Amazon Prime Video Beats Out Netflix To Take The Top Ranking For Most US Subscribers

Just when you thought Netflix couldn’t be beaten in terms of being the market leader for the greatest number of subscribers in the US, we’ve got some news for you.

Amazon Prime Video has cinched the top spot, beating out Netflix, which has reigned supreme for quite some time now. But it seems like all good things must come to an end and this is one of them.

The news comes to us thanks to some new rankings published by Parks Associates. And according to them, Netflix is so yesterday and Amazon Prime is leading today.

These particular rankings are all related to estimated figures of different subscribers throughout the month of September of this year, thanks to the company’s OTT Video Market Tracker.

But what we found to be super interesting here is how the researchers of this study failed to highlight the real estimated figures situated outside of this report. Meanwhile, the rankings for this in the US also went on to outline Peacock getting into the list for the top 10, snagging the spot at number 9.

On the other hand, we saw Hulu jump on over and take the lead against Disney+ to attain the top third position. Showtime who was previously entering the rankings at number ten is now off the list.

Amazon Prime Video is getting included in full swing thanks to the company’s aggressive marking tactics for Prime Membership. As it is, Netflix has started to really struggle to attain great growth in America, which is highlighted to be its leading and most saturated consumer market of today.

The VP for Parks Research says there has been a great alteration in terms of today’s marketplace as various other streaming services start to introduce different types of content, services, and even offers.

Parks Vice President Research Jennifer Kent noted that there is significant disruption in the marketplace as streaming services introduce new content, services, and partnerships, adding that Netflix is positioning itself for a possible resurgence in subscribers.

Meanwhile, Netflix has a new ad-supported tier that it feels can help it win back revenue and consumers that it lost by announcing a new subscription that would force people to pay more if they wished to share passwords with their acquaintances.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Account Takeover Attacks Increased by 131% in H1 2022

Cyber crime comes in a lot of different forms, but perhaps the most cyber attacks of all involve account takeovers. This is when malicious actors conduct identity fraud to gain illicit access to someone’s online accounts, and it can be truly disastrous for the victim in question. A new report from Sift just revealed that there was a massive increase in account takeover attacks, or ATOs for short, in the first half of 2022.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that ATOs saw an incredible 131% increase in the first six months of 2022. Such activities have seen a lot of growth since 2021, which indicates that the criminals behind these attacks are starting to develop increasingly advanced methods to get the job done.

The crypto community has been especially badly hit by these attacks, which might make crypto investing harder than might have been the case otherwise. There was a 79% YoY increase in ATOs targeting crypto users with all things having been considered and taken into account. Recent seismic shifts in the crypto market have made a lot of people ignore their digital wallets. That has given malicious actors the opportunity they need to break in and steal their money.

Businesses who offer online accounts to users are at risk because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making consumers lose trust in them. 43% of the people who responded to this survey said that they would stop buying from a brand if they suffered an ATO on their accounts.

Developing more robust cybersecurity infrastructure will be essential for corporations moving forward. Failing to shore up their cybersecurity could result in a rapid erosion of public trust, but in spite of the fact that this is the case most businesses don’t seem to be prioritizing this as much as they should. Hackers are using a variety of methods and apps to coordinate massive attacks on a grand scale, and things will get worse if necessary steps are not taken.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Toxic Social Media Comments Grab More Attention Than Positive Ones According to Eye Tracking Study

If you have noticed yourself getting increasingly angry while using social media, you should know that this is by design. Many social media platforms, with Facebook being perhaps the most egregious example, boost inflammatory and toxic rhetoric through their algorithms because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up driving up user engagement. Psychological studies have revealed that negative comments generally get more focus than positive ones, and a recent report confirmed that.

A study published in Computers in Human Behavior which involved eye tracking revealed that comments that had a toxic or negative spin were far more attention grabbing than their positive counterparts. That might help social media platforms get increased levels of engagement, but in spite of the fact that this is the case this trend is doing a lot of harm with all things having been considered and taken into account.

The study involved 169 participants, all of whom were students. They were only given 30 seconds to read through comments threads to better reflect the attention span of the average user. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this resulted in the negative comments being more memorable and having a longer lasting effect.

The speed at which people scroll through content on their social media timelines may be part of the problem. The human brain is designed to fixate on negative patterns as a defense mechanism. That can negativity stand out more than might have been the case otherwise.

Longer dwell times might not be the answer, though. The longer that students read through comments, the more they started focusing on angry ones as opposed to fearful ones. That seems to suggest that the problem might lie in social media itself. Studying information processing is extremely important given the high quantity of data that people are exposed to each and every day. The findings from this study reveal a truly dire state of affairs, and social media platforms are currently incentivized to maintain this harmful status quo.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Microsoft Edge Reaches 11 Percent of Browser Market

Microsoft used to have a lot of control over the browser market with Internet Explorer, but in spite of the fact that this is the case this dominance crumbled fast when Google Chrome entered the fray. Internet Explorer quickly became the punchline to many jokes due to its slow performance, and many thought that this spelled the end for Microsoft’s presence in the browser industry with all things having been considered and taken into account.

The tech juggernaut has managed to bounce back with the launch of Microsoft Edge. The browser showed muted growth at first, but with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that it has picked up some steam which has helped it to finally cross the 11% mark in terms of market share, as per Statcounter data. The growth has been quite slow, but it has also been steady and that might help Edge to retain this share for longer than might have been the case otherwise.

While it is still a hug way off from Chrome’s 66% market share, it has surpassed Safari which is the browser offered by Apple. Additionally, Edge is one of the few browsers that actually saw its market share increase somewhat. Chrome’s share decreased by 0.36% which may not seem significant but Edge has shown that slow change can compound greatly over time.

