Global Media News

Facebook: The New Cause of Political Divisiveness

Politics has always been a dirty business. On both sides of the political aisle, morality has been blurred to gain the upper hand. Defamation, slander and attack politics have been around since the inception of government. However, social media has taken these dirty tactics to a new level.

Facebook, the leader of all social media (2.32 billion monthly users as of December 31, 2018), has crossed the line of morality from time to time. Recently, it has been criticized for allowing third parties to politically sway its users during election time. Politicians hire outside parties to infiltrate Facebook and other social media platforms while they release negative political ads and share "fake news" against each other.

In 2016 Cambridge Analytica, a political data firm, was hired by President Trump's election campaign and gained access to private information on more than 50 million Facebook users. The information gathered gained specific personality traits from the users to help influence their behavior. By extracting this information, the Trump campaign was able to (cheaply) buy ad space and gaining an advantage by using specific words and tools to gain users' trust. Facebook, though claiming they never knew about the specifics of the content being extracted, was negligent during this ordeal. 

Now, Facebook now is implementing political ad safeguards to try and stop these attack ads from spreading during every election cycle. This step by Facebook shows that the company, at the very least, is aware of their malfeasance and are doing everything they can to gain their users' trust once again. However, Facebook is no longer just a social media tool. It's become one of the most profitable companies in the world. In the cut-throat world of business, morality will continue to be blurred, and expect Facebook to continue to listen not to its users, but to the highest bidder. 

A Day Without A Woman: A Social Media Experiment

All over Instagram, Twitter, SnapChat and Facebook, women are sharing a powerful image. Women are once again taking their activism not only to the streets, but to their networking platforms. In honor of International Women's Day, women are sharing their resistance with the world through online activism.

Using the Twitter hash tag "DayWithoutAWoman," many are envisioning a world without working women. This activism is in effect to promote equal pay, reproductive rights, all forms of healthcare, and maternal leave.

Those who scroll through the hash tag will find a plethora of sources promoting International Women's Day. To no surprise at all, you will also find criticism towards these online protests.

An article published by Huffington Post explained the different ways women are supporting international women's day.  

"Wednesday marked International Women’s Day as well as the “Day Without A Woman” strike, in which women in the United States and around the world highlighted their contributions to society by expressing their frustrations on social media, wearing red and taking to the streets to demonstrate"

 

The article then goes into detail about one of Broadways biggest shows doing their part. Cast members from Broadways "Hamilton" have donated their Wednesday night proceeds to the "Dress for Success" charity. "Dress for Success" is an international charity that supports women entering the work force.

Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton took to SnapChat to promote activism in women's issues. Below is the short video:

 

 

In an article posted by The Verge titled "The Internet Without A Woman," the female author explains the impact striking can have on online publications. That impact, of course, is a day of only male writers. Many journalists have the privilege to take the day off of coming into the office, and still managing to get work done. Female journalists who participated in strikes on International Women's Day, did so without any fear of losing their job. It's a privilege that comes with a job that takes place mostly in a digital space.

Freelance journalist Lux Alptraum, in a phone call with The Verge, pointed out, “If all the women in the MTA strike, the MTA grinds to a halt. If all the women in media strike, it’s only men writing.” She also questioned whether removing women’s voices from the media, even just for a day, is useful: “Not to say that a general strike is a bad idea, but it’s more complicated in an industry where women’s voices are often ignored to begin with.”

This statement shows the negative effects on women striking, from a seemingly feminist point of view! Women in digital media going on strike is not useful, in that it allows for women to keep suppressing their voices.

Trump Take Down: Via Smartphone

How has Trump's immigration ban impacted apps?

Throughout the presidential campaign, social media users took to platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to demonstrate their beliefs for and against Donald Trump. Eventually, the Anti-Trump movement was born. Social media as well as other smart phone apps have changed American politics indefinitely.

In light of the recent detainment of travelers at John F. Kennedy airport, officials are screening social media accounts in search of suspected terrorist affiliation. According to Independent, border agents are checking social media accounts of travelers whom are entering the country. What are they looking for? Political views of travelers. What does this mean for us? Individuals who post anything political on social media, are a potential target by the Trump Administration. Protesting Trump via hashtags may or may not be the safest idea, but wait, there's no need to grab a picket sign just yet. Here is a look at some alternative movements against the president. 

