Zone’s Ross Basham handpicks and shares the five best new stories on digital trends, experiences and technologies…
1. Ofcom handed new social media powers
Ofcom is set to be given new powers to force social media firms to take action over harmful content. Until now the likes of Facebook and Snapchat have largely been self-regulating but they have faced major criticism for not doing enough to protect users from bullying, abuse and graphic content.
Now Ofcom — which currently regulates the media and telecoms, not internet safety — will be able to make tech firms ensure content is removed quickly and also to ‘minimise the risks’ of it appearing at all. However, it’s unclear what penalties Ofcom will be able to enforce — let’s hope it’s more than just a little slap on the wrist.
2. Appy couples choosing a romantic night in
Valentine’s Day: table for two at a fancy restaurant, awkward conversation, phones firmly put away, right? Well, maybe not, as it turns out that app usage goes up by 11% on 14 February compared with the rest of the month. And it’s not just dating apps that see a spike in visitors.
The biggest increase (24%) is in entertainment apps, followed by food and drink apps (20%) and then social apps (16%) — which includes dating apps but also messaging. So basically, Valentine’s Day means getting a takeaway, streaming a film and scrolling through social media. Yep, sounds about right to me.
3. Regulators swipe left on Facebook dating app
Speaking of Valentine’s Day, Facebook was hoping to release its in-app dating feature to European users yesterday, but the rollout has been delayed afterregulators raised concerns about data privacy. Facebook Dating has been available in the US for six months in a bid to take on the might of Tinder, Bumble and so on.
But European romantics will have to wait after Facebook was unable to provide the necessary documents to show that it had complied with GDPR. It’s unknown when the feature — which has been seen as a way for Facebook to lure back younger users — will now be available to singles in Europe.
4. MSE and Monzo most recommended brands
MoneySavingExpert.com and Monzo are the brands most recommended by their customers, according to the latest YouGov consumer advocacy poll. Martin Lewis’s financial advice website comes top, with 91% of users recommending it, while Monzo came second on 90% (although it has had some rare bad press lately).
There are four travel companies in the top 10, while tech is further represented by OnePlus (the Chinese smartphone company), fintech company TransferWise and Spotify. Interestingly, there’s no crossover with YouGov’s poll of the most popular brands — none of the most recommended brands are even in the top 100.
5. Twitter celebrates the Valentine’s cringe factor
In the final bit of Valentine-related news (the FF is nothing if not topical), Twitter has turned to cringe humour for an integrated campaign. The ‘Dating Twitter advice bureau’ currently in Covent Garden features interactive installations bringing to life real tweets about dating, such as ‘the wheel of misfortune’, the ‘ghosting graveyard’ and the ‘gallery of awkward silences’.
The campaign will also showcase stripped-back versions of humorous tweets at major London tube platforms. Twitter wants to promote the fact that its users’ behaviour is tied to conversational topics, allowing for brands to reach them through contextual targeting. And not a teddy bear or love heart in sight.
