As mentioned in the article below, we have many issues with the technology company’s violation of our privacy, by not listening to consumer’s privacy rights, The company does give credit to Apple for not collecting voice data. This has made Apple’s big difference to other tech companys. Apple has been asked to unlock devices for the FBI to aid in investigation and wont give in because of their beliefs on privacy. As mentioned in this article, amazon as declined to commit on their amazon Alexa storing data, even after police stations mentioned that amazon gave them the recordings.
A recently identified coronavirus has been spreading in China. It originated in Wuhan and has now reached several other countries, including the US. Contagious diseases have been human’s most deadly enemies for a very long time since it is impossible to know when they will strike. Hopefully technology is evolving, and we are developing powerful tools that can now help us defend ourselves. Artificial intelligence is one and perhaps the most powerful of them right now besides quantum computing. A recent AI called BlueDot not only predicted the recent corona-virus outbreak in Beijing, but also where the virus would spread.
Personally, I believe this is huge news. Even if the AI would have predicted the outbreak one day before, it’s an incredible thing to achieve. With technology, humans have learned to predict many things like the weather, and now, virus outbreaks can be added to that list.
With the social media market constantly changing and new fads and trends developing, it is important that marketers keep up with everything that is going on so that they can develop the best strategy for marketing their products on these platforms. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn are social media platforms that are at the top for marketing and advertising products on their sites. Although they all have different audience types, marketing on these platforms is effective because of the amount of users and engagement they receive.
Facebook dominates when it comes to these platforms because it is the most commonly used, and Facebook continues to attract for users every year. This is why 89% of marketers use Facebook to market their products through ads, videos, Facebook Live, and more.
Although Instagram is newer than Facebook it is making its way to the top because it is costly changing its look and layout. People love being able to update their followers in a casual and fun way while also being able to shop, engage and follow their favorite stores and brands. This is why the amount of marketing on Instagram has risen 6.1% since 2018.
Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn are also platforms that are important when considering what platforms to market on. They are a bit different from Facebook and Instagram but still have a large amount of users and engagement. All of these statistics are what marketers should be studying to understand the consumer behavior and what they are looking for on these platforms when it comes to shopping for goods and services.
This is the longest internet shutdown yet in India. It has reached 132 days of no access to basic internet. Students are suffering as they cannot apply for school.
As the year 2020 unfolds, we may see many cybersecurity threats. Hackers will attack sites for political, social, or monetary gain and it is important that we be mindful of their existence. This article from Security Magazine covers some cybersecurity relate topics that are predicted to happen in 2020. The list ranges from subjects like the 2020 election to ransomware and 5G.
A new hacking campaign is using propagation to spread malicious scripts on WordPress sites by exploiting known vulnerabilities. Over 2000 websites have already been exploited and hackers are continuing attacks every day. After accessing the websites, hackers are injecting JavaScript to redirect users to scam websites that include fake advertisements, fake downloads, and even fake giveaways.
WordPress website owners are urged to disable primary folder modification in settings and be wary of potential attacks. Experts claim that these attacks will keep coming, so it is best to be aware of all the security options WordPress has to offer.
An AI company named Clearview that works in the field of face recognition software has recently been told by Twitter to stop collecting photographs of the faces of their users. Already having a collection of more than 3 billion photos of faces, the company licenses their software to police departments, aiding in the identification of criminals and suspects. This technology from this specific company is already in use in over 600 police departments, as well as the F.B.I and even the department of homeland security. However, not only is this a morally questionable action at best but it also goes against the terms of use for Twitter, which doesn’t allow for any of their content to be used for the purpose of surveillance. This AI company doesn’t just use information gathered from Twitter, but Facebook, and Youtube as well. As AI becomes more prominent, I believe it best to strictly monitor its use, as technology such as this has the potential to be abused and thwart any attempt at maintaining privacy.
Are you still using TikTok? Do you think you’ll ever stop using TikTok? Remember when videos were just as funny except they were only 6 seconds long? Remember the name of that platform? Of course you do! Who doesn’t remember Vine? Vine used to be what TikTok is today. Vine offered users to upload funny and creative content to its platform and gave many of us countless laughs and brought the social media community closer. Everyone was crushed to learn that Vine would be shutting down but after a long hiatus, its back.. but not as Vine.