Following the protest at JFK airport, Uber is under fire. Taxi companies under the NY Taxi Workers Alliance exhibited protest by suspending their work in opposition of Trumps ban. On the other hand, Uber tweeted, " Surge pricing has been turned off at #JFK Airport. This may result in longer wait times. Please be patient." Uber account holders were outraged by the companies decision to profit off of the Muslim ban. In result, at least 200,000 people have deleted their Uber accounts.

On the bright side, App stores on both Apple and Android devices have released an app to boycott Trump. According to the apps description, the BoycottTrump app helps users search for businesses in order to determine if they have any affiliation with Donald Trump. This allows individuals to single-handedly boycott the President by refraining to do business with him directly, or any of his supporters.

 

Successful E-Mail Marketing: Fashion E-Commerce

If you have ever shopped online, you may have signed up for the store's email newsletter. What's that? You know, all of those annoying daily emails about shopping their newest collection and the three day sales where everything is 20% off. 

Although they can be annoying, believe it or not, these companies do find a way to make you open up the email and click through to their website. They may even get you to make a purchase; all from a simple email.

But is it really all that simple?

Even if you hadn't planned on making a purchase or shopping online anytime soon, Fashion E-Commerce Brands and Businesses always know just the right words to say to engage you into opening what you might consider spam mail. 

With subject lines such as "Offer ends today! Extra 20% off all sale items! Today only! You asked for it! It's back! Back in stock! Limited Time Only!" This pattern of simple phrasing with an explanation point may get you excited too if you're an avid shopper. Key words that Fashion E-Commerce brands tend to use are "save, today, sale, enjoy, extra, and FREE". Now who can resist that last one there? 

Although social media has been taking over the internet world lately, email marketing for e-commerce brands still remains the most powerful E-Commerce marketing tool to engage customers. E-mail marketing allows consumers to reach out to their customers with offers, news, product launches, and more. 

According to Targeting Mantra, there are five main factors for Fashion E-Commerce brands to keep in mind when it comes to email marketing.

1. Frequency: Less is more. Try not to spam your customers' inboxes; sending too many emails might force them to unsubscribe or kick you to their Spam list.
2. Subject Lines: Being gentle and subtle in your subject line without overselling will allow for better responses and openings. Using everyday words is more human.
3. Content: Attractive visual content that is easy to read works best. 41% of emails opened are through mobile devices so be sure they are optimized as such. 
4. Personalization: You are mailing an experience, not just an offer. Be personal with your customers and send things like trend alerts, styling tips, and a birthday shoutout.
5. Cart Abandonment: These emails should be a reminder to the customers that leave items behind in their online cart in order to fulfill the sale. According to SalesCycle, eCommerce brands who sent cart abandonment emails received 46% open rate leading to 35% of the returning customers completing their checkout processes!

Email marketing does not have to be complicated or annoying to your customers. Using these tips will help increase your click through rates as well as your sales!

Internet Censorship in Turkey

Turkish legislators have passed a bill giving the right to ban websites within 4 hours upon a prime minster and/or minsters request,  without a court order.  This comes to a shock to the world of journalism and the people who stand for their right of freedom of speech.  According to BGN News,

"The new provision allows for the removal of any content that endangers an individual’s right to life and property, is deemed a threat to national security or public order, incites criminal activity or is a risk to public health. The TİB will restrict access to website within 4 hours of the decision by the ministers, and can also demand domain or service providers submit a user’s information to help locate suspects, with fines as high as TRY 500,000 (USD 190,000) for those who don’t comply."

Under this new law any website can be blocked up to 24 hours.  The laws comes out of fear that social media sites will become more of a risk to the public.  Others see it as a way to control criticism in the upcoming elections for Turkey. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have shown their concern and are fighting back by pressuring Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to decline the new law censoring the internet. The Committee to Protect Journalist made their plea, stating, 

""Under this legislation, national security and the public order are a pretext for Internet censorship in Turkey," CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said. "We call on President Erdoğan to reject this bill and for Turkish lawmakers to tolerate the flow of news and commentary online, as befits a modern democracy.""

