With Facebook announcing plans to merge its Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram messaging services, we take a closer look at the giant’s stronghold on the ways in which we communicate, and explore whether the new changes will bring us closer together, or give Facebook access to more data to sell advertising and increase its dominance in the market.
ALL CHANGE AT FACEBOOK
Whether you’re an avid Facebooker or you steer clear from the platform, the chances are that you use at least one of the tech giant’s products. Zuckerberg has his fingers in many pies, including WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, and may just be the most powerful tech CEO in the world. Of course, companies like Alphabet, Amazon, and Apple have been able to secure higher returns and, albeit briefly, become trillion-dollar brands, but where Facebook is different is in its data. Facebook attracts an eye-watering 2.27 billion users to its platform per month, messaging service WhatsApp has more than 1.5 billion users, and the celebrityobsessed social network Instagram has more than 1 billion monthly users, growing more than 200 million users from September 2018 to December 2018 - demonstrating the power of the brand.
At a time when Zuckerberg’s core product is facing unprecedented scrutiny following a series of data leaks and dishonest advertising practices, the company has decided to take more control over the networking divisions and create a unified messaging experience for users.
According to a report in The New York Times, the services will continue as standalone apps, but the technical infrastructure will be unified, connecting more than 2.6 billion users and enabling cross-platform communication for the first time. Many believe that the move will redefine the way billions of us communicate with friends and family, as we will no longer be locked into one platform when chatting with our loved ones. Others argue that the plan does nothing more than increase the firm’s grip on its users, citing privacy and security concerns, and raising antitrust as a reason against the potential messaging merger.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة AppleMagazine #379 من AppleMagazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة AppleMagazine #379 من AppleMagazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
NEW JERSEY OFFSHORE WIND FARM CLEARS BIG FEDERAL HURDLE AMID ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
The federal government gave a key approval this week to an offshore wind farm in New Jersey, even as residents in the town where its power cable would come ashore worry it could go through underground toxic waste that’s still being cleaned up.
AUSTRALIA'S ONLINE DATING INDUSTRY ADOPTS CODE OF CONDUCT TO KEEP USERS SAFER
A code of conduct will be enforced on the online dating industry to better protect Australian users after research found that three-in-four people suffer some form of sexual violence through the platforms, Australia’s government said this week.
PARENTS WILL HAVE TO SET ASIDE SOME EARNINGS FOR CHILD INFLUENCERS UNDER NEW CALIFORNIA LAWS
Parents in California who profit from social media posts featuring their children will be required to set aside some earnings for their minor influencers under a pair of measures signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
WARREN BUFFETT BUYS REST OF BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY'S UTILITIES.BUT INVESTORS MUST GUESS AT THE PRICE
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is buying the rest of its utility unit from the estate of a longtime board member who died three years ago, but it’s not clear exactly how much it will pay for that 8% stake in the massive utility business.
SPACEX LAUNCHES RESCUE MISSION FOR 2 NASA ASTRONAUTS WHO ARE STUCK IN SPACE UNTIL NEXT YEAR
SpaceX launched a rescue mission for the two stuck astronauts at the International Space Station, sending up a downsized crew to bring them home but not until next year.
TESLA POSTS FIRST QUARTERLY INCREASE IN DELIVERIES, BUT SHARES SLUMP WITH INVESTORS HOPING FOR MORE
Low interest financing, sweet lease deals, price cuts and free charging boosted Tesla’s global deliveries in the third quarter, the first increase this year for the electric vehicle maker.
ARKANSAS SUES YOUTUBE OVER CLAIMS THAT THE SITE IS FUELING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS
Arkansas sued YouTube and parent company Alphabet this week, saying the video-sharing platform is made deliberately addictive and fueling a mental health crisis among youth in the state.
EPIC GAMES SUES GOOGLE AND SAMSUNG OVER PHONE SETTINGS, ACCUSING THEM OF VIOLATING ANTITRUST LAWS
Video game maker Epic Games sued Google and Samsung this week, accusing the tech companies of coordinating to block third-party competition in application distribution on Samsung devices.
JAPANESE SPONSORS TOYOTA BRIDGESTONE AND PANASONIC END OLYMPIC CONTRACTS
The International Olympic Committee’s three major Japanese sponsors — Toyota, Panasonic and Bridgestone — are terminating their contracts.
SATELLITE SERVICE DIRECTV BUYS RIVAL DISH AS IT FIGHTS THE ONSLAUGHT OF STREAMING SERVICES
DirecTV is buying Dish and Sling, a deal it has sought to complete for years, as the company seeks to better compete against streaming services that have become dominant.
