Category: Technology

Two social media algorithm changes that are ruining the browsing experience

The social media algorithm is a perpetual battleground. Whether it’s a platform trying to create a better user experience or a content creator wanting to make sure that people see their posts, constant adjustments by both sides can often annoy users. Here are a couple of social media algorithm oddities that are driving people crazy lately 1) Still images being turned into videos on Facebook  I keep seeing still images being shared around on Facebook that are actually videos. Others have noticed this as well and have expressed anywhere from annoyance to bafflement at the practice. Page owners and marketers...

Do flagging Apple Watch sales prove we’ve passed ‘Peak Cupertino?’

Probably not.  But I couldn’t resist using the phrase ‘Peak Cupertino.’ iPhone sales are still pretty solid, despite a pretty lackluster WDC and a host of schadenfreude-inducing technical issues over the past year or so. Apple is surprisingly resilient. Also, no one who actually knows what they’re talking about ever expected Apple Watch sales to keep pace with the iPhone. That would be silly. To be honest, the precipitous drop in Apple Watch sales that has much of the media declaring the device a “flop” is just the latest round of non-tech media’s raging hate-on for smartwatches and all things wearable tech....

How not to suck on the internet: A nicely timed corollary, courtesy of Hank Green

Sometimes the internet hive mind is gloriously synergistic. Hank Green, of Vlogbrothers, SciShow, Crash Course, and various-other-places-on-the-internet fame, posted this video about how not to suck on the internet. Everything he says is accurate and true, and in his wonderful way of vlogging has likely saved us all from another one of my 1,500-word rants. Also, I strongly encourage you to check out the YouTube channels I’ve linked above. I’m subscribed to all of them, and they consistently put out fun, engaging, educational, and just downright good content.

Freebooting needs to die: 7 online marketing trends that are ruining the internet

If you’ve spent any time on Facebook in the last couple of years, odds are you’ve come across and fallen victim to a lot of marketing and revenue-generating tactics that pollute your feed, steal from creators, and just generally frustrate you and waste your time. They’re the social equivalent of spam, and they’re ruining the internet. 1. Freebooting This term might be new to you, but the practice almost certainly isn’t. Freebooting is the practice of taking media, usually video, that you don’t own, then rehosting it or embedding it on your own page surrounded by ads that make you...

If you don’t wipe your device before installing the Android M preview, very weird things will happen

As I mentioned in my previous post, the first time I tried flashing the Android M developer preview to my Nexus 5, I didn’t exactly bother with the whole wiping my device first thing. Starting over from scratch is hard. You have to reinstall all of your apps. You have to log back in to all of those apps. You end up spending days tracking down where Facebook moved the setting to turn off those damn popping noises every time you get a notification (turns out you have to do it in two places now). Even though this post is...