively consume cannabis using a loose-leaf vaporizer. I prefer flower over concentrates or cartridges, but combustion ruins the flavor and (literally) burns through your herb much faster. Unfortunately dry-herb vapes are typically expensive and most of them just copycat each other. The Atom

TikTok‘s 500 million users aren’t there to fight about politics, troll their enemies, or shitpost for lolz. They’re mostly a community of inclusive, fun-loving content creators who support one another. You can thank the Chinese government’s commitment to exporting censorship for that. A recent report from The Guardian revealed that ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, had policies in place that outright censored or shadow-banned certain content in specific ar

As of this week, we know two things about Red Dead Redemption 2. One is that the game is almost certainly coming to PC, and the other is that Rockstar isn’t making any meaty single-player story DLC to accompany said release. The Australian ratings board last week inadvertently teased a potential new release for RDR2. The board rated it again, something it’d only do if there were another version of the game incoming. And since there’s no DLC to repackage with the game as a

Cisco’s chief marketing officer Karen Walker has left the company after 10 years.
It is understood that Walker is to move to computing giant Intel to head its marketing.
A spokesperson for Cisco said: “Cisco can confirm that Karen Walker has left Cisco. We’d like to thank Karen for the part she has played in our success to date and we wish her all of the best for the next stage of her career journey.”
Gerri Elliott will continue to lead the sales and marketing organizatio

Clear Channel is working to immediately remove a series of anti-abortion billboards in London, which have been targeting Labour MP Stella Creasy.
The ads sprung up in Walthamstow over the weekend following a protest on Saturday (28 September) by anti-abortion activist group CBR UK – which is affiliated to CBR group in the US.
While the police said the protest itself ended peacefully, the accompanying ad campaign has proven far more contentious.
The billboards carry an image that CBR s

A set of cryptocurrency firms have banded together to create a “Crypto Rating Council” to help classify digital assets — but it unlikely to mean much. Founded by prominent exchanges like Coinbase, Bittrex, and Kraken, the group aims to rate digital assets from 1 to 5. Those that find themselves on the higher end of the scale are thought to be considered securities in the eyes of regulators. “Whether a crypto asset is a security—as opposed to a c

As the multi-billion dollar OneCoin cryptocurrency pyramid scheme continues to tumble, news of witnesses set to testify against the scam’s perpetrators are now coming to light. According to Finance Feeds, employees of the Bank of Ireland have been asked to testify in the case against Mark Scott, one of the alleged figureheads of the $3 billion-plus OneCoin scam. Scott, a former partner with international law firm Locke Lord, has been accused of laundering $300 million in OneCoin proceeds

You’ve got to love a startup success story. And in recent years, Lucky Generals is one of the most notable of the lot. It’s an agency built in the mould of its founders – fun, energetic, and mischievous, but also smart and thoughtful.
Andy Nairn is one of those founders. He’s what I’d describe as a ‘people’s planner’ – generous, self-aware, with a genuine love of solving problems.
Nairn is a graduate from the AMV school of planning. He moved

Google‘s Pixel range of devices have quickly established themselves as some of the most popular flagship phones around. They’ve enter that rarified segment of devices populated by the Apple and Samsungs of the world, but — as much as I like them — this has always seemed like a strange fit to me. There’s no doubting the Pixel 3 is a great phone, but it never felt as premium, polished, or slick as some of the other leading devices in the category. One element of

Welcome to CHEAP, our series about things that are good, but most of all, cheap. CHEAP! In this day and age you shouldn’t be without high quality music. Like, why should you sacrifice sound quality when you go to the park? Don’t you deserve to hear music in high-quality at a garden party? Shouldn’t you experience pounding bass while hanging out under the bridge? Yes. You should. You’re worth it. Finding that perfect speaker can be tough though. How do you know if the spe

 Tracy De Groose, executive chair Newsworks, reminds The Drum readers of a time when advertising paid for content - digital media has undermined the value exchange but all is not lost...
There's been a lot written about trust in our industry, but up until recently not enough action. Trust in advertising has eroded in the UK to an all-time low, from 50% to 25% according to the Advertising Association (AA).
In the US, Marc Pritchard talked at the ANA Media Conference 

