The Total Value Of The Tech Industry In Europe Falls To a New Low After Major Losses

The tech world in Europe does not appear to be doing too great. It has undergone losses that delineate to be nearly $400 billion in just 2022 alone. And that’s per statistics from a leading venture capital company called Atomico.

The total value for both private and public firms in the continent took a massive hit. We’re talking about a fall of nearly $2.7 trillion from an all-time high of $3.1 trillion during the latter part of 2021. The company mentioned these findings at its yearly report meeting on Wednesday.

These figures are clearly highlighting the bigger picture. And that’s linked to it being an awfully tough year for many such firms hailing in this sector. Such enterprises that were once known for their rich values are seen shares being affected by pressure from international factors. And the current Russian invasion of Ukraine happens to be one of them. This combined with a monetary policy that’s tighter than ever is also worth a mention.

Today, we’re watching the region’s Federal Reserve and a few other banks raise interest rates and try to rewind and attain a pandemic-era stimulus that starves away the growing inflation. This has ended up forcing investors to rethink their position regarding such firms that are literally in losses and whose real value now stands on the expectation of any cash flows coming in in the future.

As delineated by one of the leading partners at Atomico, the situation is challenging, to say the least. It’s a macroenvironment filled with issues that arose ever since the international financial crisis began and there doesn’t seem to be an end, just yet.

In the European continent, some firms have seen major drops in market values. Common names include Spotify and Klarna. Then we have the issue of startups which are highlighted to drop down to nearly $85 billion which is nearly 18% lesser than what had been raised in the previous year.

Yes, the year also saw some more lows as many stopped investing in the world of European technology. It’s a huge change from what we saw in 201, where, records had been shattered.

So today, it’s a reversal image of all the success witnessed from the previous year. Investors are no longer keen on making huge investments, especially those hailing from the US. So it wouldn’t be wrong to claim that we went from an era of abundance of capital to very little, where raising funds is as difficult as can be.

It all began during the second half of the year. At the start, the industry in Europe was on fire and investment levels, although not at peak, were greater at some point in 2021. But then, all of a sudden, the investments began to drop down during August and September and the year ended at a new low. At the same time, this is also when we witnessed public listings disappear into thin air.

All Europe can hope for is a bigger and brighter 2022 because as the old saying goes, optimism is key.

Read next: 56% of People Don’t Use VPNs on Public WiFi
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

56% of People Don’t Use VPNs on Public WiFi

Public WiFi can often be quite useful because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up keeping you well connected during travels. However, it can also be a pretty significant security risk. Public WiFi connections are notorious for being prone to cyber attacks, since hackers can take advantage of the public nature of the connection to gain access to your devices without you even realizing it.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t use public WiFi. People traveling over the holidays will often have extended layovers, and it is expected that 113 million people will be on the move during the Christmas season. That makes it rather necessary to use public WiFi to pass the time, and using a VPN can make it a lot safer than might have been the case otherwise.

In spite of the fact that this is the case, a recent survey of 1,000 Americans revealed that over half of them, or 56% to be precise, don’t use any VPN while accessing public internet connections. What’s even worse is that 41% reported that they don’t have any security software on their systems whatsoever, which makes it considerably more dangerous to connect to a public WiFi with all things having been considered and taken into account. The main reason for this behavior according to respondents is that they want to save some money by limiting the cellular data usage.

Hackers use a bunch of tricks to get people to give them illicit access to their systems. They are aware that travelers will be on the lookout for free WiFi, and they would therefore set up their own connections with names that would trick you into thinking that their WiFi is the one that you should be using. If you were to connect to this WiFi, you may lose access to a ton of personal data within minutes.

The best way to avoid this is to go for the connection that is closest to where you are. Don’t hesitate to ask a customer service representative at the airport or coffee shop about what their WiFi is named and whether or not it is free. USB charging stations should also be avoided due to the risks they pose.

Read next: Consumer Perception of Financial Health Took a Nosedive in 2022
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Google trend reveals growing anxiety among crypto traders in 2022

The year 2022 has seen big confusion and uproars in the crypto market, from Luna cryptocurrency’s boom to the FTX crash. This is only confirmed by Google’s most popular search terms surrounding the crypto community.

A study by CoinLedger found that FOMO (fear of missing out) was the most used crypto buzzword in 2022. It topped the rankings in 16 different states and had a huge lead in the other 3 that were left. This could imply the increase in confusing investments being done by the crypto community as a whole.

Mooning took second place right behind FOMO implying an upward trend in the market. In third place came FUD, abbreviated for fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

These trends seem to be based on the reactions of the community to big events this year.

Moreover, anxious terms have also seen growth in 2022 compared to last year. The term DYOR or do your research saw a boost of 222% in 2022 as compared to 2021. WAGMI or we are all going to make it see an influx of 147% from last year which shows the melancholic and hopeful situation the entire community is in as of now. Furthermore, the term ‘crypto whale’ saw a downward trend from last year with a 13% decrease.

