Upcoming streaming service Quibi is set to launch their mobile-only platform featuring short form videos or “entertainment bites” later this year. The streaming service is adapting to the way we use the internet today – primarily through our mobile devices.

In addition to some unique features identified for some of the service’s upcoming shows (including a horror show only available at night), Quibi also plans to utilize AI “through machine learning, which will examine what viewers are watching and will then recommend content at certain times of the day.”

View the full article here: https://www.channelnews.com.au/new-streaming-service-quibi-backed-hollywood-silicon-valley/

Although the company does not consider streaming services like Netflix or Hulu to be its rivals (see: https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/quibi-meg-whitman-competition-netflix-hulu-disney-plus-1203486793/), it will be interesting to see the impact Quibi has on the market and how existing streaming services will modify their services for mobile users.

Today is the 10th Annual Bell Let’s Talk Day, a CSR campaign by Bell Canada to combat the stigma surrounding mental illness. The initial goal of the campaign was to start a conversation around mental health, with people being encouraged to share their experiences. This year, perhaps in response to criticism over inaction, the advertising has focused more on the organizations the campaign supports and the services actually being delivered. For every interaction*, Bell donates 5¢ to support these different Canadian mental health initiatives.

* Applicable interactions (no limit)
Twitter: Tweet or retweet using #BellLetsTalk, or watch the official video from @Bell_LetsTalk
Facebook: Use the Bell Let’s Talk Facebook frame, or watch the official video on the Bell Let’s Talk page
Instagram: Watch the official video from @bell_letstalk
Snapchat: Send a snap using the Bell Let’s Talk geofilter, or watch the official video
YouTube: Watch the official Bell Let’s Talk video on the Bell Canada account
Text: Send texts (excludes iMessages) over the Bell network
Talk: Mobile and long distance calls made by Bell customers

This type of hashtag activism, though inorganic, clearly gets people involved. As of 12:00 pm PST, there were already over 60,000,000 interactions. Individuals and organizations who have participated thus far include Justin Trudeau, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Winnipeg Jets, the BTS “army”, TSN, and countless others. As the pervasiveness of social media grew, so to did engagement with this campaign. In 2018, the #BellLetsTalk hashtag was the most used Canadian hashtag on Twitter. While hashtag activism is perhaps the simplest way for people to get involved in a movement nowadays, one critique often directed towards it is that mere awareness rarely brings real change. The corporate involvement, though it bothers some people (allegations that this is all for the PR), combats this problem for Bell Let’s Talk Day. Not only is there actually a greater conversation around mental health, but by Bell’s own calculations, they have committed $100,695,763.75 to mental health initiatives since 2011.

P.S. The irony is not lost on many that the platforms that have facilitated the success of this campaign are also those that, through a multitude of ways, negatively impact people’s mental health the other 364 days of the year.

https://letstalk.bell.ca/en/results-impact/
https://www.newtimes.co.rw/society/hashtag-activism-powerful-or-pointless
https://montrealgazette.com/technology/bell-lets-talk-day-doesnt-sit-well-with-all-canadians

The UK government has recently decided to allow Huawei to build parts of its non-core 5G network. The approval comes with a number of conditions: Huawei’s share of the market will be capped at 35% and it will not be allowed to build its 5G network at sensitive locations, such as near military bases or nuclear sites. Such conditions are best viewed in the context of security concerns over Huawei, which the US has alleged is a state-sponsored company engaged in espionage on US government officials and US companies in connection with the Chinese government. The US government banned companies from using Huawei networking equipment in 2012, and has gone so far as to add it to the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List in 2019, following an executive order from President Donald Trump. The 2019 order effectively bans Huawei from US communications networks, and bans US companies from doing business with Huawei. Other countries have imposed similar bans on Huawei, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Taiwan. In a sense, the UK government approval may also be viewed as a ban on Huawei constructing the UK’s core 5G network, and confining it to building its periphery networks.

Many Canadians are familiar with Huawei, the Chinese technology giant, due to Meng Wanzhou’s notable detention in Canada and potential extradition to the US for violating US sanctions on Iran. However, some may not understand the scope of the Chinese company. Huawei had approximately US$93 billion in sales in 2018, which puts it on a par with Microsoft, one of the biggest and most successful companies in the world. Huawei is the largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer in the world, and the world’s second-largest manufacturer of smartphones, after Samsung. Huawei has an estimated 180,000 employees worldwide, and at its massive main campus in Shenzhen, China alone, there are 60,000 employees.

With all this being said, the most obvious question is whether countries should entrust their telecommunications networks to Huawei? Other questions also arise. Is there any basis to the allegations that Huawei is a state-sponsored entity engaged in high-level espionage? What types of regulations should be in place to defend against potential incursions on national security? Did the UK get it right? How can allegations of international espionage be reconciled with the fact that Huawei is one of the most successful technology companies in the world? Are Huawei’s actions different than those of its US counterparts, such as Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google, who all have massive data collection networks? Is the fact that Huawei is a Chinese company rather than a North American or European company stoking fears over its potential espionage?

It will be very interesting to see what information comes to light in the coming months, and years, over this mysterious and pervasive Chinese company. If you are interested in reading about the recent approval, or about Huawei, here are the sources I used for this post:
1) https://www.cnet.com/news/uk-gives-huawei-green-light-to-build-countrys-non-core-5g-network/
2) https://www.businessinsider.com/huawei-meng-wanzhou-trump-china-trade-war-2018-12#the-company-has-tried-to-expand-into-the-us-market-but-a-possible-distribution-deal-with-att-fell-through-in-january-2018-the-company-hasnt-yet-found-another-carrier-wanting-to-partner-which-may-be-in-part-because-of-pressure-from-us-officials-who-distrust-chinese-companies-this-has-limited-huaweis-footprint-in-america-10
3) https://www.statista.com/chart/17528/countries-which-have-banned-huawei-products/

“Basically, YouTube is pushing people towards mainstream media sources. Whether or not you think that’s a good thing is up to you. But at the very least, it doesn’t appear to default to extremism as many people note. Of course, that doesn’t mean that it’s that way for everyone. Indeed, there are some people criticizing this study because it only studies non-logged in user recommendations. Nor does it mean that it wasn’t like that in the past. This study was done recently, and it’s been said that YouTube has been trying to adjust its algorithms quite a bit over the past few years in response to some of these criticisms.”

Read the full article here: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20191228/22492643646/new-study-suggests-that-youtubes-recommendation-algorithm-isnt-tool-radicalization-many-people-believe-least-not-any-more.shtml

The article also raises an interesting point about our ability to think for ourselves. I wonder how many people watching YouTube’s recommended videos (even if they did/do tend towards radicalization) would actually find themselves being heavily persuaded by the content?