Descubrimiento Digital: The Online Lives of Latinx Consumers
The visibility of U.S. Hispanics highlights an increase in cultural inclusivity and civic representation as well as recognition of the community’s strides. With continuing progress in educational pursuits, economic gains and more, the Latinx community and its influence on the new American mainstream are undeniable on many fronts.
Source: Descubrimiento Digital: The Online Lives of Latinx Consumers
What It’s Like to Download Your Facebook Data
For the past 13 years, I’ve given the platform my photos, my videos, my likes, and untold hours of my time. Sifting through it all was amusing and surprising—and weirdly sad.
Source: What It’s Like to Download Your Facebook Data – The Atlantic
What to Expect from Apple’s iPhone Event on Wednesday, September 12
LATER THIS WEEK, Apple will almost certainly reveal at least two new iPhones, along with some other hardware. This year’s launch is framed around the fact that it’s an “S” year, which usually means that last year’s phones get some updated internals, camera improvements, and an “S” affixed to their names. In other words, it might not be a year of radical design rethinks.
Source: What to Expect from Apple’s iPhone Event on Wednesday, September 12 | WIRED
Facebook is looking to avoid YouTube’s pitfalls by providing marketers a slew of tools to keep their ads away from less desirable content
Facebook is promising to bring more ad transparency to its various ad products. The company is hoping to avoid some of the mishaps that have befallen YouTube over the last year, as multiple top brands’ ads ended up next to dicey videos.
The Constant Consumer
Recent technologies have enabled the role of customer to be fused with the newer role of user, who inhabits an entire system rather than a specific transaction. Amazon’s mission is to make customer identity more primary than citizenship
How Streaming Is Changing the Shape of Music
The streaming era has arrived in the music business, but the music business has not yet fully arrived in the streaming era. Labels, publishers, artists, songwriters and managers are all feeling – to differing degrees – the revenue impact of a booming streaming sector. However, few of these streaming migrants are fundamentally reinventing their approach to meet the demands of the new world. A new rule book is needed, and for that we need to know which of today’s trends are the markers for the future. This sort of future gazing requires us to avoid the temptation of looking at the player with the ball, but instead look for who the ball is going to be passed to.
Source: How Streaming Is Changing Shape of Music [Mark Mulligan] Part 1 – hypebot
Amazon’s Antitrust Antagonist Has a Breakthrough Idea
With a single scholarly article, Lina Khan, 29, has reframed decades of monopoly law.
Source: Amazon’s Antitrust Antagonist Has a Breakthrough Idea – The New York Times
A New Spotify Initiative Makes the Big Record Labels Nervous
The streaming service has been making deals with independent artists. Could it change the music industry as we know it?
Source: A New Spotify Initiative Makes the Big Record Labels Nervous – The New York Times
Skin or CGI? Alita: Battle Angel takes manga to photorealistic levels
Director Robert Rodriguez, producer Jon Landau and actress Rosa Salazar share the challenges of the balancing act of CGI and realism.
Source: Skin or CGI? Alita: Battle Angel takes manga to photorealistic levels – CNET
Apple Wants to Be a Wearables Company
“You don’t need the AirPods, you don’t need the Watch or the glasses, but if you put them together, and you have a wireless connection, it might allow a new kind of computing ー a new way to interact with your environment.”
Dr. Kai-Fu Lee on Why AI Redefines What It Means to Be Human
I talk in my book about the great divide between the top 1% and the bottom 50% of the population. There are areas where AI has the potential to be an equalizer — for example, reducing the cost of healthcare or lowering the barrier to accessing a good education.
However, the digital divide that has been enhanced and exacerbated by the advent of computers, the internet, and mobile devices could also get worse with AI. Various ideas are being advanced in relation to the redistribution of wealth, and I think that some government policy response will end up being necessary. As I mention in my book, I have many concerns about the concept of universal basic income. But some form of redistribution is going to be inevitable. Otherwise, this large divide isn’t a formula for stability, happiness, or harmony.
Source: Dr. Kai-Fu Lee on Why AI Redefines What It Means to Be Human – Salesforce Blog
Apple’s rumored TV service: Everything you need to know
Just where is Apple putting that $1 billion investment in TV programming?
Source: Apple’s rumored TV service: Everything you need to know – CNET
The Big Myth About Teenage Anxiety
Relax: The digital age is not wrecking your kid’s brain.
Source: Opinion | The Big Myth About Teenage Anxiety – The New York Times
Five Experts Share What Scares Them the Most About AI
Artificial intelligence will change life for the better. But there are reasons to be cautious as well. Five experts tell Futurism what most worries them.
Source: Five Experts Share What Scares Them the Most About AI
Samsung strategy will enhance mid-range smartphone technology
Samsung announced a new strategy that will see it introduce cutting-edge technology on its mid-range smartphones as opposed to its higher-end smartphones like its Galaxy Note and Galaxy S lines.
Source: Samsung strategy will enhance mid-range smartphone technology – Business Insider
Maps are a serious fake news threat, and bots may be making them now
A new study reveals how maps go viral–and why they’ve become the perfect tool for misinformation.
Source: Maps are a serious fake news threat, and bots may be making them now
Read the research paper: Elements of Viral Cartography
Twitter is considering badging bots — “as far as we can detect them”
At today’s Senate Intelligence Committee hearing Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was asked by vice chair Sen. Mark Warner whether users should have “a right to know” if they are talking to a bot or a human on its platform — to help people better navigate the information they are bei…
Source: Twitter is considering badging bots — “as far as we can detect them” | TechCrunch
How homophily in social networks disadvantages minorities
On social networks and at tech companies, homophily makes life even harder for women and racial minorities than you might guess.
