HiTechEdge

Category: Culture

All news related to culture.

  • How To Create A Successful Social Design

    How To Create A Successful Social Design

    After spending some time looking through the list of Facebook’s heaviest hitters I couldn’t help but notice a trend of characteristics that worked in favor of nurturing a positive, active social interaction between the brand and the fans.  However nothing is perfect and the same can even be said for the top three Branded Facebook Fan Pages as there are a handful of things that could be improved to make their social efforts even more successful.

     

    Top 3 Branded Facebook Pages

     

    One Chance to Make a First Impression

    First impressions make lasting statements both in reality and the virtual world. Much like a firm handshake and an inviting smile help break the ice during an introduction, a Facebook welcome page is a great way to say hello to new visitors while inviting them to explore the page’s content and become a fan. Interestingly enough, only one of the top three branded pages welcomes non-fans in this fashion. Both YouTube and Facebook’s Fan Page goes straight to the wall while Starbucks’ page directs non-fans to a tab inviting visitors to “Join the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Celebration.” This is a great example of providing non-fan visitors with compelling content promoting a seasonal product without blatant advertising. The result is an approachable social interaction that gives the users’ visit a purpose and directs them to further investigate the page, and ultimately click the Like button.

     

    Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Celebration

     

    Socializing Requires a Two-Way Street

    Once users eventually arrive on the wall of a Fan Page, whether directly or after visiting a landing page, it’s important that the wall appears organized and uncluttered. Unfortunately many companies believe keeping a tidy wall requires restricting or eliminating user posts.  This could give off the wrong impression that a company is too worried about what others might say about them to allow user posting and it denies users the freedom of interacting with each other without the direction of the brand. The use of a display filter can offer greater flexibility that doesn’t remove the users’ ability to post comments to a page’s wall yet still maintains a neat, organized wall by default.

    Facebook’s own Fan Page only allows for site managed comments to show up with no option for users to post or view comments of their own while both Starbucks and YouTube defaults to their own comments but enables a filter that allows users to choose from viewing just YouTube’s comments, just others’ comments or all comments.  This gives users a clean glance at the official posts on the wall with the additional functionality of being able to post their own thoughts, feelings and experiences with others, resulting in a more open, inviting social experience than that of Facebook’s Fan Page.

    However, this doesn’t mean that your fans should be given free rein to post anything and everything under the sun. Careful monitoring and moderation are crucial for insuring that discussions remain on track and are void of vulgar or offensive material. Maintaining a balance between healthy discussion and a sense of structure lets visitors know their thoughts are being heard and that someone is watching over things to keep comments from getting out of hand while encouraging an inviting atmosphere.

  • Facebook Suspends Trump for Two Years

    Facebook Suspends Trump for Two Years

    Facebook has announced Donald Trump will remain banned for two years, following the Oversight Board upholding the initial ban.

    Donald Trump was banned in the wake of the January 6 insurrection, when some Trump supporters entered the US Capitol after having been let in by security. The ban stemmed from two posts Mr. Trump made during the “riot” that perpetuated claims the election had been stolen which big tech does not agree with.

    Former President Trump responded today via an email post:

    Facebook’s Oversight Board upheld the ban last month, saying it was justified, although it recommended it be revisited in time. Facebook has now said Mr. Trump’s ban will remain in effect for two years, beginning January 7. The suspension will only be lifted if the threat to public safety has subsided.

    “At the end of this period, we will look to experts to assess whether the risk to public safety has receded,” wrote Nick Clegg, VP of Global Affairs. “We will evaluate external factors, including instances of violence, restrictions on peaceful assembly and other markers of civil unrest. If we determine that there is still a serious risk to public safety, we will extend the restriction for a set period of time and continue to re-evaluate until that risk has receded.”

    The company also outlined additional measures that will be taken against public figures who contribute to violence, especially during times of heightened unrest. Mr. Trump will have to abide by this new framework at such time when his account is reinstated.

    “When the suspension is eventually lifted, there will be a strict set of rapidly escalating sanctions that will be triggered if Mr. Trump commits further violations in future, up to and including permanent removal of his pages and accounts,” Clegg added.

    Clegg also acknowledged that these measures are not the ultimate solution, and called for measured legislation to help address the larger issue when acknowledging the limitations of the Oversight Board.