Just 6 months ago, in September, the Parliament passed a bill comparable to the likes of this new bill, but it was overturned by the Constitutional Court.  Turkey higher-ups are looking to have total control over the internet, making Turkey's freedom of speech more and more distant.

China Makes It Difficult For Tech Companies to do Business

 China New Information Gathering Idea Rejected By the U.S 

Chinas new ideas promote gathering the information of tech companies users. The laws they are trying to in force require tech companies to turn over "snooping" mechanisms to the Chinese government.   The United States is against the act of China trying to enforce laws to collect user data. China's inquiries are mainly about tech companies encryption keys to their codes for personal data. The sharing of user data can threaten the U.S of economic cyber espionage.  In an interview Obama stated his concerns for China requiring tech companies to give personal data to their firms. 

"This is something that I’ve raised directly with President Xi," Obama said. "We have made it very clear to them that this is something they are going to have to change if they are to do business with the United States." (BBC)

Obama spoke on cyber security and consumer protection at Stanford University. Obama felt it would be critical for any international company to prosper while collects data to keep track of user data. He stated, "I don't think there's any U.S or European firm, international firm that can get away with that whole sale turning over of data".

China is concerned with any possible threats from religious extremist or separatists. "Beijing has argued the need to quickly ratchet up its cybersecurity measures in the wake of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden's revelations of sophisticated U.S. spying techniques." (reuters.com) 

 

Google Overshadowing Other Manufacturers

Its' difficult for smaller companies to shine when large scale companies get all of the shine. Google has pushed its competing rivals buttons such as Yandex. Yandex is a Russian Internet company which operates the largest search engine in Russia with about 60% market share in that country. According to bbc.com, Yandex alleges that its rival, Google has an unfair advantage because it insists device-makers set Google as the default search setting if they want to pre-install its Play store. 

 

Googles restrictions are conflict with the way Yandex markets its company. The amount of shares on android phones are affected because of  Google services. "Google's rivals have claimed Android is used as a way to give Google's other services an unfair competitive advantage". (bbc.com) 

 

Although Yandex has filed an antitrust complaint against Google,  the search engine has yet to respond. Google will most likely make an account that their rival search engines can be downloaded to android phones as long as their services aren't pre-downloaded. 

 

It's agreeable that Google is one of the largest most used search engines. With such reliable and safe services, Google attracts millions of servers worldwide. Of course others countries would like their citizens to use there soft- ware hence that challenge of competing against Google. Other internet companies have complained about the unfair benefits that Google has. The "take-it-or-leave-it" rule where manufacturers can either install all of Googles complete serve including google maps, gmail, google play, or reject cellular service all together. 

"We believe that user-centric services, such as search, maps, email, etc., should be unbundled from the Android OS. It is essential to return to a level playing field where competition is over quality of products and services rather than bundling and pre-installation."

 

Android is by a long way the most popular mobile device in Russia. Googles restriction of  apps and other services are pushing away customers from local smart phone vendors in Russia. "Google has been under investigation for years in Europe regarding its approach to desktop search -- something that Yandex's CEO has publicity backed. The European Commission also recently voted to push forward with legislation that could see Google (and other search providers) forced to unbundle its search engine from its other services.Google wants there search engine to be the main search engine or nothing at all. 

 

 

China's Largest Internet Firm seeks to gives its users better internet access

    According to china.org, Tencent, which is China's largest internet firm is attempting to lower China's strict access to the internet. As stated in the previous article, China is known for having a strict internet policy and looking over their citizen's internet habits. China's constitution "affords its citizens freedom of speech and press, but the opacity of Chinese media regulations allows authorities to crack down on news stories by claiming that they expose state secrets and thus endanger the country."

    In the article Ma Huateng, chief executive officer of Tencent Holdings, spoke of how Tencent Holdings Ltd.  is working on a barrier-free technology standard that will allow its Internet-related products on mobile devices to benefit disabled people and the elderly. China has about 85 million disabled people and nearly 200 million elderly people, many of whom have limited Internet access.

    This shows a classic example of how the media can be changed for the greater good. 

