Trending Stories
Can everyone please go to Gate Number 2?
Pre-flight anxiety is common for most flyers. Fighting off bouts of nausea as the plane jostles with air turbulence. Being seated next to a screaming child for several hours. These are common worries passengers’ wrestle with before they board the plane. Diarrhoea all through the airplane, however? That’s not on anyone’s bucket list.
Unfortunately, for a select few, a Delta plane recently flying from Atlanta to Spain had no choice but to make a U-turn just 2-hours after take-off. The reason being: a passenger was so poorly they created a biohazard situation on board. Airhostesses were unable to contain the emergency solely with the trusty blue towels, meaning the flight had to make a forced landing before undergoing a deep clean. Not to worry though, the passenger was able to catch the next flight to Barcelona 8 hours later. Let’s hope they weren’t held up in “doody-free”!
Written by: Will Lowden
Google turns 25 – a reason for celebration or concern?
27th September marks the 25th year since Google was founded. The company has achieved a lot in the span of 25 years. Yet, the looming shadow of AI over the entire tech industry puts a damper on the celebrations. Ahead of the big day, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai released a sentimental 2,400-word memo reflecting on the company’s journey. Pichai mentions some of his most asked questions, including: “Ways to calm a crying baby?” and “How to ace a Google interview?”
But the main arc of his message was positioning Google as a leader in the AI race. Some have dubbed ChatGPT as the end of Google. Pichai mentions foregrounds Google is doing in the field: “We’ve demonstrated how AI can help the airline industry to decrease contrails from planes, an important tool for fighting climate change.” The biggest question is whether 25 will be the year of Google’s peak, or it’s mid-life crisis.
Written by: Amber Sim
Netflix allows you to be the star of the show
The latest buzz taking over TikTok and Twitter is the latest film on Netflix ‘Choose Love’ where the viewer gets to choose the storyline. The new romcom staring: Laura Marano, Anan Jogia, Jordi Webber and Scott Michael Foster was released at the end of August. It has viewers glued to the screens as they get to choose how their story pans out by selecting options presented to them on the screen.
Not only can viewers pick their ending but they can also re-watch the show and pick different outcomes. Now, overall this film has had a lot of mixed reviews. The critical consensus came to a very low 22%. However viewers seem to enjoy the film as it has an audience score of 66%. Check out some of the reactions to the show on Twitter and TikTok!
Written by: Tilly Rowsell
Toby’s Tiny Tales
Welcome back to Toby’s Tiny Tales. Toby Fairhead, a RISE Academy graduate now Senior Campaign Executive in our UK team, has three new recommendations of what you should stream, watch, and read this weekend:
Read
Does tech cause education inequality?
A recent UNESCO report revealed that the heavy reliance on online remote learning during the pandemic drew attention away from more equitable ways of teaching children at home.
Watch
Japan’s floating city – 8 mins
The first concept of a city that floats in the sea has been completed and is in the works to be built within the next decade.
Listen
The excitement around the vagus nerve – 12 mins
The nerve that allows for communication between the brain and the heart, lungs and abdominal organs has been causing big interest in scientists.
Platform Updates
Career recommendations and improved job ads: Here’s what’s next from X
Historically, Twitter was always seen as the social media platform where users were free to share all of their thoughts, complaints and weird stories. Now, as X, the platform is making swift changes to bring new features to the forefront and evolve the app into something bigger. Two months ago, this included allowing companies to list open job roles on their profile.
Since the trial-run, X has seen hundreds of companies utilising the feature and they’re keen to add more functionality to this update. ‘XHiring’, a dedicated account on the app, has shared new concept options of job sharing options, including ‘auto-populated job display listings within DMs’. X users will also be fed personalised job ads based on their interests. With new features that resemble that of LinkedIn, time will tell if professionals and job-hunters will take to scrolling through X for their perfect fit. Or will they stick to what they know?
Written by: Ellie-Mae Turner-Wood
This week, YouTube’s announcement on features coming later this year is one they claim will further lighten the load for their creators. First off, a clear positive on the paid side. New display formats will be rolled out that optimise viewing on larger screens.
YouTube will be introducing an On/off switch for ad controls this November. They’ll also be removing the options for creators as to which ad formats are hosted on their video. Instead, the YT algorithm will now direct relevant ads based on audience matching. It’s been made clear this update will be for new uploads moving forward. Old videos will retain the same selected formats, unless monetisation settings are changed after the update. Creators control regarding mid-role ad placements and whether these ads are on or off.
This will cause some concern when it comes to non-skippable ads. They’re a pain point for many users’ fan bases. The range of formats and how to use them is something for advertisers to be weary of. The good news is it should allow creators to increase their earnings without sacrificing engagement. We will have to wait and see.
Written by: Struan Walker
Pinterest tackles body representation on the app
Pinterest is taking advantage of the technology era that we’re in. They’ve introduced a new inclusive body type technology to the app globally. Many of us use Pinterest for all types of inspiration, particularly fashion. It’s not easy to picture yourself in a new dress, t-shirt or trousers if the model is a very different shape. 78% of women believe it’s important to see relatable body types in the media. Searches for ‘mid size body’ and ‘curvy shape’ have increased on the app recently. Pinterest has used this information to create a much more inclusive app.
With the new body type technology, representation of all shapes and sizes will be a lot better across the app. Try searching for ‘date night outfits’ and you’ll see outfits relating to everyone. To drive this, they’ve partnered with the National Association of Advanced Fat Acceptance. A good move from the platform to keep their communities engaged and included.
Written by: Jess Martin
That’s This Week in Social all wrapped up! If you can’t wait for Fridays to hear the latest news in marketing and social, you can sign up to our fortnightly newsletter, REFUEL, here 🚀
