Google’s Health Equity Summit Goes Live With The Aim Of Helping Billions Lead A Better Life

Google just recently set the stage for its live Health Equity Summit. Here, an array of topics related to the organization’s drive to provide billions with equal access to healthcare was described.

Thousands joined in via Livestream to see what updates were in store as the company shed light on how it provides so many users with the quickest and most convenient ways to gain information about health.

Google Search would now be in the process of a launch for features that give users the chance to look for the best Government based benefit programs in the US. This includes Medicaid which is an initiative that covered 25% of Americans.

Next in line was YouTube and how it would soon be launching its own program in collaboration with a famous Foundation of the Kaiser Family. This way, it hoped to provide the support that various organizations needed to communities that were under-sourced or minorities in society.

Google also shared how it was now going to expand a new program with a research initiative to better provide assistance to groups suffering from health disparities. This would best be viewed as an expansion of the company’s Fitbit Health Equity project from the previous year.

Google’s Director of Health Equity then revealed how his experience as a health care provider and academician has given him the chance to work alongside different communities that have been deprived of basic rights to healthcare. This has to do with factors such as their geographical location, socioeconomic status, and their identity in this world.

Similarly, Dr. Ivor Horn explained how he’s been able to witness technology connecting various people to key information and similar tools needed to get back on track with health. This also allowed healthcare professionals to provide them with better access to healthcare toward them.

Today, it’s a whole new ballgame at Google where the company is focusing on a combination of technology, goods, and the latest research developments to assist billions to get the best in healthcare. And that includes those communities that are historically stripped of this basic human right for decades.

The summit featured the best professionals including experts from the healthcare industry, researchers, and those in charge of making policies. While some were from Google, others arose from the outside world, making up a perfect blend of individuals united for one cause- health equity.

A lot of issues were discussed related to health and how important of a tool the right information can be in connecting others to care that’s suitable for them. The right type of information can bridge gaps and help foster equal care for all.

Remember, all types of people make use of Google’s services to get the right type of information related to their health. And the search engine giant adds that it's been working hard to ensure the most authentic and relevant facts are out there. This way, everyone gets a chance to access information based on their needs.

The right search features give people the care they need, and now, Google has even invited applicants from the US to take part in a wonderful research program. The tech giant is inviting researchers hailing from various educational institutions to submit proposals linked to health equity.

Those chosen would get the chance of winning cool prizes like credit on Google Cloud and even the best Fitbit devices or an opportunity for funding. And like the firm says, there are no shortcuts in life to equal healthcare access.

It’s a combination of trust and long-term efforts that will bring fruitful results and Google is taking steps to ensure it happens.



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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Mobile Market Starts to Democratize As Top 1% Publishers See Revenue Shares Shrink

The top 1% of mobile app publishers that put up apps on the Google Play Store as well as the App Store are seeing their dominance recede somewhat. They still receive 91% of the total revenue generated by all apps, but in spite of the fact that this is the case their share of this revenue has started to shrink with all things having been considered and taken into account.

This top 1% received around 79% of the 72 billion total app downloads across both app stores, but with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that the 21% received by the other 99% is far higher than it was three years ago. This trend was exactly the same when only gaming apps were factored in, although the monopoly was considerably more pronounced for other app categories.

Back in 2019, the top 1% of app publishers received 95% of the total revenue generated by this industry. Over the next two years, this share dropped by 4 points which suggests a higher level of democratization than might have been the case otherwise. The majority of this decline occurred over the previous year, and it will be interesting to see how the rest of the decade plays out because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making the state of the industry a lot clearer.

The time is ripe for new apps and their developers to make their mark on the industry. Most established apps are trying to come up with new sources of revenue, and this is increasing competition both for them as well as for smaller developers.

Overall, 183,000 publishers split around $4 billion in revenue. While that falls short of the $41 billion generated by the top 1%, it still shows that there is some profit to be had by targeting niche markets. The game is starting to change, and new apps have the ability to get their foot in through the door such as TikTok managed to do.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

65% of Consumers Are Unhappy With Customer Experiences, New Survey Reveals

The pandemic caused a lot of changes both in personal as well as professional lives, but no aspect of human society was chanted quite as fundamentally as consumer behavior. Customers are notorious for not being fully cognizant of what they want, but in spite of the fact that this is the case there are some trends that can be noted in the post pandemic era with all things having been considered and taken into account.