Byte is the new platform taking its place and offering users the opportunity to come back and revive that spark Vine provided to all of its users. Byte has been in production for a while and trying to remake Vine and all its core components. Now that the app has released, they ask all former Vine users and current TikTok entrepreneurs to come check out their application and bring back the hype of what was once known as ‘Vine Syndrome’. The one problem Byte faces is TikTok. TikTok has skyrocketed as one of the most popular apps that social media offers and has a ton of extra features that make the app fun and fair for every to get their piece of social media clout.
The UK & Ireland SAP User Group has just announced the release of a new training academy for the company’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, Business One. This software is designed for small to medium sized businesses and aims to automate functions in finance, operations, and human resources. The software was first launched in 1996, was acquired by SAP in 2002 and now has more than 3,000 users in the UK. Up until this point the only IT assistance available was from the foundation of an interest group in 2006 of around 50 members to help people learn the software. SAP User Group hopes that the establishment of the Academy will not only assist with training, but also expose the software to new users. The Academy will provide those interested with classroom based and online training with the schedule of two to three modules in 2020. It will cover customer relationship management, basic finance, logistics, administration, and of course, the set-up of the software.
I believe this is a great step for SAP Business One. If small or medium sized business don’t have to struggle with the software, then they will continue to use it. From a product growth standpoint, if you teach people to use your software from the beginning, they have the potential of becoming longtime users and promoters as well. If done correctly, I think this Academy will end up having a positive impact on SAP Business One.
The above video is a creation by Moby Videos and song writer Gary Jules. The video showcases a depressive yet realistic view of the world we live in today. A world that is consumed by technology. When watching take note of the video image, the music lyrics, and then think about the connection in our world. Perhaps you’ll find that even you do some of the same things.
The Video
The video displayed consists of a large amount of animations. One of the many reasons why I think this video is pure genius is because the creators decided to convey such a heavy topic in an artistic medium that is usually seen as more light-heart and comical. At first you might think that the video is going to be something funny but really the goal is to bring the viewer to a much deeper realization.
The video shows disturbing scenes such as suicide, abuse, harassment, and neglect. But the biggest theme is the fact that every human being is to communed with their cell phones to care about the lives of other individuals.
One scene that stood out to me was the one where the girl was on the train and clearly felt very uncomfortable with the guy standing next to her. Everyone else on the train besides the little boy doesn’t notice though. They’re all on their cell phones, minding their own business. This to me is very relevant because I, like so many other young students, often find myself surrounded by numerous people on their cellphones. Especially on the bus, sidewalk, and other public areas. And I can’t help but think, if something happened to me would they know? Would they help? Would they even care?
The Music
The music in this piece is so much more than just background music. The chorus suggest that we live in a “mad” world. A world that far surpassed any sort of odd or “though life” label. The world is not kind or compassionate but crazy, insane, the way we live makes no sense. This suggestion hits home when it comes to technology. Some of our uses for technology are so crazy and insane that it makes no sense.
“Worn out places, worn out faces. Bright and early for their daily races. Going nowhere, going nowhere”. These lyrics are also make a stab at the way we use technology. We are so often attending events just so we can take photos and post them for our “friends” to see, and so we gain recognition and popularity. But most of the time we’re, like the song says, “going nowhere.” A family member once told me, “Social media allows us to view people at their best when we’re at our worst”. It’s really no wonder how social media can cause depression.
Our Technological Mad World
The connection between this mad world and our own technology may seem obvious for most people. However, how many of us will actually change? One of the most important details of this video is the fact that it is from a child’s perspective. How do children and teens perceive us when we use technology? Children are the most important factor when it comes to the world’s future. We must take a stand, lead by example and not allow technology to get the best of us.
I challenge you to turn off your devices every once in a while. To walk outside, in the fresh air, while listening to nothing but the birds chirp. Be aware of your surroundings. Make small talk with someone on the bus. Delete social media for a week. Or at least try not to use your cell phone when someone is talking you.
LIS 4022 Spring 2020 