    “Its response to this case confirms our view that Facebook shouldn’t be making so many decisions about content by ourselves,” continued Clegg. “In the absence of frameworks agreed upon by democratically accountable lawmakers, the board’s model of independent and thoughtful deliberation is a strong one that ensures important decisions are made in as transparent and judicious a manner as possible. The Oversight Board is not a replacement for regulation, and we continue to call for thoughtful regulation in this space.”

    The case is a study in the challenges social media platforms currently face, challenges that will only become more difficult.

  • Twitter and Eric Holthaus Partner to Create Local Weather Service

    Twitter and Eric Holthaus Partner to Create Local Weather Service

    Twitter is partnering with Eric Holthaus, the “Rebel Nerd of Meteorology,” to offer a local weather service.

    Twitter has long-since established itself as a major source for news, with usage spiking during significant events and major stories breaking on the platform. The company is now partnering with Eric Holthaus to help branch out into local weather.

    The service clearly aims to offer a more social approach to weather, involving users as much as informing them.

    “Every single evening, you’ll get a short message in your inbox with a forecast made by a meteorologist in your city, along with a news story, a poem, a meme, a short video, or a call to action,” says Tomorro’s About page. “Our goal is to share the joy of being alive at this particular moment in history, and be there with you no matter what the weather.

    “When the weather gets scary, we’ll have a team of experts to talk you through it. When there’s injustice happening somewhere that needs more attention, we’ll let you know about it. When there’s a project or idea that could use your help, we’ll ask you to pitch in if you want to. Our goal is to change the narrative of our shared Tomorrow. The bottom line is: The climate is changing, and it’s going to take all of us to build a better world that works for everyone.”

    The service is currently available in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas / Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, Republica Dominicana, San Antonio, San Francisco, Toronto and Washington DC. More cities will continue to be added over time.

  • Twitter Blue Features Color Themes and Custom App Icons

    Twitter Blue Features Color Themes and Custom App Icons

    Jane Manchun Wong has struck again, spilling details on Twitter’s upcoming Twitter Blue subscription service.

    Jane Manchun Wong is a well-known leaker who often manages to find out details about an upcoming service or feature before they’re released. Twitter has been rumored to be working on a subscription service for some time, even buying Scroll to serve as the basis of it. Wong originally leaked the name and price of the upcoming service.

    Wong has now discovered additional details, including that Twitter Blue will come with color themes and custom app icons.

  • Facebook Declares War on People Who Repeatedly Share Misinformation

    Facebook Declares War on People Who Repeatedly Share Misinformation

    Facebook is stepping up its fight against misinformation, including taking action against people who repeatedly share it.

    Social media platforms have become one of the biggest conduits of misinformation about climate change, vaccinations, elections, social issues and more. Facebook has been taking an increasingly tougher stance against misinformation, adding fact checkers, warning labels and other measures.

    The company is now taking action against individuals who repeatedly share misinformation. One part of the company’s strategy is to share more context about pages that spread it.

    “We want to give people more information before they like a Page that has repeatedly shared content that fact-checkers have rated, so you’ll see a pop up if you go to like one of these Pages,” says the company’s blog. “You can also click to learn more, including that fact-checkers said some posts shared by this Page include false information and a link to more information about our fact-checking program. This will help people make an informed decision about whether they want to follow the Page.

    Individuals who continue to share information may face additional penalties. Facebook previously would reduce a single post’s distribution in News Feed if it contained misinformation. Starting today, however, Facebook will reduce the distribution of all of an individual’s posts, if they repeatedly share misinformation.

    The company is also improving the notifications a person receives when they attempt to share misinformation, including the fact-checking article that debunks the post.

    It remains to be seen if the changes will have the desired effect. One thing is certain, however: Facebook has declared war on misinformation and the people who share it.

    It’s likely this will be a non-issue soon based on news about Facebook’s AI development.

  • Twitter Spaces Now Available in Desktop Browsers

    Twitter Spaces Now Available in Desktop Browsers

    Twitter has brought Spaces to the browser, both on the desktop as well as mobile.

    Spaces is Twitter’s Clubhouse competitor, the popular invitation-only, audio-based, social media platform. Twitter began testing Spaces in November 2020, before officially launching it in early May 2021.

    The company is now bringing Spaces to desktop and mobile browsers.

  • Twitter Pulls Its Auto Cropping Algorithm Amid Bias Issues

    Twitter Pulls Its Auto Cropping Algorithm Amid Bias Issues

    Twitter has announced it is pulling its algorithm responsible for automatically cropping images amid bias issues.

