Zone’s Ross Basham handpicks and shares the five best new stories on digital trends, experiences and technologies…
1. Vodafone invests in data to boost retention
Vodafone is teaming up with Google to develop a cloud-based data platform to help telcos find new opportunities and improve relationships with customers. The idea is to help Vodafone create and deploy new digital services simultaneously in multiple countries, as well as to gain new insights from customer data to boost retention.
If the platform is a success, it would be a further boost for the public cloud computing market which, according to research firm Gartner, is set to grow by 23% to £239bn in 2021. Gartner’s research shows customers are much happier when they can upgrade or change contracts themselves, rather than having to contact call centres.
2. Twitter trying to make users rethink abuse
Twitter is trying to make people stop and think before they send an abusive tweet. The platform is rolling out prompts for iOS and Android users that encourage them to “pause and reconsider” before hitting send. It follows a limited test last year that used an algorithm to detect “insults, strong language and hateful remarks”.
However, those early tests struggled with the nuances of conversation and “often didn’t differentiate between potentially offensive language, sarcasm and friendly banter”. One of the fixes in the new test is to check how often the people involved talk on the platform, as regular chatters are less likely to be hateful (you’d hope).
3. ‘No link’ between teen mental health and tech
Contrary to popular belief, a study of 430,000 10 to 15-year-olds has found there remains “little association” between technology use and mental health problems. The Oxford Internet Institute compared TV viewing, social media and device use with feelings of depression, suicidal tendencies and behavioural problems.
Participants graded their own feelings using questions with sliding scale responses. The study’s author said: “We couldn’t tell the difference between social-media impact and mental health in 2010 and 2019. We’re not saying that fewer happy people use more social media. We’re saying that the connection is not getting stronger.”
4. Trump’s Facebook ban upheld — for now
Facebook’s Oversight Board has upheld the platform’s decision to ban Donald Trump, but says the company broke its own rules by imposing an indefinite suspension. Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended after the US Capitol riots over fears he would use the platforms to encourage more violence.
The Oversight Board was designed to provide independent judgements on Facebook’s policies and decisions, but the restrictions on its powers have led critics to call it toothless. And now it has pushed the Trump situation back to Facebook, saying the platform needs to complete its review of the matter within six months.
5. Bezos sets date for space sightseeing flight
We love a bit of space tourism in the Friday Five, and now Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is getting in on the act with his company Blue Origin. It has announced that the first crewed flight of its New Shepard rocket will take place on 20 July, and one seat is available for a (very wealthy) space tourist.
Blue Origin’s suborbital space trips will last for 10 minutes, transporting six passengers 62 miles above the surface of Earth, where they will experience a short period of weightlessness and some pretty impressive views. If you fancy it, you’ll need to get involved in a live online auction that won’t be for the faint-hearted…
