π¦ Instagram May Offer Clues About the Spread of the Coronavirus
#Instagram is known mainly for stylish selfies and #FOMO-inducing travel pictures. Could the photo-sharing service also be used to track the spread of a pandemic? As governments and health-care providers around the world seek out suspected carriers of the new #coronavirus, the popular social networkβwhich people use to share pictures and videos of places they visit, and more generally to socialiseβcould prove valuable for tracing the path of the virus.
FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out
πππ
π¦ @PerspectiveIX via the Economist.
#Instagram is known mainly for stylish selfies and #FOMO-inducing travel pictures. Could the photo-sharing service also be used to track the spread of a pandemic? As governments and health-care providers around the world seek out suspected carriers of the new #coronavirus, the popular social networkβwhich people use to share pictures and videos of places they visit, and more generally to socialiseβcould prove valuable for tracing the path of the virus.
FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out
πππ
π¦ @PerspectiveIX via the Economist.
ββπ€³ Video Chat Apps Rise to Prominence Amid Pandemic
As a significant part of the world population is currently on lockdown in an attempt to contain the #coronavirus pandemic, people are turning to technology to work, communicate and stay in touch with their loved ones.
Unsurprisingly, workplace communication tools such as #Slack and #MicrosoftTeams have seen a jump in usage as working from home has become the new norm in recent weeks. People are also making use of similar tools in their personal lives, however, leading to a spike in downloads of #VideoChat apps.
According to Priori Data, global downloads of #Skype, #Houseparty and #Zoom each surged by more than 100% in March, with the latter proving particularly popular among people meeting up virtually while being confined to their homes. The videoconferencing app was downloaded nearly 27 million times this month, up from just 2.1 million times in January.
While Zoom is definitely the rising star among video chat apps, Skype remains far ahead in terms of active users. According to Priori Data, the #Microsoft-owned service had 59 million daily active users on its iOS and Android apps in March, compared to just 4.3 million for Zoom. It needs to be noted though, that many people also use Skype for other ways of communication, while Zoom has specialized on video conferences, so it may not be a fair comparison to make.
π¦ @PerspectiveIX via Statista.
As a significant part of the world population is currently on lockdown in an attempt to contain the #coronavirus pandemic, people are turning to technology to work, communicate and stay in touch with their loved ones.
Unsurprisingly, workplace communication tools such as #Slack and #MicrosoftTeams have seen a jump in usage as working from home has become the new norm in recent weeks. People are also making use of similar tools in their personal lives, however, leading to a spike in downloads of #VideoChat apps.
According to Priori Data, global downloads of #Skype, #Houseparty and #Zoom each surged by more than 100% in March, with the latter proving particularly popular among people meeting up virtually while being confined to their homes. The videoconferencing app was downloaded nearly 27 million times this month, up from just 2.1 million times in January.
While Zoom is definitely the rising star among video chat apps, Skype remains far ahead in terms of active users. According to Priori Data, the #Microsoft-owned service had 59 million daily active users on its iOS and Android apps in March, compared to just 4.3 million for Zoom. It needs to be noted though, that many people also use Skype for other ways of communication, while Zoom has specialized on video conferences, so it may not be a fair comparison to make.
π¦ @PerspectiveIX via Statista.
Forwarded from π° [ ix daily ]
π° Tech, Media, and Business News Headlines β Day 2
π In Q1, #iPad app downloads saw first YoY growth in four years, surpassing 1.1B worldwide; consumer spending in iPad apps crosses $2B (link)
π #Coronavirus causes worst #smartphone market contraction in history β global shipments down 13% (link)
π #Fortnite is hosting a Diplo concert in its new party mode (link)
π #Tesla's lost $14B in value after #ElonMusk tweeted its shares were overpriced (link)
π #JeffBezos is being called to testify before Congress over βmisleadingβ statements from #Amazon (link)
π° @iXDaily via @PerspectiveIX
π Weekly Newsletter.
π In Q1, #iPad app downloads saw first YoY growth in four years, surpassing 1.1B worldwide; consumer spending in iPad apps crosses $2B (link)
π #Coronavirus causes worst #smartphone market contraction in history β global shipments down 13% (link)
π #Fortnite is hosting a Diplo concert in its new party mode (link)
π #Tesla's lost $14B in value after #ElonMusk tweeted its shares were overpriced (link)
π #JeffBezos is being called to testify before Congress over βmisleadingβ statements from #Amazon (link)
π° @iXDaily via @PerspectiveIX
π Weekly Newsletter.