There's been a lot written about trust in our industry, but up until recently not enough action. Trust in advertising has eroded in the UK to an all-time low, from 50% to 25% according to the Advertising Association (AA).
In the US, Marc Pritchard talked at the ANA Media Conference how seven out of 10 consumers find ads annoying, and how ad blocking is accelerating at pace. The work to resolve this crisis has started in the UK. Last week in New York, Keith Weed shared how the AA’

For the ongoing series, Code Word, we’re exploring if — and how — technology can protect individuals against sexual assault and harassment, and how it can help and support survivors. Slack, the group messaging tool has undoubtedly revolutionized the workplace, defining itself as a collaborative tool that encourages openness within teams regardless of the company size. It’s now easier than ever to stay in touch with colleagues, whether you want to or not. Earlier this yea

Back in the early 2000’s we were told ‘content is KING’ but no one warned us of how difficult and expensive it was going to be to keep this King alive. Long gone are the days of simple texts or highly pixelated images, this is the era of high-definition, vertical frames, soon-to-go viral, 30 seconds...no wait, 15 seconds, heartstring-pulling visual content.  
With the emergence of social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc and rapidly decreasin

A small core team, outsourced administrative functions and a data-informed value-based remuneration model are just some of the traits that will form the successful agency of the future, claimed the chief marketing officer of General Mills.
Ivan Pollard, who took the top marketing job in 2017 at the FMCG firm, said he believed clients’ refinement of roles should encourage current and future shops to also update the model of a “business called an agency”, in order to best serve a

Acura is revving up the power in its latest brand campaign, letting its vehicles do the talking in high-speed action. The ‘Less Talk, More Drive’ campaign highlights the brand’s ‘Precision Crafted Performance’ through the eyes of its engineers, race car drivers and lineup of performance vehicles.
Two words underscore the 30-second video – ‘Beat That.’
Set to the soundtrack of Dick Dale’s Nitrus, the spot opens with a stunt driver helming the

Media veteran Mike Soutar, a former editor of FHM and co-founder of Shortlist Media, has been appointed chief executive of The Evening Standard.
The news brand, edited by former chancellor George Osborne, has suffered a turbulent time financially and has brought Soutar aboard to course correct.
Having co-founded Shortlist magazine (now defunct but survived by sister title Stylist), Soutar brings expertise in managing a print product distributed freely in cities, which is the model deployed

In the past, I’ve written about why I like the size of the iPhone Xs, and how this was one of the reasons I used that phone as my primary device for over a year. So, when I got the iPhone 11 last week, I was initially skeptical about the size and screen. But after using the phone for over 72 hours, most of my hesitation has gone for a toss, and I’m actually quite impressed by how nicely the phone is refined. When I opened the phone’s box, I immediately noticed the large bezels

Thieves have ransacked the Fusion Protocol, a blockchain-powered platform for exchanging “stablecoins” and other tokens, stealing roughly $6.4 million worth of cryptocurrency. “[On] September 28th 2019, the Fusion swap wallet was compromised, resulting in theft of 10 million native FSN and 3.5 million ERC20 FSN token,” reads a Fusion Foundation blog dated September 29. The post then confirms the platform’s own wallet was the only one affected, as the firm had recei

Update at 6:30 PM IST: The treaty between the US and the UK to disclose information of individuals suspected of serious criminal acts will not require social media platforms to install backdoors or break end-to-end encryption, a further analysis of the CLOUD Act reveals. While the initial reports from Bloomberg and The Times implied it would force tech companies to hand over encrypted messages, the CLOUD Act suggests otherwise. Short for ‘Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act,’

Social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp will be forced to share users’ ‘encrypted messages’ with British police as part of a new treaty between the US and the UK, according to multiple reports from Bloomberg and The Times. The accord is expected to be be signed next month, and will force social media firms to turn over information in assisting investigations into individuals suspected of serious criminal offenses such as terrorism and pedophilia. Note the emphasis on

Just when you thought Bitcoin scammers couldn’t stoop any lower, they’ve now taken to impersonating Buckingham Palace. The fraudsters have reportedly sent letters requesting donations to save the UK economy – because people would totally fall for that, right? The letters, dated September 16, claim this is the second time the Queen has reached out to a “certain number of people to save Great Britain’s economy” because “Brexit will happen quite quick

Anker’s newest noise-cancelling headphones, the Soundcore Life Q20, are an absolute delight. And I didn’t think they would be. We’ve reviewed a lot of Anker gear in the past. It’s a company we know and trust. However, the Soundcore Life Q20 is priced at just $59.99 (or £52 in the UK). Typically, when buying a pair of noise-cancelling cans, you don’t get much for less than $80. Spend less than that, and you’ll start encountering significant compromises.

