ByteDance Aggressively Downsizes Its Video Gaming Unit By Cutting Hundreds Of Jobs

Amid a new crackdown by the Chinese Government recently, TikTok’s parent firm ByteDance was recently seen downsizing its video gaming unit by eliminating hundreds of jobs.

The news has drastically affected the firm’s employees which many feel is a fresh sign related to the China exiting the very heavily controlled industry. This particular report was confirmed by insiders familiar with the whole situation.

The firm which is based in Beijing was seen pouring in millions in terms of video game operations. Now, it is busy shifting many employees to its Wushuang Studio in Shanghai after many members of its workforce had been laid off recently.

In June, the firm shut down its 101 studio as confirmed by a number of people familiar with the incident but who chose to remain anonymous to avoid further controversy on the subject.

The parent firm of TikTok would however be maintaining its gaming unit and a number of operations in the city as there are already several projects that have been launched as confirmed by Chinese local media outlets.

At the same time, we’re seeing the company eliminate more jobs at its Jiangnan Studio as well as its Hangzhou Studio that’s related to game development. For now, the company has failed to respond to any queries on the matter.

H/T: SCMP

Read next: Microsoft and ByteDance to Work on AI Project Despite US-China Tensions
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

RCS Is Gaining Traction Amongst Smartphone Users, and Will Grow Exponentially In The Coming Years

The mobile business messaging marketplace is projected to reach about USD 78 billion in revenue, according to a study conducted by Juniper Research.

The mobile business messaging marketplace, which is such a mouthful for what essentially boils down to a “messaging platform”, has been on an uptick since the late 2010s, despite social media platforms nearly killing off much of the competition. For those unaware, business messaging typically aligns itself with Rich Communication Services (RCS); a platform that was started by a group of businessmen who wanted to make the SMS experience “richer”. They believed that adding more features to texting would entice further attraction and revenue.

RCS was also marketed to the masses as SMS+ and Advanced Messaging. However, while it made a splash, the likes of Meta followed soon after with a cannonball. The introduction of Viber did absolutely nothing to kick things off (remember Viber, anyone?), but the likes of Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp have been making waves the size of obelisks, and RCS just could not compete. However, Juniper Research claims that this may soon be subject to change; or, more appropriately, the divide won’t be as harrowing.

Juniper Research is, as can be surmised from the name, a research firm that specializes in discussing market sizes and trends across different industries. They have now decided to tackle the industry of business messaging, and have found an interesting possible future for the service. RCS currently has approximately 400 million monthly users, which isn’t a bad amount but simply can’t hold a candle to the vast ocean of social media platforms that pull similar numbers for each app. Ultimately, though, it must be acknowledged that RCS has still carved out sizable niches for itself in the likes of the USA and China, its biggest marketplaces. Juniper Research also expects the marketplace to branch out from a total of 161 billion users in 2022 to 639 billion by 2026.

There are obstacles in the way, however, and a rather obstructive boulder takes the shape of Apple. The tech giant is a beast in the smartphone marketplace and accounts for a huge chunk of the world’s messaging user base. It also does not support RCS in the likes of iPhones, which cuts off a sizable piece of the service’s potential user base. If RCS wants to break through to modern cultural relevance, this massive hurdle must be overcome.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Instagram Tests New Method To Refine Its Reels Recommendations

Instagram and Reels are inseparable and whether you like it or not, the platform is doing whatever it takes to make sure the popular short-form content is maximized to its full potential.

Now, the app seems to be on the lookout for ways to better refine recommendations for users’ Reels. Therefore, you may have noticed how some users are now being able to incorporate a series of topics into their uploads.

This helps to better categorize their video clips as compared to leaving them scattered and unorganized.

Thanks to one avid user of the app named Jacki Pitkow and a little help from Matt Navarra too, there’s a new ‘Topics’ category up for grabs soon. This assists users in expanding their reach to others that may share similar interests.

This is being looked upon as a great way for the platform to better put its talent and potential on display through content that’s directed to a specific target audience. In the end, it’s all about boosting Reels' performance and we feel this is a great way to do just that.

Remember, the more people you connect and interact with, the better life becomes and the more chances you get to promote that brand of yours.

Instagram is also looking at this as the perfect chance to better finetune its recommendations on Reels. And that is definitely one major focal point for the app at the moment.

The platform is really keen on making more and more people watch Reels and that’s why you’re seeing the feature be added to almost every single element on the platform.

Definitely, the app has scaled down on this aspect, ever since the app’s users began to lodge more protests. Nevertheless, the flood of Reels still continues as more than 20% of people spending time on the app are doing so through this feature.

