1. Apple’s Developer Conference Aftermath
Before Apple’s Developer Conference on Monday, talk was already circulating around the end of iTunes, which was confirmed iTunes will split into three separate apps for music, TV shows, and movies & podcasts. What we find more interesting is that the next rebuild for the iPhone operating system will have a focus on making the device quicker and more useful. Apple is also launching its own anonymous FaceID alternative to instant sign-ons that won’t gather your data, such as what you see with apps like Facebook and Google. Lastly, all of those robocalls will be easily distinguished as Apple promises to “automatically share a user’s name and photo” for identification.
Tim Cook on CBS This Morning discussed if Apple should be considered a monopoly. Cook said because of Apple’s size, “scrutiny is fair,” but he noted Apple doesn’t have a dominant position in any market to carry the monopoly label. “Some people would argue if you are selling a good, then you can’t have a product that competes with that good,” Cook told CBS. “That’s an argument that takes you down the path that Walmart shouldn’t be stocking an alternative or house brand. This is decades of US law here.”
(Source: USA Today)
2. Advertisers Are After Our Brains
Marketers are starting to plug test subjects into scientific-grade brain scans and allowing researchers to see how people’s brains react to certain experiences like watching a TV ad or scrolling through an app. These firms hope for the ability to know consumers better than the consumer knows themselves, and the end goal is to have a strong influence over consumer decisions. Critics call this practice manipulation, a power imbalance that is a product of “surveillance capitalism” — a term coined by academics to describe the drive of companies to profit by collecting as much data as possible about potential buyers. “The people who are able to apply and market these technologies are large brands and corporations,” said Meredith Whittaker, co-founder of the AI Now Institute. “This is not an equal-access set of technologies. They’re used by some on others.” What do you think?
(Source: Axios, The Hustle)
3. Insta Influencers Take Over Feeds
Instagram has been on a roll lately with its new updates. The newest update helps advertisers promote branded content, using influencers, to market in the feed and stories. Even if you are not following these influencers, paid partnerships with big brands will begin to display on your screen. Before this initiative, only those who followed the creators of these posts could see the content. “With branded content ads, businesses have an opportunity to tell their brand stories through creators’ voices, reach new audiences and measure impact,” Instagram said. “Using the tools available on the Facebook ads platform, businesses can reach targeted audiences beyond the people who follow the brand and creator accounts.” The ads will look similar to those already found in Instagram Feed and Stories but will be labeled “paid partnership.” According to Instagram, 68% of its regular users say they come to the platform to interact with “creators.” The feature will be rolling out to your feed in the next few weeks and into Instagram Stories in the next few months.
(Source: The Verge)