True brand purpose is not running a one-off advertisement -- it is something that all company actions should exude. And it is certainly not what happened at Advertising Week in New York.
Last week, the major industry event held several sessions on how businesses can help to improve society. Here are just a few titles that I collected from the schedule posted online.
“The Power of Purpose: What Does it Mean for a Company to be Values-Based and Purpose-Driven?” “Always Bet on Equ

For too long, companies have relied on one quality in product design and delivery: newness. And why not? Adding cool new features to hardware, software, and gadgets enables companies to sell more products, enter new markets and attract a more diverse set of customers. It puts a fresh coat of paint on established goods while promoting the idea that a brand is innovating rather than standing still. Plus, releasing features incrementally is more affordable than constantly reinventing the wheel. Al

You can be proud of your country. That’s fine. Blitz spirit, stiff upper lip. Sure. But if that’s all you’ve got, you’re in a bit of a pickle.
This may have happened to Tesco. Last year, the retail giant announced ten discount chain stores named after its founder, Jack Cohen.
Jack’s. 
Jack’s was set up to pry wandering Tesco customers from Lidl and Aldi’s sleek, Germanic biceps. Despite its cut-throat prices not always matching the Teutonic twins&rs

A spate of mob violence in India exacerbated by incendiary messages sent by mobile phone and social media is being countered by a powerful new film from Wunderman Thompson and fashion brand Turtle.
Timed to coincide with the Durga Puja Hindu festival, 'The Lynching', draws attention to hundreds of people drawn into such violence over platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook over the past few years via evocative animation.
Photorealistic textures and patterns build a dystopian noir-esque world i

Poppy Mason-Watts has joined Way To Blue as its new European business director, where she will be responsible for bolstering the agency's integrated offering out of the global communications agency’s European hub in the Netherlands.
Based in Amsterdam, Mason-Watts will be tasked with elevating the agency’s profile, expanding its offering across the retail, fashion, hospitality and travel sectors, as well as coordinating and overseeing international business growth. She will

With Fifa 20, the latest iteration of EA Sports' long-lived sports game, now in stores, Adam&EveDDB is urging players to break from convention by heralding all the players who don't do things 'right'.
A new global marketing campaign looks at those who play ‘wrong’ in the stadium, in the street and in the game. Mentioned is the showboat celebrations of Fifa Women Player of the year Megan Rapinoe, Jaden Sancho's move to Germany, Raheem's Sterling's smaller stature. It even throws a

Our robot colleague Satoshi Nakaboto writes about Bitcoin every fucking day. Welcome to another edition of Bitcoin Today, where I, Satoshi Nakaboto, tell you what’s been going on with Bitcoin in the past 24 hours. As Pasteur used to say: Talk to a stranger on a bus! Bitcoin Price We closed the day, September 29 2019, at a price of $8,104. That’s a minor 1.72 percent decline in 24 hours, or -$141.85. It was the lowest closing price in one hundred and nine days. We’re still 59 p

Good morning Forkers, you know what time it is. It’s Moonday Mornings, Hard Fork’s wrap-up of the weekend’s top cryptocurrency and blockchain headlines you can’t afford to miss. Check it out. 1. The Ukrainian government is allegedly preparing plans to legalize cryptocurrency in the country, The Block reports. The move is being pushed by the incoming digital transformation deputy minister Alexander Bornyakov, who says legalization will benefit the country and its governme

Apollo Tyres is to promote its new range of tyres through a campaign that features the messaging 'Bad roads go to good places'. 
The campaign, created by Mindshare, aims to establish Apollo Tyres as a high-technology brand as it narrows its focus on the SUV segment. 
Apollo Tyres has further curated #BadRoadBuddies, a community for existing off-roaders to come together and discover the vast terrains in India.
Satish Sharma, president, Asia Pacific, Middle East and A

