Google’s Video Search Results Might Get Picture in Picture Mode

The primary focus of Google over the past few years has been to make it so that its users don’t have to navigate away from its search engine results page. Such changes have come under fire for being unfair and antithetical to trust laws, but in spite of the fact that this is the case Google has soldiered on by providing one justification after another. The latest in a long line of updates that seemingly attempt to make Google seem like the sole provider of information online has to do with its video search results.

Some users recently took to Twitter to show tests that they had seen for a picture in picture mode in Google’s search results that include video content. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this would allow users to play the video in the SERP itself, allowing them to continue scrolling through the search results whilst watching the video at the same time.

Hovering over the video preview and clicking on the image will open the video in picture in picture mode in the bottom right corner of the screen. Content creators might baulk at this because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up driving viewers away from their videos and making it harder for them to calculate their performance metrics than might have been the case otherwise.

🆕 Google new test - "Preview in Picture" on desktop serp

↗️ you can see video in tiny window.

📹 here is video for ref -

cc - @rustybrick #SEO pic.twitter.com/iHr11Mg2Sc

— Khushal Bherwani (@b4k_khushal) November 15, 2022

It remains to be seen if views in picture in picture mode will count towards the performance metrics for content creators. Even if it does, the lack of engagement with users such as liking and commenting might be harmful. Websites that feature videos may also be irked that Google is further restricting users from getting to their web pages.

Not all that many users have reported seeing this, so it may just be a random test that will fade away instead of becoming a permanent feature. We will have to wait to see how this pans out, and if it does the impacts could be extremely widespread.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

4 In 10 of Millennials Users Want to Leave Musk Owned Twitter

The drama surrounding Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter is continuing to play out, with many of the tech billionaire’s decisions receiving reactions ranging from confusion all the way to ridicule. In spite of the fact that this is the case, Musk is attempting to forge a new path for the latest addition to his long list of companies, although he has clearly been struggling to keep a sinking ship afloat with many suggesting that he only has himself to blame for the current issues.

Elon Musk is a polarizing public figure, and with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that he might be especially popular with the younger crowd. Around 41% of UK based millennials who responded to a recent survey stated that they might stop using Twitter due to Musk’s ownership of the social media platform.

Most social media platforms have been seeing declining interests among the younger demographics, with Twitter being especially prone to user migration with all things having been considered and taken into account. Back in 2016, Twitter was used by 51% of Millennials and 42% of Gen Z. These numbers have now decreased to 32% and 28% respectively, indicating that social media is becoming less popular.

Musk’s abrasive persona and approach to managing the company may be alienating even more than might have been the case otherwise, and privacy and safety seem to be primary issues that they are concerned with. Many of the decisions Musk has made have been hastily backtracked and reversed, such as his decision to fire people who would not be willing to work overtime to restore Twitter after he bought it.

Now that Musk is the sole owner of Twitter, this controversial saga will likely continue. Musk has already spoken out about how overworked he feel, and he has also suggested stepping back from the role of CEO and hiring someone else in his place. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for both Twitter and Musk, especially since the tech bubble is starting to pop.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

WhatsApp Is Going To Become A Driven Source Of Sales Expansion

Besides other Meta Platforms, WhatsApp and Messenger are expected to hold the authority for accelerating the augmentation of sales in the favor of the corporation.

I know you must be thinking why only WhatsApp would be responsible for the sales growth of the company. It is because of the massive layoffs, the company had faced recently, and in reply, the CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., Mark Zuckerberg assured the staff that to allay financial worries followed by the round of employees’ excessive furloughs, the company has decided to grant the power to both of the messaging apps for continuing the next wave of its stable sales growth.

After an announcement by Meta for the dismissal of 11,000 employees, many challenging questions were raised for Zuckerberg regarding the decision made by the company, in an international business meeting. Reuter, an international news agency reported the event in which Zuckerberg confidently described WhatsApp and Messenger are great platforms that could be utilized as a source of profit-making as compared to Facebook and Instagram. He further disclosed the upcoming strategy of the company to make business messaging an important pillar of their business as WhatsApp and Messenger are the most monetized apps.