Comparing the big trend-setting events this year, the FTX crash was the most impactful in driving the search interest of crypto. It raised the search interest by 3.6 points which is equal to all other crypto events this year combined.

You should also know that the cryptocurrency called Dash was the highest booming cryptocurrency of 2022 followed by ICP and Matric.

John McAfee ranked as the most searched celebrity in the crypto community in the United States, followed by Elon Musk as a distant second. John McAfee ranked the highest searched individual in 43 states. Cobie, the host of the Up Only podcast was the third-largest crypto influencer this year.

New York was the city with the most crypto trends making it the trendsetter for 2022. It’s been reported that 26 crypto trends first started appearing in the city. Moreover, California also set 25 trends while the District of Columbia set 18 trends coming in third place.

From the reports, it’s also been made clear that New York was the city most obsessed over Ethereum cryptocurrency. On the other hand, Nevada saw the largest interest in Bitcoin with a 35% increase in June.

Read next: 58% of Americans Faced Financial Hardships in 2022
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Digital advertising is facing a new era of rejection and Meta alongside other social media apps are going to bear the brunt of it

In this new age of technology, social media is everything. For brands to flourish in this age they need to have proper marketing online so that they can reach the right audience and propel their way forward. And to achieve this they need an Ad Spend or the budget given to the company’s marketing department. And the days when there were plenty of budget increases are over and have led to the need for a very intense revision of the predictions made by Insider Intelligence.

According to Insider, marketers are expected to spend 65.31 billion on social networks this year. Even though that will mark a 3.6% growth if compared to 2021 but according to the predictions made by Insider, it’s a major drop from the 74.56 billion dollars they estimated it would take.

Nevertheless, growth will take off in the next two years, the lead of which will be taken by TikTok and will be boosted by a rush in social video advertising and the 79.28 billion dollars that they had estimated for 2024 will be more than 20 billion dollars below what they had expected in March 2022.

This downgrade in their estimation is the numerical representation of a plain turn table for the digital ad industry as during the pandemic they were profiting amazingly but now they are being beaten with rising interest rates, Apple’s new privacy changes taking a heavier toll than expected along with Russian-Ukraine war.

Last year, big tech giants like Meta and Snap Inc. reported increases worth double digits and now, Meta’s revenues alongside its net worth have dropped and Snap Inc. barely managed to reach what had been estimated by professionals.

Read next: New data reveals there’s been an influx of cybersquatting scams in 2022
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

How to Create a Successful Influencer Marketing Campaign to Promote Virtual Event

As soon as the pandemic hit and in-person gatherings were no longer viable, virtual events quickly gained momentum as the go-to option for businesses to reach their audiences. However, for many orgaizations, the transition wasn't as smooth-sailing as they would have liked.

Photo credit: Freepik

First of all, there was the technical side of things to consider – from setting up the event platform, to ensuring attendees had access and were able to interact with it. On top of this, there was the more difficult task of getting people to show up.

After all, without the appeal of networking with peers or meeting potential business partners face-to-face, getting people excited about a virtual event can be quite the challenge.

Using influencer marketing to promote virtual events

One of the best ways to make sure people show up for your virtual event is to use influencer marketing. With the right influencers on board, you can reach your target audience and create the buzz you need to ensure maximum attendance, which will in turn, increase the success of your virtual event. In fact, a whopping 90% of marketers believe that influencer marketing is effective in achieving their business objectives.

Why influencers?

It's simple, really – influencers have the power to shape people's opinions, reach large audiences and drive conversation around a particular topic or brand. When these influencers are chosen carefully and tasked with promoting a virtual event, they can be incredibly effective in driving engagement and creating awareness about the event. Here's why:

• Leverage their credibility – Influencers already have an established reputation and it can be used to your advantage when promoting the virtual event. People are more likely to trust an influencer's opinion and it can be a great way to make them interested in attending the event.
• Reach a wider audience – Influencers often have a large following, so if you partner with the right ones, you can easily reach your target audience and ensure maximum attendance at the event.
• Boost engagement – Influencers can create content that drives engagement and encourages their followers to take action. For example, they can post Instagram Reels, run a Q&A or poll on Twitter, or create content around the event to generate buzz and excitement.

How to create a successful influencer marketing campaign

Once you've decided to incorporate influencer marketing into your virtual event promotion strategy, the next step is to create a successful campaign. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Do research on your target audience

Knowing your target audience allows you to find the right influencers and create content that resonates with them. Doing comprehensive research on your audience will help you find influencers that align with your brand and understand the needs of your target audience.

Choose your influencers carefully

When selecting influencers, you should be sure to pick the ones that best fit with your brand and target audience. Choose influencers that already have an established following in your industry and authentically engage with them on a regular basis. It's also important to consider the credibility and reputation of the influencers you partner with. If you choose someone who has a negative image, it may reflect badly on your business and event.