Source: How homophily in social networks disadvantages minorities
Read the research paper: Homophily influences ranking of minorities in social networks
RealNetworks’ Scener is like Twitch for Netflix
Incubated at RealNetworks, Scener lets you watch other people as they watch movies and TV shows.
Many US Facebook users have changed privacy settings or taken a break
Just over half of Facebook users have adjusted privacy settings in the past year. Around four-in-ten have taken a break from checking for several weeks or more.
Source: Many US Facebook users have changed privacy settings or taken a break | Pew Research Center
A North Dakota golf course is dropping burgers from a drone
This North Dakota golf course thinks drones could be a savior.
Source: A North Dakota golf course is dropping burgers from a drone
Social Networks Can Boost Knowledge, Even on Polarizing Issues
But only if they are structured in a way that deemphasizes users’ partisan identities.
Source: Social Networks Can Boost Knowledge, Even on Polarizing Issues – Pacific Standard
A Facebook War: Libyans Battle on the Streets and on Screens
A new wave of fighting shook Tripoli this past week. For many combatants Facebook, which has huge influence in Libya, is a key weapon.
Source: A Facebook War: Libyans Battle on the Streets and on Screens – The New York Times
Can You Spot the Deceptive Facebook Post?
Facebook has been plagued with disinformation posts placed by foreign operatives. Can you tell the difference between a real post and one designed to fool you?
Source: Can You Spot the Deceptive Facebook Post? – The New York Times
Amazon Sets Its Sights on the $88 Billion Online Ad Market
The online retailer is moving aggressively into digital advertising, emerging as a major competitor to Google and Facebook.
Source: Amazon Sets Its Sights on the $88 Billion Online Ad Market – The New York Times
Welcome to Poppy’s World
Pop singer? YouTube star? Cult leader? Whoever she is, Poppy is taking over the internet.
Source: Welcome to Poppy’s World | WIRED
Why virtual reality isn’t just for gamers
While VR is completely transforming the gaming landscape, the technology has limitless possibilities outside of this space. Enterprise VR is a quietly successful segment of this emerging industry that perhaps doesn’t get the attention it so rightly deserves. There are some truly exciting enterprise use cases which have the capability to provide businesses with opportunities for customer engagement and process optimization.
Google at 20: how a search engine became a literal extension of our mind
We’re now so reliant on Google’s services they are now a part of us, raising some deeply troubling questions.
Source: Google at 20: how a search engine became a literal extension of our mind
The AI, machine learning, and data science conundrum: Who will manage the algorithms?
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are being adopted at a rapid clip, and the management headaches are just about to begin.
Source: The AI, machine learning, and data science conundrum: Who will manage the algorithms? | ZDNet
What Will Football Games Look Like After the NFL?
As health concerns and political skirmishes cause NFL ratings to decline, we must think about what football video games will look like after the NFL.
How AI-generated music is changing the way hits are made
Music-making AI software has advanced so far in the past few years that it’s no longer a frightening novelty; it’s a viable tool.
Source: How AI-generated music is changing the way hits are made – The Verge
The Amazonization of Whole Foods, one year in
Amazon promised to breathe new tech into the relationship with Whole Foods after putting a $13.7 billion ring on it one year ago. So how did that promise shake out? At the time, Amazon said the goal was to make “high-quality, natural and organic food affordable for everyone.”
Source: The Amazonization of Whole Foods, one year in | TechCrunch
California is leading the state-by-state fight for net neutrality
States are ready to join the fight for the internet — if the courts let them
Source: California is leading the state-by-state fight for net neutrality – The Verge
The Hot College Gig: Online Brand Promoter
American companies are turning to students to push products on their personal social media accounts.
Source: The Hot College Gig: Online Brand Promoter – The New York Times
Apple Is Clearly Working on AR Glasses
Apple buying a startup manufacturer of lenses for augmented reality glasses is one of many clear signs that Cupertino is building AR glasses.
More Alexa ‘blueprints’ arrive, offering customizable voice apps for families and roommates
Earlier this year, Amazon rolled out a new feature that allowed Alexa device owners to create their own custom skills using preconfigured templates. Today, Amazon is expanding Alexa Blueprints, as the service is called, to include a handful of new templates designed for families and roommates. Thes…
How should we regulate facial recognition?
Facial recognition is everywhere — airports, police stations, and built into the largest cloud platforms in the world — but there are few federal rules about how it can be used. Is it time to change that?
Source: How should we regulate facial recognition? – The Verge
No flipping: How smart TVs are getting quite smart about you
Smarter sets could mean more niche programming and fewer annoying ads, says the TV industry. Privacy advocates worry consumers are being kept in the dark.
Source: No flipping: How smart TVs are getting quite smart about you
Spotify expands its $4.99 per month student bundle with Hulu to include Showtime
Spotify today is announcing a new way for students to access its Premium service, along with Hulu and Showtime, for a discounted price of $4.99 per month for all three. The new deal is an expansion of the existing Hulu and Spotify bundle for students, which launched around a year ago at the same price.
Source: Spotify expands its $4.99 per month student bundle with Hulu to include Showtime | TechCrunch
Facebook Watch is launching worldwide
Facebook Watch, the social network’s home to original video content and answer to YouTube, is now becoming available worldwide. The Watch tab had first launched last August, only in the U.S., and now touts over 50 million monthly viewers who watch at least a minute of video within Watch.