It also beat out former heavyweights like Firefox and Opera, and is now securely in second place in the browser race. Offering a quality web browser is essential because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up keeping users within the Microsoft ecosystem. With so many criticizing Chrome for being overly bloated, many are flocking to Edge as a leaner, faster alternative which is quite similar to initial impression they had of Chrome.

Interestingly, Internet Explorer still has some users. Its market share is just 0.77%, but that is still impressive considering that it has been actively discouraged by Microsoft. Legacy Microsoft offerings are famous for having a lot of loyalists, and Internet Explorer clearly has some as well.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Google Might Start Showing Map Locations for Businesses Within Search Snippets

Google has just made a new adjustment to its SERP, and it’s one that might make locating businesses easier than might have been the case otherwise. Several users on Twitter posted screenshots of a new update to the SERP that showed a business’s location on Google Maps within its own search snippet. This is similar to previous experiments that have been noted, but it is still distinct in that it places the location in the snippet rather than in the side panel.

Businesses often try to make themselves as visible as possible on Google because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up driving more customers to their door. The side panel used to be the primary source of information, with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that users had to click on a business before they could see it, and they had to click on the directions button to find any location information. This update eliminates the need to click to find any location data that can help them get to the shop.

Locations in the search snippet are immediately visible, and they can help users to see which local businesses are closest to where they live. Not all that many users have seen this update, although that might be because Google is just testing it out right now. If and when it does get released, it will likely be a positively received feature with all things having been considered and taken into account.

The map is shown in a rectangular box which, when clicked, will redirect the user to Google Maps so that they can plot their route. A business’s search snippet can be used to divulge all sorts of details pertaining to it, and the inclusion of a location will be a welcome addition. This is not the first time that Google has experimented with something of this sort, although it is definitely the most visible one which suggests that Google is conducting a wider test for it than it normally does.

Read next: Google Is Looking Forward To Stuffing Websites With More Ads Soon
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

TikTok And Bumble Join Meta In The Fight Against Spread Of Non-Consensual Explicit Images

Both TikTok and Bumble are on a mission to help fight against the ongoing tech battle of anti-revenge porn.

The apps are the latest big tech names to join Meta which has been striving hard against putting an end to the spread of evils in a society like revenge porn. This is another term reserved for explicit images and videos that are shared on the web without taking into consideration a particular individual’s consent.

The platforms have reportedly partnered with the likes of StopNCIL.org which is an integral tool created in partnership with all of these tech platforms that would detect and even block any pictures of this sort.

This webpage allows for the creation of unique fingerprints through digital means, which entails images and videos. Hence, the process would take place on a device to protect a certain individual’s privacy. But the real files are not uploaded to this website, only a certain array of codes in the form of letters and numbers.

All such digital fingerprints that are being submitted to the website are done so through different partners of the website. So for instance, if an image or a video has been uploaded to apps like TikTok, Facebook, and even Bumble or Instagram and it matches the respective hash in question, this file would be handed over to the app’s moderation team.

• Also read: New Study Shows How Smartphones Might Contain Allergens and Biohazards

In those cases where one moderator sees the image breaking the app’s respective policy, they would end up removing it. Moreover, you’ll find the other partner platforms blocking the picture so it’s not shared any further too.

For a while now, this tool has gone live and nearly 12,000 individuals have managed to make cases to stop such pictures from getting shared without any users’ consent. As of today, nearly 40,000 hashes were designed, up to date.

Bloomberg mentioned that Meta has partnered up with the likes of various non-profit organizations behind this particular helpline so it encourages others to come forward and sign up as well.

This particular effort is building up on the idea that was first begun by Meta as a pilot in Australia. It requested users to put up explicit images of a particular chat on Messenger that they carried out with themselves.

The company vowed to get rid of all the images, once the study or trial was complete but as anyone can imagine, people were very skeptical.

Both TikTok and Bumble are uniting on this front to rid this increasingly concerning matter and help carry out a major crackdown against all pictures that are intimate and shared without anyone giving consent.

Read next: This Study Reveals a Link Between Smartphone Addiction and Compulsive Shopping
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

This Study Reveals a Link Between Smartphone Addiction and Compulsive Shopping

The intersection of smartphones have ecommerce have created the perfect storm for the industry, but in spite of the fact that this is the case it might be harming the consumers themselves. Flow experiences on smartphones which describe a situation where someone loses themselves in their smartphone activities so much so that they forget the passage of time may be leading to other compulsive behaviors, particularly among members of the Gen Z cohort.

A new study has just revealed that two harmful behaviors, namely smartphone addiction and compulsive shopping, might actually go hand in hand. Gen Z consumers are referred to as Digital Natives due to them being born and raised in an era of smartphones and other technological devices. They don’t know a world without smartphones, and that makes them much more susceptible to such behavior than might have been the case otherwise.

This data comes from a survey conducted by Italian researchers. The study revealed a strong correlation between compulsive smartphone usage and buying things on a whim online without doing due diligence first. Many shopping platforms have a flow inducing experience because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up increasing sales. It turns out that they are quite effective, although this study suggests that they are exploiting compulsive behaviors in the process.

A major contributing factor to this trend is the desire for mood stabilization or regulation. Consumers who are browsing shopping platforms might enter a flow state and make purchases without rationalizing the. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the study only analyzed behavior over a short period of time.

Longer study periods might reveal new information, although many other studies have confirmed what is being presented here in one way or another. Gen Z people are frequently turning to self destructive behaviors, many of which center around their smartphones. Gaming apps are a frequent source of criticism for being addictive, but shopping apps are also a part of the problem and need to change.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World