A research company by the name of Broadridge conducted a survey back in November of 2021, and with all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this survey revealed that a majority of customers in North America are currently unsatisfied with how their customer experiences are being provided. Back in 2019, around 35% of consumers stated that they felt like businesses needed to improve the customer experiences they were offering, and this has increased almost twofold to 65% in 2021.

Additionally, only about 11% of consumers who responded to this survey rated their customer experiences as being excellent. 86% of consumers stated that a single bad experience with a brand would lead to them switching to a different brand entirely, and 83% would be enticed into switching brands if there was a potential for improved experiences.

Brands don’t get a second chance when it comes to the customer experience. They need to work on improving things in that arena because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up keeping them profitable in these uncertain times.

As per Hyken study, 75% of consumers share good experiences with friends and family, which means that brands can obtain considerable word of mouth marketing by focusing on this aspect of their strategy. 70% also said that they are willing to pay a bit more as long as this secures a good experience for them. Brands can use this to boost profit margins which can help pay for the expenses of improving customer experiences across the board and it is high time that they do so.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

New Research Shows 45% of Gen Z Faces Cyberbullying Online

While bullying has been an aspect of human interaction since time immemorial, the rise of the internet took this phenomenon to previously unseen heights with all things having been considered and taken into account. Electronic devices that are connected through the internet can be highly useful sources of information, but in spite of the fact that this is the case they can also expose users to all kinds of cyberbullying that might negatively impact their mental health.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the team at Atlas VPN has recently done some research which revealed that around 45% of Gen Z users face some kind of cyberbullying during their time online. The research involved a survey of over 2,500 students, or 2,546 to be precise, and much of this data also came from statistics provided by the Cyberbullying Research Center.

One thing to note about this research is that it has shown a marked increase in cyberbullying since 2014. Back in 2014, around 34.6% of survey respondents cited facing cyberbullying on social media and other types of internet platforms. This means that in just 8 years the incidents of cyberbullying have risen by over 10 percentage points.

However, most of this growth was seen in just two years. Cyberbullying reports fell over two years to just 33.6% in 2016, and they went up to 36.5% by 2019. That means that in the interim between 2019 and April 2021 when this data was collected, cyberbullying saw an unprecedented rise among Gen Z.

A lot of this increase can be attributed to the global pandemic because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up trapping people in their homes with no outlet for their frustration and vitriol. While that may certainly be the case, it doesn’t change the reality that the internet allows people to vent their hostility under an anonymous guise, and that allows them to dehumanize their targets as well as escape any consequences for their aggression and malicious intent.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

The List For The Most Downloaded And Highest Earning Apps In August 2022 Is Out And Here Are The Results

The list of the most downloaded and highest-earning apps in August 2022 is out. And while some stats stayed the same, there were quite a few noticeable changes too. Let's look at downloads first.

App Intelligence firm AppFigures managed to crunch the numbers and set out a rankings list. And it was the popular app BeReal that did shine. It wasn’t the most popular app, but figures shed light on its growing popularity.

On the other hand, it was TikTok that reigned supreme again, and we weren’t surprised one bit as it overtook archrival Instagram for the second time. The latter is busy trying to copy BeReal so that’s a rather interesting fact. But it might be doing some good as nearly 57 million downloads had been recorded for this month only.

BeReal has been crowned the top application in Apple’s App Store for the past month. But this time around, it stands at number 8, getting around 10 million more downloads in August for the App Store only. We failed to notice the same popularity across Google’s Play Store though.

Another striking change was the entry of a new QR scanner app that many claim to be unknown. It snuck into the list for Google’s Play Store’s top 10.

The reason why we’re calling the entry interesting is that most Android devices have the native capability of deciphering QR codes. Hence, the fact that the app is being used is definitely interesting, don’t you think?

When you combine the list, you’ll see the common icons of apps from Meta, Google, and TikTok arise so no surprises there. So it’s more or less like a repeat of what we witnessed in July. As a whole, the figures came out to be 348 million in terms of new users being added across various apps and that’s a tad bit lower than what we saw in July.

Moving on to the apps that earned the most in the US in August, there were some noticeable changes. Here is where App Intelligence broke some good news and some bad ones too.

Let’s start with the good. As a whole, more revenue was generated but the shocking part is how the list is more or less a complete replica of last month.

Tinder thankfully wasn’t the app that made the most revenue this time. Instead, HBO Max clinched the top position with almost $51 million of the total revenue this month through both stores. So that is probably the only major change that was noticed.