Instagram really wants more and more people to play Reels, based solely on recommendations provided by the AI database. They hope this can maximize user engagement and ward off the competition of attention linked to TikTok.

But Instagram knows that the struggle is definitely real and it still is unable to figure out the recommendation engine well enough yet. As Adam Mosseri says, people should be happy to see what’s being recommended to them but it’s just not been happening lately.

Instagram is going down that TikTok route but how well it really does at copying the app successfully can depend on two different factors.

Firstly, can the app manage to develop recommendations for its algorithm that are in line with TikTok? And by that, we mean an app that safely identifies users’ interests. Secondly, how keen are app users in wanting just that?

The first challenge is more related to how well the platform can better outline different elements and objects located in the content. And then link those to the users’ interests. Remember, TikTok has been doing a brilliant job at just that.

The second challenge is more linked to people being forced to watch Reels because the platform is squeezing them into every single nook and corner. And yes, they’re getting the views but are people really happy about what’s being shown or not?

This leads us to the creation of two very different schools of thought. One has to do with those that aren’t keen on downloading TikTok and like the Reels fad as something unique, fast, and fresh as far as videos are concerned.

The second school of thought has to do with those that prefer TikTok and don’t like seeing Instagram copy it out. Taking both these two groups together and creating a Venn diagram can really define the app’s success.

The better the recommendations, the more success for the app.

Read next: Instagram’s New Guide Helps Creators Optimize Recommended Content
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

41% of Cyber Attacks Are Now Done Through Cloud Servers, New Data Reveals

The sudden shift to remote work that was brought about by the global pandemic caused a lot of changes with respect to companies managed their operations. IT infrastructure proved to be a real challenge, since most workers who are working from home would not have access to the same kinds of high end cybersecurity that their employers have at the office.

Remote work made it necessary to increase cloud server adoption because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making collaboration easier. In spite of the fact that this is the case, it has also brought a host of problems with all things having been considered and taken into account. According to data that was just put out by Atlas VPN, it seems that 41% of companies who suffered from a cyber attack this past year reported that the point of origin was their cloud server.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this represents a ten percent increase year on year. Malicious actors are clearly enjoying the lax security offered by cloud servers these days, and the increase in attack volume is a testament to that.

It should also be noted that business emails were also a common origin point for cyber attacks. 40% of companies stated that compromised emails resulted in their security protocols getting bypassed, which just goes to show that cyber criminals have a wide array of tools in their kit.

The third most common channel through which cyber attacks are conducted are corporate servers. This goes against the notion that remote work is to blame for the rise in cybercrime. Corporations are clearly quite lax about their security, and data like this proves that they need to get their affairs in order.

Indeed, employee owned mobile devices were used in 31% of cyber attacks, so even official devices with security protocols loaded onto them are not safe from these attacks. More work should be done to hold the line against cybercrime against corporate entities.

Read next: Apple Dominates the Connected Device Market, Sees Fastest Growth
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Apple is looking to hire almost 4 times the number of people on its ads team, as compared to 2020 data

Ads, although an annoying experience for a majority of us, are a major source of revenue for many companies whether it is as big as Google or as small as a newly minted startup. Now, Apple, one of the largest technology companies with millions of people using its products throughout the world, is being highlighted for making a U-turn just so that they can get money from Google and Facebook. According to reports Apple has even been accused of Machiavellian-level plotting to achieve the same.

The latest report has stated that Apple has quadrupled its ad hires in just these past couple of years and it has also been predicted that the company’s revenue from ads could be worth 30 billion dollars by 2026.

However, for a bit of background on the situation, it should be noted that Apple has never turned away from ads. Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, believed that in-app ads were a win-win for both the parties, the consumers and the developers, because it enables them to make money from completely free apps.

But, there is one specific point generating revenue from ads has never been a priority for the company. So when Steve Jobs was in charge, Apple only made a few hundred million dollars a year from ads. Now, however, the value has been estimated to reach over 5 billion dollars and is growing quickly.

According to a Financial Times report, Apple planned to almost double the number of people in its digital advertising business in less than 18 months by introducing unbelievable and ground-pulling new privacy changes in the policy that stumbled almost all of its bigger rivals.

The tech giant has nearly 250 people on its ads team, as revealed by LinkedIn data. And if we refer to Apple’s official careers website then it is looking for people to fill in the further 216 vacant spots available on the team. That is almost 4 times the 56 people it was looking to hire back in 2020, but Apple has denied these figures and has refused to elaborate on this topic.