Some customers may communicate and contact vendors via chat applications thanks to Meta, including another element unveiled in the meeting. Since declaring a drawn-out objective to create a vivid metaverse last year, Zuckerberg has significantly put resources into broadened reality hardware and software. His explanations there demonstrate an adjustment of tone and accentuation.

Mark Zuckerberg while addressing the workers, downplayed the amount of money the company was investing in the entity of Metaverse investment, Reality Labs. According to him, followed by personnel costs, spending on capital expenditures was Meta’s second-largest expense. Those Reality Labs have received almost 20% of the funding allocated by Meta.

On Reality Labs, more than half of the division’s fund has been invested in AR. As per Zuckerberg, in the forthcoming years, devices are expected to keep on coming out with smart glasses, and no wonder that may be outstanding augmented reality spectacles coming within ten years.

Andrew Bosworth, Chief Technology Officer of Reality Labs, remarked that in order to make AR spectacles more attractive to potential customers, they must be more highly functional than smartphones. He also stated that at first, he was hesitant to create specific industrial applications for devices, and instead he just intended to concentrate on creating a large audience.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Twitter’s Ex-Safety Heads Says The App Can’t Be A Free Speech Platform As It’s Governed By Apple And Google’s App Stores

Yoel Roth is the name of a man who has worked closely with Elon Musk’s side as the lead for trust and safety. Now that he’s resigned, he’s sharing a few important points on why he feels Twitter can’t be an app that is solely based on promoting free speech.

Speaking to the New York Times today, the article revealed how tech giants Apple and Google have literally begun controlling what the platform can and cannot allow on its site. And at the end of it all, it’s Twitter and Musk who are losing out big time thanks to all of this. He adds that this is a challenge for the Twitter app to break down barriers where two leading app stores are literally leaving the app feeling restricted. While Musk may have initially wanted an app that was free from moderation, it’s looking to be a little difficult now.

Roth also detailed how his role in the firm was lost at the point when Elon Musk took charge as now he would be the one trying to determine how moderation could be rejected or implemented. And that is why he thought it was best that he now called it quits.

For him, any organization that has a unilateral edict means there is little to no room for things like a division that heads trust and safety.

In the same way, he shed light on how so many local governments end up shaping the moderation rules for a company, and also how advertisers end up making a big difference to it all. But in this case, you can’t forget the likes of Google and Apple.

Twitter has been fairly quiet about how people end up using the firm’s mobile applications but the company’s annual report that dates back to the previous year says the release of new products ends up being dependent on and getting affected by operations working on the digital front. They’re the ones deciding the rules and even making sure they’re implemented. Hence, such processes could be hard at predicting, and then you’ve got some decisions that could harm a business as well.

• Also read: Twitter Announces Longer Tweets And Stricter Rules For Account Verification

Roth adds that when you don’t follow the likes of Google and Apple, you end up with a major crisis and that literally risks Twitter being expelled from the Google and Apple App Store. And then, the access granted to the Twitter app by these places gets fairly limited.

So both Google and Apple are holding immense power to alter the decisions that the app makes at the end of it all.

Reviewers are now speaking about how Twitter removal from these places could end up being a possibility if the matters aren’t resolved. Moreover, these are clear indications of what’s next for the company and how not having their presence across the Google and Apple App Store could actually become a reality.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

AR/VR Shopping in the US: The Next Big Thing or A Big Flop?

Despite the growing popularity of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), a new report finds that these technologies have yet to acquire 90% of US adults because they face challenges in terms of adoption.

AR and VR are two of the hottest new technologies on the market. And while there are many potential applications for these technologies, one of the most fascinating is shopping.

In theory, AR/VR shopping could revolutionize the way we shop. It would allow us to try on clothes, test out products, and get a real feel for how they would look and feel in our homes before we ever make a purchase.

But is this the future of shopping? Or is it just a passing trend that will soon fizzle out? Only time will tell. But in the meantime, let’s take a closer look at different research done on AR/VR shopping in the US to see what the potential is for this new technology.

A recent study finds that just 13 percent of US adults use Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) when shopping, a number that’s remained relatively stagnant since 2016.

A survey in June based on US social media users found that most respondents still aren’t using AR or VR when shopping, even though the technology has been around for a few years and was rated as the least significant digital shopping feature. The customer's wants were based on satisfactory customer service.

