Will Augmented Reality Drive the Next Big Social Media Platform?
It wouldn’t be hyperbole to say that social media is going through a bit of a rough spot. More people than ever are abandoning Facebook over issues of data distrust. It also wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the development of augmented reality (AR) is still in its experimental stage. But one startup is […]
SXSW 2018 Tackled the Tough Topics Surrounding Tech
South by Southwest (SXSW) is many things to different people. But although it’s touted as the “the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries,” there is always one underlying central theme running through all of the various subject matters encapsulated in the event — progression. SXSW 2018 was no different in this regard. The past year […]
Human Nature Spreads Fake News Faster Than the Truth
Who’s to blame for the spread of fake news? Common suspected culprits are Russian bots and social media platforms propagating false information without any checks in place. A recent study from MIT hints at a more disparaging truth — we don’t have anyone to blame but ourselves. The Numbers Don’t Lie “Falsehood diffused farther, faster, deeper, […]
Blockchain Could Solve Social Media’s Problems
By now, you’ve probably heard of blockchain technology. Thrust into the spotlight last year, blockchain development forms the backbone of popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. In fact, many celebrated facets of Bitcoin are actually due to blockchain — security, decentralization, and validation all stem from this technology. But blockchain is quickly growing out of its cryptocurrency niche […]
Leak Reveals Facebook’s Content Moderation Policies
Tasked with monitoring content generated from 2 billion users from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, Facebook’s moderators have a tough, maybe even impossible, job. These reviewers often have less than 10 seconds to decide whether or not content is appropriate, leaving them no time for nuance. The Guardian recently obtained more than 100 internal […]
Geofilter Patent Could Help Protect Snap Inc. from Copycats
After the initial hype of its IPO settled down, many mobile app developers were left wondering where Snapchat could go next. User growth was slowing even before the company went public, and its main competitor Facebook has been steadily cloning its defining features ever since Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel turned down Mark Zuckerberg’s offer […]
Instagram Stories Beats Snapchat at Its Own Game
So many apps have ripped off Snapchat’s popular Stories feature that it’s become something of a joke among mobile app developers. Even Snapchat itself is in on it, as the company proved with its April Fool’s Day-exclusive Instagram filter. But the laughter may be catching in Snap’s throat. The company’s most direct competitor Instagram Stories […]
Facebook Looks for New Approaches to the Fake News Problem
Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2016 was “surreal.” The Oxford English Dictionary went with “post-truth.” The Australian Macquarie Dictionary settled on “fake news.” No matter what term social media app developers prefer to use to define it, 2016 was the year that the conspiracies, propaganda, and outright hooey that used to be the purview […]
SNAP’s IPO Has an Odd Footnote: The ‘Camera Company’ Clause
Snapchat’s IPO was one of the most anticipated tech events of the year. So you can bet that when $SNAP went live this Thursday, app developers were watching. Would it soar or sink? Will traders benefit, or only underwriters? And why is the social media titan listed as, of all things, a “camera company?” You […]
Facebook Positioning Itself as “WeChat of the West”
Android app developers in the Asian market have been capitalizing on chat apps for years, combining the benefits of social connectivity, the decline of SMS, and the desire for simplicity to turn their chats apps (WeChat, Line, etc.) into one-stop-shops for everything from paying for services to shopping for clothes. Now San Francisco iPhone app […]