Missing Links & Unfinished Thoughts #2: An Ugly Truth or Two
More interesting links and thoughts culled from my horrible unfinished draft post habit.
newsletter
Afternoon Coffee Reading
Tech companies want AI search — but is it sustainable? Plus, the rise of WhatsApp audience engagement.
Threads
How to accidentally create a competitor
What’s to stop a bunch of people you just laid off from launching a competitor? Almost nothing, it turns out…
audience engagement
WhatsApp for war reporting, Reddit for search and Twitter for GIFs…
Social platforms keep evolving in unexpected directions. Here's three changes that have become clear in recent weeks.
engaged journalism
When journalists go wil… uh, solo (and other useful links)
Entrepreneurial journalism, growing subs and the GoPro surprise: 6 useful links
engaged reading digest
Engaged Reading Digest: image verification, cops on TikTok — and why celebs are using a social platform you've never heard of
It's easy to get sucked into the idea that social media is mainly a promotional tool. Today's digest is a reminder that it's much more than that — for good and ill
Facebook speeds up assimilation of WhatsApp and Instagram
Looks like a handy way of fending off the regulators and avoiding a break-up.
Facebook attempting to close the WhatsApp stable door, after the viral horse has bolted
WhatsApp rolls out a worldwide move to try and limit the spread of disinformation.
Social Media
Social Media, chat apps and journalism: people's news discussions are becoming private, not public
Facebook is in decline and the chat apps are rising. But it's more than algorithm changes, but a shift in people's behavior - how do we adapt?
India's WhatsApp murders - is this a technology or a human problem?
People are dying in India thanks to intentional disinformation being spread over — principally — Facebook's WhatsApp. This needs to be addressed - but how?
social media mobs
WhatsApp, mob justice and the desperate need for a strategic response worldwide
Messaging apps are allowing misinformation to spread faster than ever before, and tactical responses aren't working. We need to address this at a societal level, with research and education.