Now, if we look at the bright side of things, this means that many people will be given job opportunities and many apps will have at least some place to advertise properly.

Read next: Study Reveals That Many Consumers Trust Apple Over Samsung In Terms of Privacy Policies
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

How Can You Make The Most Of YouTube Shorts? This New Guide By The App Says It All

With time, new trends take over the world of social media. And in case you haven’t noticed, Shorts are making head waves on the popular video platform YouTube.

It’s equivalent to Reels seen on other apps and without a doubt, it’s bringing in plenty of revenue for the company too. Therefore, YouTube wants users to know how they can make the most of their time and effort through this feature.

Today, more than 1.5 billion users are engaging on the platform through Shorts content each month. And when you actually come to think of it, well, that’s around 75% of the entire user base.

A point has come where many people are actually thinking about how this type of format could best benefit them. Will the strategy bring in more revenue than the classic content? If yes, how can regular users make use of the format to the best of their capabilities?

Thankfully, YouTube is answering all of these questions and more. Users can now avail of a detailed guide that overviews all sorts of common questions that may come across a user's mind.

Be it video clip creation, editing, tips and tricks, what’s trending, analytics, and more - they seem to have covered it all. While you can avail of the guide for free from the website, we thought it would be interesting to give our readers some highlights entailing what to expect.

For starters, there’s a basic guide overlooking Shorts and how to make the most of the Shorts camera. In addition to that, users can find a few advanced techniques linked to editing and content creation.

It’s similar to taking out recorded videos that are located inside camera rolls and incorporating them into Shorts clips. Other than that, the platform sheds light on a few pointers linked to the addition of music and sounds.

If you’re really into background checks, you’ll love how YouTube goes on to explain how features like Shorts discovery and content get highlighted to people on the app.

In the final section, YouTube is providing insight into trending tips on how your content can stand out against all others. This is also where you’ll find notes and a few case studies that put different ways on display through which users can utilize Shorts for maximal attention. This is the same way through which you can attain the best engagement from your audiences too.

All in all, we found this to be an extremely handy guide for content creators that really want to use Shorts to their best potential. But we must add that if you’re on the search to find secrets about how the app’s algorithms work in this regard or any similar insights, well, that’s not the case.

We do feel the guide gives you the basic overview on how to use Shorts to their maximal potential, in case you still haven’t joined the bandwagon.

Remember, there are nearly 30 billion views generated each day through Shorts alone. Hence, we feel there’s no better time to start than now.

Read next: The History of Meme Culture in the 2010s

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Study Reveals That Many Consumers Trust Apple Over Samsung In Terms of Privacy Policies

A study by NordVPN reveals that smartphone users trust Apple over Samsung where personal security and privacy are concerned.

I feel like a major reason for this boils down to Apple’s history of being, for lack of a better term, severe with third-party companies and the competition. Despite frequent knuckling from the likes of Meta and Google, the tech giant has rigidly stuck to its policies and demands, safe in the knowledge that the iPhones have established a monopoly of sorts in and of themselves. This behavior can most recently be noted in the iOS 14 Tracking/Transparency features, which caused a massive ruckus with Meta.

The social media conglomerate ran ad campaigns, threatened, and pleaded with Apple to absolutely no effect. It lost much of the Apple audience’s ad revenue, and iPhone users kept chugging along, safe in the knowledge that their data wasn’t being sold to third-party companies without their explicitly provided information. A lot can be stated against Apple and much of its other seedier practices (I don’t trust overseas unsupervised factories all that much), but the company pledges itself to provide cybersecurity safety for its customers.

Samsung, on the other hand, hasn’t established any sort of similar behavior. While the company is branching out into security features, with regards to its clipboard, for example, such small steps are largely overshadowed by the number of cybersecurity holes that users frequently encounter. One of the company’s biggest crutches is the Play Store. While Samsung has a separate app store, its popularity severely pales in the face of Google Play, which is typically regarded as the de facto online store for all Android smartphones. The downside of having Play boils down to its severe lack of platform maintenance, which leads to malware populating Android phones, and Samsung ones by association, by the thousands on a near-daily basis.

44% of the research's sample population believed that iPhones would keep them safer, and 24% felt safer with Samsung. Ultimately, much of this seems to boil down to perspective, as only 50% have ever read the privacy policies of their smartphone brands, and 47% bother to recheck privacy settings after updating their OS. On a more optimistic note, 83% of the populace do claim to know where their privacy settings are and are therefore competent enough to recheck and manage their phones to some extent.

Read next: Apple Dominates the Connected Device Market, Sees Fastest Growth
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World