Forwarded from π° [ ix daily ]
Tech, Media, and Business News Headlines β Day 3
π #Intel is in talks to acquire #Moovit for ~$1B (link)
π #Uber to require masks or face coverings for drivers and passengers in certain markets (link)
π Security lapse at #Indiaβs #Jio exposed #coronavirus symptom checker results (link)
π #Amazon, #Flipkart, #Ola and #Uber begin to resume their services in #India (link)
π #UberEats exits seven markets (link)
π The 13-inch #MacBook Pro gets #Appleβs much-improved keyboard (link)
π Poynter Instituteβs International Fact-Checking Network launches chatbot on #WhatsApp to debunk thousands of #coronavirus-related hoaxes (link)
π° @iXDaily by @PerspectiveIX
π Weekly Newsletter.
π #Intel is in talks to acquire #Moovit for ~$1B (link)
π #Uber to require masks or face coverings for drivers and passengers in certain markets (link)
π Security lapse at #Indiaβs #Jio exposed #coronavirus symptom checker results (link)
π #Amazon, #Flipkart, #Ola and #Uber begin to resume their services in #India (link)
π #UberEats exits seven markets (link)
π The 13-inch #MacBook Pro gets #Appleβs much-improved keyboard (link)
π Poynter Instituteβs International Fact-Checking Network launches chatbot on #WhatsApp to debunk thousands of #coronavirus-related hoaxes (link)
π° @iXDaily by @PerspectiveIX
π Weekly Newsletter.
ββπ¦ Twitter's Record-breaking Week
Back in 2016, Twitter switched categories, from "Social Networking" to "News" on the App Store and Google Play, hoping to boost its visibility. It did take it to the top of the chart in more than one occasion.
Fours years later, #Twitter is having a record-breaking week, according to two well-respected app store intelligence companies, Apptopia and SensorTower. Although their numbers are not precisely the same, they both show the same overall picture: flocks of new and returning Twitter users β almost 1 million new users in a day!
And why that is?
The world is amid civil unrest and protests for the death of #GeorgeFloyd and racial inequality. At the same time, #coronavirus has disrupted the life around the globe in its first wave and threatening with a second one. Twitter itself is in the news for standing up to Donald #Trump for sharing misleading information and/or promoting violence. While many people are outside protesting, many are stuck at home from the coronavirus threat. These all cause the need for immediacy in the news to be more than ever. And Twitter is serving that need.
Since the beginning of online social networking β web 2.0 phenomena before that β many of the "social" platforms have evolved to become more. Twitter has become a social news platform feeding the need for immediacy in the news; #Pinterest has become a social/visual search engine, etc.
These changes in the platforms, which many of us use daily, need to be reflected in the way we use them β personally or professionally β the same way it was considered in Twitter's change of categories.
#SocialMedia
Β©οΈ Image Credit: Apptopia via TechCrunch.
π¦ @perspectiveix
Back in 2016, Twitter switched categories, from "Social Networking" to "News" on the App Store and Google Play, hoping to boost its visibility. It did take it to the top of the chart in more than one occasion.
Fours years later, #Twitter is having a record-breaking week, according to two well-respected app store intelligence companies, Apptopia and SensorTower. Although their numbers are not precisely the same, they both show the same overall picture: flocks of new and returning Twitter users β almost 1 million new users in a day!
And why that is?
The world is amid civil unrest and protests for the death of #GeorgeFloyd and racial inequality. At the same time, #coronavirus has disrupted the life around the globe in its first wave and threatening with a second one. Twitter itself is in the news for standing up to Donald #Trump for sharing misleading information and/or promoting violence. While many people are outside protesting, many are stuck at home from the coronavirus threat. These all cause the need for immediacy in the news to be more than ever. And Twitter is serving that need.
Since the beginning of online social networking β web 2.0 phenomena before that β many of the "social" platforms have evolved to become more. Twitter has become a social news platform feeding the need for immediacy in the news; #Pinterest has become a social/visual search engine, etc.
These changes in the platforms, which many of us use daily, need to be reflected in the way we use them β personally or professionally β the same way it was considered in Twitter's change of categories.
#SocialMedia
Β©οΈ Image Credit: Apptopia via TechCrunch.
π¦ @perspectiveix