The use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in shopping is becoming more popular in the US among teenagers, with several retailers investing in these technologies. While young shoppers are enthusiastic about the potential of these technologies, adults are skeptical about their usefulness.

The report of the Deloitte study from September evaluates that VR shopping is still in its early days, with just 5 percent of respondents saying they’ve used it. Only 6 percent of respondents said they had used AR to shop.

In conclusion, AR/VR shopping in the US is still in its early stages. While there are a few big players in the space, the average consumer including teenagers and adults is not yet familiar with the technology. For AR/VR shopping to become the next big thing, retailers need to invest in educating consumers and developing compelling use cases.

H/T: Insider Intelligence

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google is Concerned About Declining Internet Content Quality, Says Former Top Exec

Google’s approach to its flagship search engine product has changed quite a bit since its initial inception. While the search engine was initially meant to connect users with websites based on the keywords in their search queries, the modern SERP that Google provides is fairly different with all things having been considered and taken into account. It tends to provide answers to questions in in the SERP itself so that users don’t have to click on any links.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Google might be doing this in order to compensate for a perceived decline in content quality on the internet. Former leader of Google’s search team Marissa Mayer recently spoke out about this, claiming that her long time former employer has been worried about poor website quality for quite some time now.

There are now over a trillion web pages that are indexed by Google, and this makes the overall quality of content lower than might have been the case otherwise. Many SEO experts have tried to game the system because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up giving their web pages a boost in the SERP rankings, and that lead to web pages that are optimized for the algorithm but don’t provide adequate answers to any questions that users might have.

Google has attempted to fix this issue by tweaking its algorithm to prioritize keyword stuffing less and to put more stock into high quality web pages. In spite of the fact that this is the case, most of the search results that people get are often irrelevant, and they can confuse them more instead of providing answers.

Antitrust groups have criticized Google in the past for being too controlling of their users. Preventing them from navigating away from the SERP can give Google too much of an influence over them, and it can also provide the company with an unfair advantage that can make it difficult for other websites to remain competitive and receive traffic.

Read next: Google Launches An Array Of Exciting New Features To Its Maps, Search, And Shopping
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Google Launches An Array Of Exciting New Features To Its Maps, Search, And Shopping

We heard about Google introducing some exciting new features a while back, and now, it’s finally here.

The news was first announced in September of this year when we heard about a Google Search On program speaking about how there were some great plans in the pipeline for Shopping, Search, and Maps.

For starters, Google Search is getting a new feature that helps users find the perfect meal through restaurant searches. You can look for a particular craving by searching for cafes near you providing that offering. This feature helps not only satisfy their cravings but to find some wonderful food options that they never knew existed.



Similarly, they would be able to use the Google Lens feature on both iOS and Android so they can click images or screenshots of foods to see what’s located nearby.

We are even hearing about a new exciting update that would be launched soon to the platform’s Lens AR. The text can be deleted, and recreated with the help of pixels that are created through AI-generated backdrops. Next up, the text would be translated over the overlay at the image’s top.

Secondly, Google Maps is getting its own visual search. This is dubbed Live View and it would be applicable in some of the world’s biggest leading cities. Common examples include London, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Paris.

Simply pick up your phone, click on the camera that’s seen in the search bar and you’ll find a hotspot of your liking among others. On the other hand, it’s cool to see how a lot of it comes with the help of directions powered by AR technology. There are some arrows that enable users to see the exact location that they happen to be in.

EV owners are also being benefited through such new offerings as they’re provided with help about the best charging station nearby. So simply click on the Fast Charge Filter and you’ll see charging stations arise with ease.

Google mentioned how it’s keen on sending out an expansion of ‘accessible places’ worldwide right after a steady launch in countries like Japan, Australia, the UK, and the US. This would assist people in figuring out locations that are wheelchair friendly for the disabled.

Lastly, you can expect some more exciting things from Google Shopping too. The search engine giant says it’s launching a fascinating AR shopping offering that makes it easier to look for the perfect foundation match.

Shopaholics can better imagine a product before they make a purchase with any leading brand. Similarly, Google hopes to take more steps to turn every person’s shopping experience worthwhile so things are found with ease.

As far as when the features are going to be launched, well, you can expect them to be taken advantage of immediately as the rollout has begun for the likes of visual searches, AR, and even these new offerings.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World