The top 5 included the usual likes of YouTube and Tinder, closely followed by TikTok and Bumble. All of these social media giants managed to earn more this month than they did in the previous one but nothing was a major change.

It was definitely shocking and interesting to see LinkedIn continue to hold on and go strong, making the list at number 10 again! We also saw Disney+ make the list but enter the top 5, despite being a major archrival for HBO Max.

As a whole, the apps generated $323 million, just slightly higher than July.

H/T: AppFigures.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Apple’s Hardware Subscription Service Rumored To Launch By This Year’s End

It has only been days since we last heard about the new iPhone 14 series launch. And as pre-orders are in swing, deliveries are rumored to go till October. But there was definitely one thing that we felt was missing when the announcement of the new device was made.

There was little to no mention of the company’s hardware subscription service. This is designed to incorporate both Apple One with a number of other goods such as the iPad and iPhone.

Thanks to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, we’ve got some news on how we could soon be expecting to see the launch just before the year’s end. And that’s great because we first heard about it in the month of March this year.

It was an initiative that had been described to be one that would certainly tie in well with the bundles from Apple One and even the line of AppleCare. In case you didn’t know, both of these projects do exist independently from one another.

Thankfully, whenever you make a purchase of an iPhone device via the company’s Upgrade Program, they do reward you with AppleCare.

But as Gurman pointed out, there are some facts that you need to be aware of. For instance, this program is very different from a regular installment one. And by that we mean it doesn't put on offer monthly charges that come at the price of the phone that’s split into a year or two. Instead, you’re going to be witnessing charges that aren’t even disclosed yet. While it’s a monthly fee, it will depend on the device being utilized by the user.

Similarly, Gurman spoke about how Apple was in discussions about how it would allow users of this program to switch older devices for newer ones, whenever a fresh release of hardware comes out in the market. This is usually a trend we see take place on a yearly basis.

As of now, the latest update is how the Cupertino company is currently testing this feature. And if not by this year’s end, then the following year for sure.

If you’re wondering why the leading iPhone maker failed to delineate more details about the launch at its recent iPhone event, well, the answer is simple. They just wished to tone down the complexity associated with the launch of the new iPhone 14 series.

We could be seeing a discussion about it at next month’s event whose main focus is on both iPads and even Macs. It’s perfect timing, considering the holiday season is upon us.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Mark Your Calendars As Google’s Search On 22’ Event Is Just Around The Corner

If you’re a website owner, we bet you’re keen on knowing what advances Google has been making in terms of its algorithm. And for those who may not be aware, there are plenty.

The company is asking users to mark their calendars after making an announcement about its Search On 22’ Event this month. The date has been highlighted to be September 28th and this is where experts from the leading tech firm will be present to give you the latest details on a number of aspects.

Critics believe this is a golden chance to see how the search algorithms have been modified lately to greatly impact site traffic. Other than that, the biggest updates about Search and how it plans on improving results would also be discussed. So to summarize, it's all about details linked to search rankings at their best.

The company’s statement from today says it is reimagining all of its main leading products so more people get a better sense of what’s happening in this world in the most natural manner. Amid this includes a new update related to ‘helpful content’.

This gives users a better idea of how websites are put into the spotlight to make content that is intended for humans. This is in opposition to those that are created with the sole intention of SERP rankings.

We see this as a major development because, in the past, it was all related to following SEO advice through which websites could be better designed. You’d include the best keywords to enhance rankings and then have search words embedded in your text at strategic locations that aren’t too evident.

But some websites have done a far better job than others, whereas the latter struggled to make pages that had too many technicalities linked to SEO elements. They are keener on making advancements in the gaming system. Therefore, they fail at really capturing the audience’s attention and don’t give people what they want.

Similarly, Google was recently seen launching a number of updates linked to Search snippets, while others had to do with warnings for content advisory, and even advancements make in contextual results.

Google claims the world of Search is enhancing and they’ve really done a great job of putting forward thousands of little changes to the algorithm on an annual basis. To help put things into better perspective, well, in 2020, it made nearly 4,500 changes to its Search Tool.

This is why the world of SEO is definitely a science that can never be exactly predicted. There are a great number of complexities at work and how they come into play at various points on web pages is definitely mindboggling at times.

This is one of the many reasons why we can’t stress enough upon events like these are designed keeping users in mind. There’s a lot of information up for grabs and each is presented in a different manner. So every time Google intends on making that little tweak to its algorithm, you’ll know better how it could really impact your website.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World