IANS - Microblogging and social networking website Tumblr have made fresh changes to remain on the Apple App Store. The company had to extend the definition of what sensitive content is and how its users access it to comply with Apple guidelines.
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Tumblr Makes New Changes to Stay on Apple App Store
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BetaMars Has Raised $3M in Seed Investment Round
NEWS FILE CORP - BetaMars has raised a $3M seed investment from HOT DAO. Both sides have reached cooperation on the further building of BetaMars and expansion of metaverse. BetaMars is a metaverse project aiming to construct a "future homeland of human beings." On the core of "human nature," the BetaMars team has developed various gameplay mechanisms to draw global players to build a vivid world.
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Instagram Is Exploring a New Feature That Could Make Some Users a Fortune
INC - Instagram is "actively exploring" a new feature where users can buy and sell cryptocurrency, creating a new revenue stream that could generate billions for the app, billions more for Meta, as well as a whole new wave of Instagram influencers who take advantage of the opportunity to sell via the social network.
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Dreamr, Social Network for Chasing Dreams
BLOCKONOMI - Dreamr is an ecosystem of social networking and financial tools designed for those chasing their dreams. It aims to remove the difficulties of community building and funding roadblocks from creative visionaries. A powerful platform with web3 integration, thoughtfully designed into an easy-to-use mobile app experience.
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Facebook's Acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp Are Antitrust Targets
MARKETWATCH - Meta is in a prodigious antitrust fight with the FTC. FTC's attempt to break up Meta is unlikely to succeed, legal experts say, but agency is also looking to slow down or stop a spate of purchase attempts meant to complete Zuckerberg's 'metaverse' vision.
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Instagram Boss Says App Will 'Rethink What Instagram Is' in 2022
CNET - Instagram boss Adam Mosseri vowed that the app will "rethink what Instagram is" in 2022. Mosseri said Instagram will focus on greater transparency in the New Year, among other goals. He didn't directly address any of the past year's scandals that rocked Instagram and Meta.
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Moderator Who Watched Hours of Traumatic Videos Sues TikTok for Failing to Protect Her Mental Health
GIZMODO - A former content moderator for TikTok is suing TikTok and ByteDance for reportedly failing to protect her mental health after watching countless hours of traumatic videos. Candie Frazier, who worked for a third-party contracting firm, stated that TikTok moderators work at a grueling pace and are obligated to review hundreds of videos per day with few breaks. She has developed panic attacks and depression. She also has a hard time sleeping and experiences horrific nightmares.
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Google Is Fined $100M in Russia for 'Systematic Failure to Remove Banned Content'
WASHINGTON POST - A Russian court fined Google ~$100M for "systematic failure to remove banned content" - the largest such penalty yet in the country as Moscow attempts to rein in Western tech giants. The fine was calculated based on Google's annual revenue, which its 2020 turnover in the country exceeded $1.15B.
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Social Networks That Have the Highest Usage Among Gen Z and Millennials
AFP RELAX NEWS - A study looked at social media usage among Generation Z and millennials and how this usage has changed in 2021. Here are the results of the usage in Oct 2021 compared to Oct 2020.
Generation Z (% Oct 2021/ Oct 2020)
- YouTube: 77% in 2021 / 79% in 2020
- Instagram: 67% in 2021 / 62% in 2020
- TikTok: 64% in 2021 / 45% in 2020
- Snapchat: 60% in 2021 / 56% in 2020
- Facebook: 42% in 2021 / 36% in 2020
- Discord: 34% in 2021 / 33% in 2020
- Twitter: 32% in 2021 / 33% in 2020
- Facebook Messenger: 31% in 2021 / 23% in 2020
- Pinterest: 29% in 2021/ 29% in 2020
- Fortnite: 25% in 2021 / 13% in 2020
- Reddit: 18% in 2021 / 18% in 2020
- WhatsApp: 17% in 2021 / 11% in 2020
Millennials (% Oct 2021/Oct 2020)
- Facebook: 75% in 2021 / 76% in 2020
- YouTube: 72% in 2021 / 71% in 2020
- Instagram: 58% in 2021 / 59% in 2020
- Facebook Messenger: 62% in 2021 / 59% in 2020
- Snapchat : 41% en 2021 / 42% in 2020
- Twitter: 29% in 2021 / 36% in 2020
- TikTok: 42% in 2021 / 30% in 2020
- Pinterest: 23% in 2021 / 28% in 2020
- WhatsApp: 16% in 2021 / 25% in 2020
- Reddit: 16% in 2021 / 18% in 2020
- Discord: 15% in 2021 / 17% in 2020
- Fortnite: 10% in 2021 / 7% in 2020
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Triller to Go Public Via Merger With SeaChange International
TECH CRUNCH - Short video app Triller is set to go public via a reverse merger with video-tech company SeaChange International. The combined entity will be valued at ~$5B. After completing the merger, SeaChange will change its name to TrillerVerz Corp. The Massachusetts-based company is a supplier of video delivery software solutions that power cloud and on-premise video delivery platforms.
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ASMALLWORLD to Acquire a 10% Stake in Global Hotel Alliance
YAHOO FINANCE - ASMALLWORLD AG will acquire a 10% stake in the parent company of Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), the world's largest alliance of independent hotel brands with ~800 hotels, and join the company's Board of Directors. ASMALLWORLD will support GHA in delivering its recently re-launched loyalty program GHA DISCOVERY, which will expand to ~20M members in 2022.
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VK Expands 2-factor Authentication With VK Protect Security Program
TELECOM PAPER - VK is launching a new program designed to protect users and their data – VK Protect. As part of VK Protect, the company has expanded two-factor authentication. The tool is now available across all VK ecosystem services that require authorization through a single account and when visiting third-party partner sites and applications.
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Facebook Is America's Least Trusted Social Media
DAILY MAIL - A poll found that 72% of surveyed Americans distrust Facebook's data management. The poll found 56% of Americans believe Facebook harms society. The survey also found that ~70% of people are concerned about how electronic devices listen in 'inappropriate ways.'
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Sean Lawrence - One-to-Many Video and Gamification Are an Excellent Match
VSN - Sean Lawrence, Director of Product at The Meet Group, has led the development of the company's video and gamification projects. Integrating gamification activities into live streaming video has stimulated the growth of customer engagement on The Meet Group's platforms. According to his experience, there are six ideals of gamification:
- Comprehension - Does the user understand the feature?
- Joy - Does the feature bring joy to the user?
- Motivation - Will the user want to use the feature again?
- Achievement - Is there a sense of accomplishment?
- Cooperation - Are the viewers and streamers connecting?
- Challenge - Does it prompt users to work towards new rewards?
The Meet Group has further leveraged virtual gifting into the gamification concept to drive engagement and monetization for streamers and audiences alike. Sean Lawrence provides intriguing insights into the application of gamification to streaming video for online dating platforms in the latest video in the LTR Conference series.
LTR stands for Love, Technology, Relationships and the online conference covers the Internet dating and Online Social Communities space. It is for members of IDEA and OSCA.
The October LTR was kindly sponsored by vPaaS by The Meet Group, RealMe, FaceTec, Women in Dating & Courtland Brooks.
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Social Gaming Firm Rec Room Valued at $3.5B in Funding Round
REUTERS - Social gaming platform Rec Room fetched a valuation of $3.5B after raising $145M in a funding round led by hedge fund Coatue Management, riding on the pandemic-fueled boom in digital entertainment. The Seattle-based company, which allows users to create customizable and interactive gaming rooms, said it currently had ~37M people on its platform. It added that the number of MAU had surged by ~450% since Nov 2020.
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