Post-Maybot, the Tories are on the hunt for a likeable leader May 30, 2019 Every Tory leadership election has a flavour. In 2016, after childishly airing our dirty laundry to our European neighbours during the bitter referendum, a sheepish UK was looking for a “grown-up”. Six years of boyish David Cameron making rash decisions on behalf of the country had taken its toll on the Conservative party, and the [...]
Health groups urge social media firms to end tobacco influencer marketing May 22, 2019 More than 125 public health groups have called on social media giants to end the promotion of tobacco products on their platforms, including through the use of influencers. In an open letter to the bosses of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, the organisations called for an end to the “aggressive” advertising of all tobacco products [...]
Tech giants urged to work with government in online harms battle April 29, 2019 Facebook, Google and Snapchat should use their technology to work with the government on tackling harmful content online, health secretary Matt Hancock will say today. The health secretary will challenge social media giants to make greater progress in protecting vulnerable users at a second UK summit between tech firms and internet providers, held as part [...]
Snap smashes expectations with narrowed losses and surprise user growth April 24, 2019 Original shows, a design overhaul for Android phones and an entry into video games powered Snap to top analyst expectations last night, surprising Wall Street naysayers. Snap – the parent firm of photo-messaging app Snapchat – said its losses had narrowed to $0.10 per share or $123m (£95m) in the first three months of 2019, [...]
Social Media: Who watches the watchers? April 8, 2019 Social media, and especially its archetype, Facebook, has had a difficult run of publicity over the past few years. The 2016 US presidential election and the rise of “fake news” certainly did it no favours, and the Cambridge Analytica scandal which came in its wake made things worse still. Facebook’s origins as a benign thread [...]
Snapchat set to shed users to Instagram after controversial 2017 redesign April 4, 2019 Snapchat will see a decline in users from this year as an ill-fated redesign pushes people to rival social media platforms, a new report has stated. This year 14.5m people in the UK will use Snapchat, down 2.3 per cent on last year, according to a forecast published by Emarketer. Read more: Fraudsters use Facebook [...]
Snap to be hauled in front of MPs for grilling over Breck Bednar murder taunt March 7, 2019 A parliamentary committee has said the parent firm of Snapchat will face questions regarding the reported use of the app by a killer to taunt the family of a child he murdered. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee today invited Snapchat to provide evidence as part of its inquiry into immersive and addictive [...]
Twitter shareholders spooked by 2019 outlook despite strong full-year results February 7, 2019 Twitter shares were down eight per cent this afternoon as it announced mixed full year results peppered with strong financials for 2018 but weak forecasts for the year ahead. The social media giant was under pressure to beat analyst expectations after strong report cards from Facebook and Snap. But despite succeeding for the year ending [...]
Professional headshots can be a minefield – especially if you take them too seriously February 7, 2019 TAKE a look at that picture of me. No tie or jacket. Not even a shirt for that matter. Hair a little on the louche side. Facing the camera squarely. Chin jutting out a bit, if we’re honest. And pixels. Lots of pixels. It’s not a professional photo, either in standard or purpose. But it’s [...]
Snap shares rise almost 30 per cent as strong results convince investors February 6, 2019 Shares in Snap have risen almost 30 per cent today, after a bumper set of results acted as a boon to investors looking for signs the tech firm could be revived. The parent of photo-sharing app Snapchat trounced consensus estimates in its fourth quarter, reporting a revenue rise of 36 per cent to $389.8m (£300.9m), [...]