a few thoughts about what happened yesterday As you likely know, Facebook – along with other apps owned by the company including Instagram and Whatsapp – were offline yesterday for a bit over six hours right smack dab in the middle of the day. this is what people weren't seeing for much of monday Thankfully my … Continue reading on the great facebook outage of october 2021
Video Lures More Media Companies
Publishing company Complex has become the latest media outlet to license original programming to a streaming service, in this case both Netflix and Hulu. The first will get six shows while the second gets 10. Complex’s situation is a bit different, as the article points out, than efforts by publishers like Vox Media and others … Continue reading Video Lures More Media Companies
Those Systems Don’t Know Us, But Pretend To
I’ve certainly had experiences similar to what’s described in this much-shared story from a few months ago about the way the algorithms that push suggestions and notifications at us all day long are never exactly right but are also never exactly wrong. Spotify, for instance, continues to insist I’m going to enjoy Hall & Oates … Continue reading Those Systems Don’t Know Us, But Pretend To
Let’s Get Back to Owned Media
“Should We Replace Facebook with Personal Websites?” I had to audibly sigh when I saw that Vice headline considering Facebook (and other social network platforms) are what replaced personal websites in the first place. Back before status updates were a thing, we all had our own blogs and sites where we shared our thoughts and … Continue reading Let’s Get Back to Owned Media
Use Every Platform (That Makes Sense)
The first teaser trailer for the updated, photo-realistically animated version of The Lion King isn’t great. It’s a shot-for-shot remake of a scene from the 1994 original and does nothing other than promise the audience exactly the same experience they had 25 years ago. Despite that, it’s been immensely popular, wracking up 224 million views … Continue reading Use Every Platform (That Makes Sense)
Google+’s Fate Shows Consequences Only Happen When You’re Not Successful
This past weekend Google revealed 1) That a massive data breach had occurred on Google+, the social networking site it’s managed for several years, and 2) that as a result of that breach it would, over the next 10 months or so, phase Google+ out of existence. The news resulted in a lot of “I … Continue reading Google+’s Fate Shows Consequences Only Happen When You’re Not Successful
One More Thing About That Facebook Hack…
There has been a lot of good reporting and analysis in the last week or so following Facebook’s announcement that about 50 million accounts had been hacked, with the perpetrators able to gain access to a victim’s account and essentially do anything they wanted. This is just the latest in a series of incidents in … Continue reading One More Thing About That Facebook Hack…
Facebook Offers a Distinction Without Difference
Last week Facebook offered up the latest variation on its rationale for not removing sources like Infowars and others from its site, despite the history of those outlets engaging in rampant evidence-free conspiracy mongering and the clear spreading of falsehoods: Free speech. The company is essentially claiming it’s a champion for the free exchange of … Continue reading Facebook Offers a Distinction Without Difference
Facebook Is Stifling Media Growth
There continue to be conversations around whether Facebook has grown too large and now commands too much of the attention economy, as well as the advertising economy. The company, along with a few others, is such a behemoth that it while it can’t actually stop anyone from launching a competitive product but it can buy … Continue reading Facebook Is Stifling Media Growth
Facebook Hasn’t, Doesn’t, and Won’t Care About News or Those Who Create It
One of the many declarations, updates and statements made by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the company’s recent F8 developer conference included him saying he didn’t believe it made sense for Facebook to pay media companies some kind of fee in exchange for those media organizations posting their content there. The idea has been floated … Continue reading Facebook Hasn’t, Doesn’t, and Won’t Care About News or Those Who Create It