trends
Beyond Silicon Valley
The six cities building the future of the global tech industry. Each has its own story and a set of unique factors behind its rise. What they all do carry is a measure of the Silicon Valley myth: The idea that, if you want to make it in tech, you need to be there.
Source: Beyond Silicon Valley
How your Netflix habit is changing contemporary fiction
If you want a preview of next year’s Emmy Awards, just take a walk past your local bookstore. According to data drawn from Publishers Marketplace, the industry’s clearinghouse for news and self-reported book deals, literary adaptations to television have been on a steady climb.
Source: The Rise of Must-Read TV
A People’s History of Black Twitter, Part I
From #UKnowUrBlackWhen to #BlackLivesMatter, how a loose online network became a pop culture juggernaut, an engine of social justice, and a lens into the future.
The Computer Scientist Training AI to Think With Analogies
Melanie Mitchell has worked on digital minds for decades. She says they’ll never truly be like ours until they can make analogies.
Source: The Computer Scientist Training AI to Think With Analogies | Quanta Magazine
Neurocracy is future fiction in the form of Wikipedia
How Half-Life and Deus Ex laid the foundation for a Wikipedia-style murder mystery game In 2048, Wikipedia doesn’t exist. Without enough donations and too many copyright claims, it has to shut down. In 2049, a new substitute rises: Omnipedia, built in the spirit of its predecessor as a free encyclopedia for all.
Source: Neurocracy is future fiction in the form of Wikipedia
I am a Black female CEO, and this is how I redefined the white men’s club in tech
The first female CEO of SMASH explains the lessons she learned from being the only (or one of very few) Black woman in STEM from school to the workplace.
Source: I am a Black female CEO, and this is how I redefined the white men’s club in tech
Shein is the future of fast fashion. Is that a good thing?
The Chinese retailer is fast becoming Gen Z’s favorite fashion company, for its low prices and savvy social media use.
Source: Shein is the future of fast fashion. Is that a good thing?
Remote workers are moving out of big cities — but not to the Midwest
These workers will have major effects on cities and the areas outside them. Remote work is doing a lot of labor.
Source: Remote workers are moving out of big cities — but not to the Midwest
See also: Younger employees fear being left behind by remote work
Hello, Content Creators. Silicon Valley’s Investors Want to Meet You.
The online influencer culture is starting to draw serious interest from big venture capital firms. But the real money could be in digital tools, not the personalities.
Source: Hello, Content Creators. Silicon Valley’s Investors Want to Meet You.
What Is the Metaverse?
Crypto people say they’re building it. Gamers might already be living in it. The art world is cashing in on it. Web veterans are trying to save it. But what is it?
Source: What Is the Metaverse?
TikTok Resumes makes it easy to apply for jobs via the app
@careerbabe##duet with @makena.yee example of how to use ##tiktokresumes to get ur dream job! ##learnontiktok ##tiktokpartner ##careeradvice ##jobsearch ##jobtips ##job
TikTok has launched a new feature aimed at encouraging its community to use its app to apply for jobs. The launch of TikTok Resumes comes a couple of months after rumors about the feature first surfaced. At the moment, the company is running TikTok Resumes as a pilot program for its U.S.-based community until the end of this month, though expect it to be rolled out more widely if it performs successfully.
Source: TikTok Resumes makes it easy to apply for jobs via the app
Biden order: End the monopoly game
President Biden wants to remake the U.S. economy by injecting more competition into highly concentrated industries including airlines, Big Tech and agriculture to improve choices and prices for consumers. Why it matters: The ambitious executive order signed Friday directs the federal government to step up antitrust enforcement and regulation.
“Let me be very clear, capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism. It’s exploitation,” Biden said at a White House signing ceremony for the order.
We’re Watching More True Crime Than Ever. Is That a Problem?
From ‘Tiger King’ to ‘The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel’ to ‘The Vow,’ true-crime documentaries are more popular than ever. But as filmmakers wrestle with the ethical concerns that come with the genre, some are asking whether it needs to adapt to stay afloat.
Source: We’re Watching More True Crime Than Ever. Is That a Problem?
TikTok is taking the book industry by storm, and retailers are taking notice
“BookTok” has sent old books back to the top of bestseller lists and helped launch the careers of new authors. Videos with the BookTok hashtag have been viewed a collective 12.6 billion times.
Source: TikTok is taking the book industry by storm, and retailers are taking notice
Apple China is censoring 27 LGBTQ+ apps, report shows
Apple’s App Store in China has removed 27 LGBTQ+-related apps, either to meet the demand of the Chinese government or in a preemptive manner, a new report shows . Research by the U.S.-based Fight for the Future, an advocacy group for digital rights, and China-based GreatFire, a nonprofit organization that tracks censorship in China, shows that only Saudi Arabia has more LGBTQ+ apps unavailable in their App Store.
Source: Apple China is censoring 27 LGBTQ+ apps, report shows
9 devastating takeaways from NYT’s massive report on Amazon workers during the pandemic
Pandemic Amazon ran on automated human resources systems, confusing policies, murky COVID-positive worker numbers, and improbable productivity standards. Those pee-bottle stories were just a whiff of how Amazon workers are treated.
Source: 9 devastating takeaways from NYT’s massive report on Amazon workers during the pandemic
Five new bills aim to break up Big Tech platforms, force them to play nice
Legislators in the US House of Representatives introduced five new bills Friday afternoon that promise the biggest overhaul of antitrust law since the trust-busting era of the early 1900s.
Source: Five new bills aim to break up Big Tech platforms, force them to play nice
Dubai is a paradise for “digital nomads”— and hell for low-wage gig workers
The UAE has eased visa requirements for white-collar freelancers, but migrant gig workers struggle.
Source: Dubai is a paradise for “digital nomads”— and hell for low-wage gig workers
Twitch Turns 10, and the Creator Economy Is in Its Debt
The livestreaming platform for gamers helped pioneer the patronage systems that prop up so much of the internet today.
Source: Twitch Turns 10, and the Creator Economy Is in Its Debt
Italy’s failed digital democracy dream is a warning
The Five Star Movement (5SM), wanted to upend Italian politics with its revolutionary plans for digital direct democracy. Over the past few months, instead, it almost managed to upend itself, stuck in a kafkaesque drama that left its online voting platform paralysed.
