Twitter celebrates women in first-ever Oscars’ ad
After much discussion around an outfit blackout and other female empowerment activities, Twitter chose this year’s Oscars to run a 60-second ad celebrating women. However, the inventor of hashtags decided to launch its own hashtag, so instead of #MeToo they united under #HereWeAre. The black-and-white spot featured prominent women from the entertainment industry and encouraged viewers to “create a new world.” So, was the ad effective? Or, just a tired attempt to rehab their image after years of facilitating online feuds, attacks and bullying? Tweet us your thoughts @wearesocialau.
Twitter rolls out new sharing options for tweets Twitter is giving users a new way to save and revisit tweets without having to engage with them. Starting this month, you will now have access to a new ‘Share’ icon that will allow you to add that tweet to ‘Bookmarks.’ And because privacy is key lately, only you will know you’ve bookmarked something. Does anyone else think this sounds a lot like the Facebook/Instagram ‘Saved’ functionality? Yep.
If it is exactly like Facebook and Instagram, this feature will be impossible for brands to track and measure, so you’ll never know who saves your clients’ stuff. #sorry
Twitter also used this update to introduce several other sharing options, which include sharing a tweet via direct message and sharing it outside of the platform – all things you could do ages ago on other platforms, but hey, better late than never I suppose.
Move over, LinkedIn, Facebook plans to help users find jobs
Following a year of testing in the United States and Canada plus a generous £720m investment, Facebook has announced the expansion of its job-finding function to more than 40 countries. Job-seekers will soon be able to subscribe to alerts about jobs and fill out applications, which can be completed automatically with information previously shared via the network (i.e. employment and education history). So, how will they compete with LinkedIn? Zuck has high hopes to become “the go-to employment network for job-seekers.”
YouTube launches AI ‘green screen’ feature for videos
For those YouTube users lucky enough to be taking part in the platform’s limited beta Stories trial, the team at Google has developed a new AI-powered tool that will enable content creators to swap out the background of their videos in a similar way to a green screen. As tests of the new technology continue, YouTube hopes to “integrate it into Google’s broader Augmented Reality services” if successful.
Snap prepares two new versions of Spectacles
Haven’t they learned their lesson? After an embarrassingly disappointing first attempt in the wearable tech space, Snap is currently working on two new versions of Spectacles – the first of which is currently being manufactured and could be available as early as Autumn. The 2018 version is set to feature new colours and a water-resistant body, and the impending third-generation set is rumoured to feature two additional cameras, which will supposedly allow users to add 3D effects in recorded videos. Despite poor consumer response to the Spectacles, which forced the company to write off close to $40 million in unsold inventory, the latest Specs will also come with a hefty price hike.
Vero is still in social media spotlight, but not for the right reasons
Last week, Zuckerberg’s latest competitor – Vero – stole the social media spotlight. The platform, which had users excited about an ad-free, chronological timeline saw a massive surge in downloads within a matter of days. However, that trend crashed quicker than the app itself, with users reporting critical issues with the platform, such as not being able to sign up, log in, or avoid constant breakdowns. Most recently, people are calling for an explanation around Vero’s CEO and his questionable history. The quick about-face from Vero love to Vero hate manifested on Twitter, with users pointing out that CEO and co-founder Ayman Hariri has been accused of violating labour rights in his role at the construction company Oger. That’s one way to go from Vero, to hero, to zero in a matter of minutes.
ICYMI: Client Spotlight
What do you do when you have the cast of Orange is the New Black in Sydney for Mardi Gras? Crash a fan’s wedding, of course. Last week, our Netflix team launched Netflix Wedding Crashers, which saw Lea DeLaria, Yael Stone and Danielle Brooks head to an LGBT wedding in Fitzroy Falls to surprise (and even serenade) two brides. The video was picked up internationally by the likes of E! Online and Mashable...
… but the celebrations didn’t stop there. If you were at Mardi Gras on Saturday, you may have spotted the likes of Dannii Minogue, Jonathan Groff and the cast of 13 Reasons Why dancing on the Netflix float. To help nurture those post-Mardi Gras hangovers, we set up a Facebook event for the unofficial Gay Off Work, which reached over 100K people.