    

 

 

 

Japan's Economy Boosted Thanks to... Dragon Ball Z?

Popular all over the world, Japanese animation (Commonly known as anime) has become a multibillion Yen export. Lots of Anime series and movies are based off their illustrated counterparts, Manga (Japanese comic books). If a single story is created in manga form, chances are it can be turned into an anime series, launch action figure, video game, and apparel sales, even inspire live action films. In some cases, theme parks could even spawn from the womb of artful creation that is manga/anime. 

In 2009 Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso aimed to create 500,0oo new jobs, raise exports of Japanese "soft power" (Anime, film, manga, games, etc.) from 2% to 18% and in doing so, save the economy. Since Japan relies so heavily on overseas sales, it's no wonder the popular anime/manga series Dragon Ball Z (above) has made its comeback in the last few years. 

Although the series ended in 2003, Akira Toriyama's brainchild has still maintained a cult following, remaining one of the most popular anime series in the world. DBZ's follow up series Dragon Ball GT, not so much. Even though the series ended in 2003, it was remastered, re-edited and re-released in 2009 as Dragon Ball Z Kai. The series has still retained its popularity, tying with Spongebob Squarepants in cable TV  ratings just last month. 2013 saw a new feature length animated  film carrying the title of Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods. (right)
This film was greatly anticipated by the American fans who grew up in the 90's watching the original show. It's anticipation was met with a theatrical release in over 350 theaters in the U.S. and Canada in August of 2014.

The trailer for another DBZ film, "Resurrection of F" (below) has just surfaced all over the internet, exciting fans worldwide. Some may have criticisms of the film but regardless, another film has emerged from a franchise thought to be dead! This is closely following the American release of the video game Dragon Ball
Xenoverse (left) in the U.S. This is a win-win for fans of the franchise, but also for the Japanese economy which has been following through on their plan to revitalize through the creation and export of more anime/manga, and other soft power products. Perhaps this is contributing the the upward trend the Japanese economy is predicted to have this year.

Japanese Pornography becomes Popular in China

It's no secret that Japan and China have a very brutal and bloody history . China's malice towards Japan  goes back ages, some of the most prominent conflicts between them being the Nanjing Massacre and the Japanese atrocities of World War II. China's hate for everything Japanese is prevalent, especially in 2012 when anti-Japanese protests resulted in the vandalizing and destruction of any Japanese stores or stores selling Japanese goods; during these acts of violence protesters were met with no resistance from Chinese law enforcement.

So keeping in mind how much distaste the Communist-run country holds for Japan, it becomes even more of a point to note that one of the hottest commodities in China is Japanese Pornography. The Chinese Communist Party does not allow porn in the country, they've even gone to such lengths as to hire officers to keep track of and censor pornography in China. Still, where there's a will there's a way. From bootlegged DVD's to torrent downloading, Japanese porn is one of the many vices that has found its way into the Chinese underground culture.

Japanese adult film Actresses have shown interest in helping to aid the relief of China's citizens in more ways than one. Japanese porn stars such as Sora Aoi (now retired, right) have joined Chinese social media sites, visited the country, and helped raise money for Chinese charities and disaster reliefs. Capitalizing on their fame in China, these actresses seem to have become
unofficial ambassadors who are subtly smoothing over tensions in their rival countries.

    China's official news agency Xinhua  has perhaps inadvertently shown support for the Japanese adult industry by listing the twitter page "Absolute JP Porn" as one of the pages it follows. This seems like too much of a publicity nightmare to be true, but there is visual evidence  showing Xinhua as a follower of a site that they should have no part in. There were also rumors that a Chinese company called "Qihoo 360" offered a night with Japanese porn star Julia Kyoka (left) to its male employees as an incentive award for successful employees come Chinese New Year. Qihoo 360 has since denied that there ever was such an award, probably to the dismay of many a lonely worker of the firm.

It's hard to take the idea seriously, that Japanese pornography might be the one way to link two cultures that have been at odds for decades. Japanese porn thriving in a country where there would normally be zero demand for such entertainment is another example of media making the world a little bit smaller by bridging cultural gaps. Perhaps the presence of a genre that many consider to be filth has begun to extinguish a fire that has been burning for too long.