In addition, price is likely to be a factor for most businesses, so you want to find a balance between influence and cost to ensure that you get the most bang for your buck. In general, the more followers the influencer has, the more expensive it will be. However, do keep in mind that quality is more important than quantity – you want to make sure that your influencers have an engaged and active following.

Set up a hashtag

Before the event, create a dedicated hashtag to help spread the word and build excitement. Encourage your influencers, attendees, speakers and sponsors to use the hashtag when talking about the event or sharing content. This will help to create a sense of community and give people an easy way to stay updated.

Engage the influencer audience

Now, it's time to get the ball rolling. Ask your influencers to create content around the event and engage with their audiences. This could include sharing visuals, creating polls, hosting Q&As or running giveaways. It's important to be creative and find ways to get people excited about the event.

One of the tricky things with virtual events is that they are free to attend (as opposed to in-person events that require tickets). As such, it can be difficult to engage people as they don't have any "skin in the game," so to speak. That's why it's important to make sure your influencers are incentivizing their audiences to attend the event.

Consider merchandise

Consider creating branded merchandise to add an extra element of fun and engagement. Offer your influencers free swag that they can use in their content or giveaway to their followers. Not only is this a great way to get people interested in the event, but it will also help create more buzz and interest around your brand.

Have the influencer post about the event live

Encourage your influencers to go live on the day of the event. This will help bring a sense of excitement and immediacy, plus it's a great way to get people talking and engaged. Ask them to talk about the event and what they're looking forward to, or ask them to give a sneak peak of some of their content.

Share an event recap

Once the day is done, ask your influencers to share an event recap. They can talk about their favorite moments, highlight any big announcements or discuss their takeaways from the event. This is a great way to ensure that people stay engaged post-event and help make sure the event sticks in their memory.
Final thoughts

Working with influencers can be a great way to increase engagement and attendance at your virtual event. With the right research, selection process and incentives in place, you can ensure that your event is a success and gives a positive boost to your brand.

by Web Desk via Digital Information World

Americans are looking for more exercise and save money in 2023, survey reveals

With the new year right across the corner, resolutions are bound to start coming out. Many of us make resolutions every year, and some of us, contrary to popular opinion, follow through with them. And now this is the time to either finally remember old half-forgotten resolutions or to make new ones.

To find out what exactly the resolutions made by Americans were, Statista conducted a survey where they asked 413 Americans over the age of 18 and younger than 89 what their resolution was. This survey was conducted in the period between October 25 to November 2, 2022.

According to the survey, the most common resolution for people to make was to exercise more which was made by more than half of the respondents. 52% of the American adults who took the survey said that their new year resolution is to exercise more in the upcoming year. Next up in second place was the resolution to eat healthier with 50% of people swearing by it. In third place was the resolution to lose weight. This was the chosen resolution of 40% of people and it wraps up the big three which are all health-related.

As this year in which inflation rates reached all-time highs come to an end the hustle to save money continues as it should. The resolution to save money took 4th place with 39% of respondents making it their plan for the upcoming year.

The survey also included some classic and as some might say cliché resolutions like spending time with family and friends rather than wasting it on social media which was at a high place in the survey.

Stress while on the job is no new thing and reducing that is exactly what 19% of respondents want. Some of the less common resolutions included reducing the use of Alcohol and other toxin-containing stuff like cigarettes alongside working more for the betterment and preservation of the environment like becoming vegetarian or sometimes entirely vegan. However, 10 percent of respondents are planning to become vegan/vegetarian in the upcoming year.

Read next: These Are The Best Smartphone Camera Of This Year!
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

New Whatsapp update will allow you to report status updates

Whatsapp has been working on several different updates for its platform, and a peculiar one that’s under development is the status reporting feature.

As you may know, Whatsapp allows you to report messages and contacts that violate their terms of service. Usually, when you report these contacts, Whatsapp gathers the last few messages in your chat and forwards them to the moderation team. You can also report one specific message to the Whatsapp team for them to take action.

But what if the contact sets the thing that violates Whatsapp’s terms of service on his status update? Well, in this case, you’ll be able to report the status update of that user to the moderation team just like you can do with messages or the user. This feature will soon be available on Whatsapp Desktop beta but as of now, it’s under development, as per WBI.

So how does this work? When you see a status update that looks suspicious or violates Whatsapp’s terms of service, you can click a dropdown arrow to access the menu where you can tap on the ‘report’ button to send the status update to Whatsapp’s moderation team.

ProPublica also claims that this feature doesn’t back down on Whatsapp’s end-to-end encryption meaning that no one can see or hear your messages, recordings, media, statuses, and calls. They’ve also made clear that there’s no risk of your data being leaked to anyone, not even Whatsapp or Meta themselves and there are other messaging apps with similar reporting features.

As of now the status reporting feature is under development and will be released soon on the Whatsapp Desktop beta.

Read next: Which Smartphone Has The Best Camera? The Results Are Out Thanks To This Expert’s Test
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World