After introducing $3 per month mobile-only plan in India, Netflix is experimenting with a new strategy to lure more subscribers – free episodes for non-registered users. The streaming company is offering to show the first episode of its new series, Bard of Blood, for free even if you’re not a Netflix subscriber. The company said the free offering is only for a limited time: At Netflix, we try different ways to bring people closer to great stories. We believe many people will find th

Subscribe to our monthly Byte Me newsletter NOW! Welcome back to Byte Me, our feminist newsletter that makes everyone mad <3 Since we last spoke, Anouk was made the first-ever queen of editorial, Cara’s edgy football club won their division (and she scored a bajillion goals), and Gigi’s mum won a big tech award, so that bodes well for her genes. Each month, our gloriously talented designer, Saïna, illustrates a weird comment or tweet we receive

China is already home to extensive facial recognition technology, using it to identify criminals, monitor students’ attention, and even let citizens purchase train tickets. Now, in an attempt to enrich its surveillance arsenal, reseachers from the country have developed a 500 megapixel facial recognition camera capable of capturing “thousands of faces at a stadium in perfect detail and generate their facial data for the cloud while locating a particular target in an instant.&rd

Online second-hand marketplace Carousell has unveiled its first brand campaign to attract a regional audience.
The brand campaign titled 'Everyone Wins', created by 72andSunny Singapore highlights how two sellers can mutually benefit with transactions. The campaign so far has been rolled out only in Singapore and the Philippines. It will launch in other markets including Hong Kong and Malaysia in the coming months.
The film will run across OOH, digital, social, and includes a

A few years ago I was working on the Coffee vs Gangs content series. After a successful launch, which saw Kenco help young Hondurans out of gangs by training them as coffee farmers, l found myself in an all agency meeting. After some initial self-congratulatory backslapping, discussion of the ‘raw authenticity’ led to a new addition to the group confidently chiming in.
‘I loved the first series and was wondering if it might be possible to see some of the kids from the gangs dri

Interviewed in the latest installment of the Shiny New Object Podcast by Automated Creative’s Tom Ollerton is Manisha Seewal, group chief marketing officer at Carro - South East Asia’s largest automotive marketplace. Here are five things Ollerton found out as a result of the conversation.
Behavioural trends translate 
This year, Carro launched the ‘Netflix of cars’. Rather than owning a car outright, people can pay a subscription - the first model of its kind in the

Last Saturday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the company’s ambitious Starship spacecraft – designed to (eventually) take humans to Mars – might reach Earth’s orbit within the next six months. Currently, the company is working on engine designs. It has tested a single raptor engine with a prototype vehicle called Starhopper this year. Now, it’s building a triple raptor engine (Mk1) in order to take the vehicle 20km off the ground. Plus, SpaceX is building the second eng

Indian e-commerce platform Flipkart and Amazon have claimed record sales on the first day of their festive sales.
Flipkart has claimed that it recorded two times sales growth on the first day of its The Big Billion Days (TBBD), compared to last year’s opening day sales, as the number of transacting customers from tier II, III, IV cities doubled.
Kalyan Krishnamurthy, chief executive, Flipkart in a statement said: “There is no doubt that e-commerce has not only lifted consumer sentime

Indian e-commerce platform Flipkart and Amazon have claimed record sales on the first day of their festive sales.
Flipkart has claimed that it recorded two times sales growth on the first day of its The Big Billion Days (TBBD), compared to last year’s opening day sales, as the number of transacting customers from tier II, III, IV cities doubled.
Kalyan Krishnamurthy, chief executive, Flipkart in a statement said: “There is no doubt that e-commerce has not only lifted consumer sentime

Each month, WPP's chief client officer Lindsay Pattison will share her favorite client developments in the world of creativity and technology. Here she takes a look back at what caught her eye in September.
1) New York Fashion Week is always a spectacle but this month Rihanna’s lingerie brand Savage x Fenty smashed the constructs of a traditional catwalk show apart. Not only is Rihanna the first African-American woman to head up an LVMH Maison, she was also savvy enough to stream her epic