    Twitter began hearing feedback in October 2020 that there were issues with how the algorithm was functioning, that it was not treating everyone equitably. The company investigated and did find issues with it.

    Testing showed there was an 8% difference from demographic parity favoring women. Likewise, there was a 4% difference in favor of white people instead of black. Similarly, there was a 7% difference in favor of white women instead of black, and a 2% difference in favor of white men instead of black.

    One area where the algorithm did not appear biased was in the realm of the “male gaze.”

    We also tested for the “male gaze” by randomly selecting 100 male- and female-presenting images that had more than one area in the image identified by the algorithm as salient and observing how our model chose to crop the image. We didn’t find evidence of objectification bias — in other words, our algorithm did not crop images of men or women on areas other than their faces at a significant rate

    Ultimately, however, the biases were enough to make Twitter reevaluate use of the algorithm.

    We considered the tradeoffs between the speed and consistency of automated cropping with the potential risks we saw in this research. One of our conclusions is that not everything on Twitter is a good candidate for an algorithm, and in this case, how to crop an image is a decision best made by people.

  • TikTok Tackling Cyberbullying With Mass Comment Deletion

    TikTok Tackling Cyberbullying With Mass Comment Deletion

    TikTok is taking steps to combat cyberbullying by giving users the ability to mass-delete comments.

    TikTok has quickly skyrocketed in popularity with users around the world, quickly becoming one of the most popular social media platforms. Unfortunately, as with all social media, cyberbullying can be a major problem. TikTok has been working to combat bullying, giving users the tools they need to fight back.

    The most recent feature being rolled out is the ability to mass-delete comments and block accounts. The feature is particularly useful given the current social media climate, where large numbers of individuals can quickly gang up on a single user, overwhelming their account with negative comments.

    To manage interactions on a video, people can long-press on a comment or tap the pencil icon in the upper left corner to open a window of options. From there, people can now select up to 100 comments or accounts rather than having to go one by one, making it more seamless to delete or report multiple comments or block users in bulk.

    TikTok says the feature is rolling out in select markets, with global rollout happening over the next several weeks.

  • Twitter Relaunches Verification

    Twitter Relaunches Verification

    Twitter has announced it is relaunching its verification process, opening the door for anyone to apply.

    The coveted blue check mark next to a name indicates an account that has been verified, and it carries a level of trust and authority with it. Unfortunately, the company was less than clear in times past about who could or could not become verified. There were also many instances of the process being abused, with individuals being given verification without good reason.


    Twitter is now relaunching the verification process with clearer rules and an invitation for anyone to apply.

    “Over the past several months, we’ve been working to bring clarity to the verification eligibility criteria and launched a new policy shaped by public feedback,” according to the company’s blog. “We also started enforcing that policy by automatically removing the verified badge from accounts that no longer meet the updated criteria for verification, such as those that are inactive or incomplete. We’re grateful for all who participated in our public feedback period and shared ideas for how we can improve verification on Twitter.”

    While anyone can apply, they must fit within six categories to be approved: government; companies, brand and organizations; news organizations and journalists; entertainment; sports and gaming; and activists, organizers and influential individuals.

    The company says the verification application will start showing up in the Account Settings tab over the next few weeks.

  • India Stepping Up Pressure on WhatsApp Over Privacy Changes

    India Stepping Up Pressure on WhatsApp Over Privacy Changes

    India is ramping up its pressure on WhatsApp, wanting the company to abandon its recent privacy changes.

    Facebook unleashed a firestorm of controversy when it announced it would start sharing WhatsApp user data with other Facebook-owned companies. In addition to losing subscribers to other, more privacy-conscious apps, multiple countries have started pushing back.

    Germany was the first to outright ban the changes, with Hamburg’s data protection commissioner securing a three-month emergency order to stop the new changes from going into effect in Germany.

    India had likewise expressed concerns over WhatsApp’s changes, but now the country is stepping up the pressure. According to TechCrunch, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has written a letter to WhatsApp, and given the company seven days to respond.

    “In fulfilment of its sovereign responsibility to protect the rights and interests of Indian citizens, the government of India will consider various options available to it under laws in India,” the letter reads.

    “It is not just problematic, but also irresponsible, for WhatsApp to leverage this position to impose unfair terms and conditions on Indian users, particularly those that discriminate against Indian users vis-à-vis users in Europe.”


    It remains to be seen how WhatsApp and Facebook will respond.