December 11, 2023
Twitter gets a bird of prey
Is it a bird? Is it a spacecraft? Is it an electric car? It’s all of them. Elon Musk has become Twitter’s largest shareholder, giving him a god complex that even Greek mythology couldn’t have written. The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla has purchased a 9.2 percent stake in the social-media platform. He also refiled his disclosure forms to switch his investor status from passive to active, which gives him more power to input on the company’s operations. But again, not a peep. The lack of announcement on his part has raised the feathers of users across the world. There is widespread concern that Musk may use his new stake/position to try to influence Twitter’s practices and to get a more active role in the social media ecosystem - both of which would be right on brand. The self-proclaimed ‘free-speech absolutist’ has built an entire career on an impatience to shape the world, as quickly and directly as possible, in a way that aligns with his vision of it and has used his growing riches to make sure he’s right at the forefront of change. “Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy. What should be done?” he asked his 80 million followers, shortly before the news of his new position broke. The answer, it seems, is him.
Google launches multisearch
Google has introduced a new way to search that uses text and images at the same time. ‘Multisearch in Lens’ lets users go beyond the search box to ask questions about what they can see in front of them. It uses the latest advancements in AI and machine learning tools to let you refine your visual search by a colour, brand or a visual attribute, enhancing your ability to search for products. In other words, it makes our lives a lot easier. “How many times have you tried to find something - but you didn’t have all the words to describe what you were looking for?,” the search giant wrote, adding that the new feature was part of its ongoing efforts to help its users uncover the information they’re looking for, no matter how tricky it might be to find. The new tool has the potential to transform ecommerce by providing an entirely new way to improve your search and enhance your results. It’s currently only available as a beta feature in the US but watch this space.
Virtual Influencers are becoming a reality
There’s a new influencer in town. Sort of. A new study has found that virtual influencers are on the rise as more and more brands try to shape reality by moving outside of it. A Virtual Influencer is a fully digital character, created through CGI, with the traits, features and personalities of a human - but none of the stress. Hence why brands love them. They allow companies to maintain the upper hand in a way that conventional influencer marketing can’t because of the temperamentality of, well, any human, ever. This, coupled with a recent rise in consumer scepticism for the industry, has led brands to court influencers who don’t actually exist in order to come across more authentic. (The irony isn’t lost in the blurring of lines, don’t worry). That said, virtual influencers still have some work to do in winning over the hearts of consumers. The study found that a lot of people still struggle to relate to and trust VIs. Again, the irony. Loud and clear.
