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Facebook is finding it harder to emulate TikTok than it did with Snapchat TikTok is beating out both Instagram and Facebook – it’s the only app that was downloaded more than (and only second to) Facebook-owned WhatsApp Experts and figures underscore just how big of a threat TikTok is to Facebook’s dominance  Silicon Valley has been concerned about the enormous growth recorded by social media upstart TikTok. The Chinese social network has taken the world by storm with over a billion users to date, making more money than any other social media platform, even Facebook. Today, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has become the most valuable startup in the world on the success of the video app and its domestic clone, Douyin. Both TikTok and Douyin have amassed over 2 billion downloads and penetrated one-third of all social media users on this planet in less than four short years. For the former, a staggering 500 million of those users had signed up last year alone, and that’s half of all Instagram users. Although TikTok is particularly popular among teenagers, known as Generation Z, with nearly 60% of all TikTok users are of that age group, the video-sharing app already beats Facebook’s…

Content provided by Asset 2 Last updated: 8 hours ago Today, Facebook (www.Facebook.com) has announced the launch of Instagram Lite to Sub-Saharan Africa, a new, lightweight version of the Instagram app for Android that uses less data and works well across all network conditions. The new version of Instagram Lite for Android is less than 2MB in size, making it fast to install and quick to load. It also has improved speed, performance, and responsiveness. Instagram Lite not only works similarly to the Instagram app for Android, but it allows the Instagram experience to remain fast and reliable for more people, no matter what device, platform and network they use. Commenting on the rationale for introducing the app to Sub-Saharan Africa, Engineering Manager for Instagram Lite, Peter Shin said, “Connectivity in the region can be unstable,  » Read More

The wrist sensor will detect gestures large and small. FRL Facebook Reality Lab reveals the direction of AR smart glasses. For the planning of AR smart glasses, AI and haptics need to be supported by 5G, advanced optics, AI, and a new OS and user interface. The system will use a nerve reading bracelet to read the users’ mind. There is no release date. This is researchers writing papers. Facebook is already planning Quest 3 and 4 with key new features. The new generations will have better optics and performance, making it smaller and lighter. The goal of VR for Facebook is “social presence” through eye and face tracking.  We saw Pandora X at SXSW. The immersive masterpiece by Double Eye Studios won Best VR Immersive User Experience Venice Film Festival (2020). It’s an incredible hour of entertainment. Great script. Great production design. The towering performances by Zeus and Hera were god-like. This is a breakthrough in immersive theater that everyone in VR should see. My two controllers lit up with gratitude.   » Read More

Zeina Shahla, a Syrian journalist, checks her twitter at a cafe in the capital Damascus on March 1, 2021. - Virtual platforms like Netflix and Zoom have emerged as lifelines for a pandemic-hit world forced indoors, but in sanctioned Syria where both websites are blocked, people feel increasingly disconnected. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)(AFP) The agency's action against the platform comes in the backdrop of tensions with western social media with regard to allegations of 'discrimination against Russia. By hindustantimes.com | Edited by Deepali Sharma, Hindustan Times, New Delhi UPDATED ON MAR 19, 2021 10:11 AM IST Russia has threatened to block the microblogging site Twitter within a month if the social media platform doesn't take steps to remove banned content from its platform, it saidHere are the key points:> Russia's state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, last week said it was slowing down uploading speed of photos and videos on Twitter over its alleged failure to remove content around drugs and child pornography as well as suicide among children.> The agency's action against the platform comes in the backdrop of tensions with western social media with regard to allegations of 'discrimination against Russia. President Vladimir Putin on new year's eve…

Team Whistle focused on producing more original shows for social platforms and expanding beyond sports into categories like entertainment and culture in the last year. The strategy proved positive: it attracted more brand deals and higher viewership, revenue and CPMs, according to the company.Lockdown orders and regulations brought on by the pandemic threw a wrench into video production plans, but Team Whistle’s successful few months is an example of how one digital video-focused media company was able to adjust to remote filming and add to its slate of programming — and ultimately make more money from it. Team Whistle increased its investment in original programming over the past six months “at a higher rate than at any previous time in company history,” said Joe Caporoso, evp of media at Team Whistle, which was created in 2014. He declined to say how much more was spent compared to before. In the past six months, Team Whistle launched eight new shows. Five more shows will debut in the next two months. After acquiring Vertical Networks in 2019, Team Whistle had more resources at its disposal, and shifted from creating traditional sports-focused content featuring athletes, to videos in the entertainment and culture categories…

