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SOCIAL PULSE
Every week I keep tabs on what's trending, new technology and consumer habits that impact the social web. These are summed up in a round-up called Social Pulse.
Here's what I'm tracking this week...
These Lyrics Do Not Exist: Remember This Person Does Not Exist, a tool that creates lifelike photos of people who do not existing using artificial intelligence algorithm called generative adversarial networks (GANs)? Well now there’s These Lyrics Do Not Exist, an AI neural network that generates complete original song lyrics for any topic – including an original chorus and verses. Happy songwriting!
Data Protection Agency: There’s an FTC, an FDA and a CDC. And now there’s a proposal in Congress that could form a whole agency aimed at enforcing data protection -- the Data Protection Agency, an independent body that would be tasked with enforcing data privacy laws while also fostering digital innovation within the U.S. government. This is both necessary and could create huge compliance issues for advertisers. Watch this closely!
Instagram is Disrupting the Jewelry Category: Instagram is transforming how we buy engagement rings, from shopping to immediately buying to showing off that perfectly manicured shot. Lab-grown diamonds are hot, start-ups are disrupting mom and pop jewelers, and micro-influencers are setting trends.
Twitter Adds Thread Continuation Feature: Twitter is updating its interface to make it easier to add new tweets to old threads. Here’s a GIF of how it works.
RFID Transforming Childhood: RFID-enabled diapers are a thing now, and they’ll tell you when your baby’s diaper is wet. They cost 2 cents to make and could be used for adult care, too. On the toy front, the Alexa 2-in-1 Kitchen and Market playset includes 100 RFID-outfitted play food and cookware that each prompt different reactions from Alexa. So if a kid places lettuce on the market scanner, it will prompt Alexa to say, "Lettuce! Are we making a salad?" And if a kid says, "yes," Alexa will say, "Great! I love salad. Maybe get some avocado, too." It’s only $300. Don’t you dare lose a piece, kids.
Podcasts of the Week: On Nora McInerny’s latest “Terrible, Thanks For Asking,” author Neil Pasricha goes deep on how to make the internet a little less crappy. It’s a super good listen. Or if you want a space reality check, try this week’s Recode Decode with Caleb Scharf talking about how complicated it will actually be to live on Mars.
Insta of the Week: It’s called @hydraulicpresschannel, and it’s videos of things being smashed by a hydraulic press. And it has 1.2 million followers. IT FEELS SO GOOD.
ARCHIVE: READ 130+ PREVIOUS ISSUES OF SOCIAL PULSE HERE.
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