Rites of passage have been a cinematic staple for decades. From the christening scene in The Godfather, coinciding with Michael Corleone’s bloody consolidation of power, to the presentation of the newborn cub prince to the strains of The Circle of Life in The Lion King, these scenes can signify periods of monumental transition and the power of tradition in shaping characters’ lives. But sometimes, tradition and day-to-day life don’t synch up so well. It’s a theme Halifax filmmaker Charles Wahl explores in his new short film The Mohel, about a young Jewish couple’s bris for their baby boy, which debuted this week at the virtual version of the SXSW Film Festival. The Mohel - Short Film Teaser from Charles Wahl on Vimeo. In 2020, Austin’s SXSW — which ranks with major U.S. independent film launch sites like Utah’s Sundance and Colorado’s Telluride festivals — was one of the first major arts events forced to cancel due to the swift arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wahl had previously attended in 2019 with his film Little Grey Bubbles and had a fabulous experience. He stayed for six days and immersed himself in the films as well as engaging with other independent filmmakers,…

This picture shows Sir David Attenborough during an interview.(REUTERS) Sir David Attenborough’s post prompted people to share all sorts of appreciative comments. By Trisha Sengupta PUBLISHED ON MAR 19, 2021 08:18 AM IST Sir David Attenborough’s reassuring reply to a 4-year-old boy has now won people over. The worried kid asked the naturalist if humans will ever go extinct, just like the dinosaurs did. There is a possibility that Attenborough’s response to this question will leave you with a smile on your face – and it may also make you nod in agreement.The kid’s mother Gerry Holt took to Twitter to share about the incident. Her post is complete with the picture of Attenborough’s handwritten note.“My little boy (age 4.5) wrote to Sir David Attenborough to ask if humans would be extinct one day “like the dinosaurs”. Today he received this beautiful reply: “The answer is that we need not do so as long as we look after our planet properly,” Holt tweeted. She also added, “Sir David is 94. He is a wonder” and concluded her post.Take a look at the full share: My little boy (age 4.5) wrote to Sir David Attenborough to ask if humans would be…

Sure, SNL has given us 40+ years of hilariously iconic moments. But The Amanda Show has been off the air since 2002 and we're still quoting it. That must mean it's the pinnacle of sketch comedy. Right?! Nickelodeon / giphy.com Let's revisit some of The Amanda Show's best moments! 1. That time everyone wore the same dress: 3. When Totally Kyle came face to face with a spider: Nickelodeon / Via brigpirr.tumblr.com Comedic legend Drake Bell gave us Totally Kyle years before Bill Hader gave us The Californians! 4. Literally anytime Courtney said, "MAH-HAH:" 7. The entire plot of Moody's Point: what skit from the amanda show lives rent free in your head? mine is “moodys point”, a spoof of a soap opera where the main girl’s dad loses his big toe and the mom is stuck in a hot air balloon 03:44 PM - 24 Jan 2021 Twitter: @daliaelak / Via Twitter: @daliaelak 8. Seriously, Moody's Point was comedic genius: Nickelodeon / Via bieeberz.tumblr.com I'm starting a rumor that Taran Killam was hired on SNL after Lorne Michaels saw this performance. Pass it on. 12. ...and her very unorthodox bailiff: 13. Or the classic "Hillbilly Moment" boink: Nickelodeon /…

Skip to main contentTempe, AZScottsdale, AZTucson, AZPalm Desert, CALas Vegas, NVRamona, CABanning-Beaumont, CASantee, CAPoway, CALa Mesa-Mount Helix, CAArizonaTop National NewsSee All CommunitiesPress release from West Valley Arts: March 18, 2021 West Valley Arts, in collaboration with the Phoenix Chapter of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), the Musicians Relief Fund, is bringing together six bands representing a diverse range of musical styles for a six-week live-streaming concert series on Friday nights at Westside Blues & Jazz Club, 17045 N. 59th Ave. in Glendale.Beginning Friday, March 19 and continuing each Friday through April 23, one of the six bands in Imprint: The Cultural Sounds of America will perform from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Performances, which will be live-streamed on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/event/785581), also are open to the public. Masks are required and social distancing guidelines will be in force. The performances are free, but donations will be accepted and information about AFM will be available at the venue.The event is made possible by a grant from the American Federation of Music Performance Trust Fund. The project was created by AFM Outreach Committee Chair Gabriel Bey of Moorish Manor Publishing "based on his vision of bringing different genres of music to the community and to…