Transparency International shared the Corruption Perception Index for 2022

A Berlin-based non-profit association, Transparency International, has recently revealed the Corruption Perceptions Index for last year. The index scored 180 countries at a rate of zero to one hundred. Zero is the most corrupt and hundred as clean. Out of all the 180 countries, forty-three was the average score observed by the index.

Surprisingly, over 2/3 of the countries were found to be below the 50 percent threshold, whereas 150 of them made no potentially visible progress to counter corruption over the last ten years. The 2021 index showed that such actions against corruption were halted as a large number of countries used the COVID-19 pandemic as a shield for not taking steps in this direction.

Somalia topped the list as the most corrupt country, scoring twelve out of one hundred, followed by Syria and Sudan, both of which scored thirteen. On the opposite end, Denmark marked itself as the most corruption-free country by achieving 90 out of 100, followed by Finland and New Zealand, both of which scored 87 out of 100.

The United States of America scored sixty-nine, whereas two years ago, the country scored sixty-seven. Although Joe Biden’s government established corruption as an important issue, the country was unable to make any significant progress.

The association shared insights on corruption statistics. According to the data, the combined annual corruption accounts for almost 3.6 trillion dollars, whereas corruption in the health department has claimed the lives of over 140,000 children. Out of the 7.5 trillion dollars that are meant to be spent on health, seven percent of it goes missing due to corruption. Almost seventy-six percent of the general population believes that rich people have a strong hold on government offices and can use them for their benefit.

The World Health Organization believes that 370 billion dollars are enough to provide health facilities to every individual on earth.

Deep conflict can badly affect an entire state. Low-income households are the most common victims of corruption, as they have to suffer the most. And due to corruption in the military, terrorist organizations are getting stronger.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Mr. Beast Helped 1K Blind People Get Their Sight Restoration Surgeries But The Internet Didn't Take It Quite Well

One of the biggest content creator on YouTube, Mr. Beast, uploaded a video on his channel where he paid 1000 blind people for their surgeries. Not everyone took the video lightly and criticized the content that Jimmy Donaldson (Mr. Best) is showing his viewers. The video, which was released on 28th January, has received 78 million views until now. In the video, we can see Mr. Beast standing ahead of a crowd of blind people where he says that he is going to arrange a sight restoration surgery for 1000 blind people. Donaldson partnered up with a nonprofit organization called SEE international whose chief medical officer did the surgeries for blind people.

Not only the surgery, but Mr. Beast also gave various prices to the participants including $10,000 in cash, a $50,000 cheque, and a Tesla. When the video got uploaded, the viewers loved it so much and showed an emotional response to it. Mr. Beast said that he didn't expect such a response to his video but he is thankful that people are enjoying it.

Apart from positive responses, some people also took this video negatively. A twitch streamer, Hasan Piker, commented that the cost of surgeries and healthcare is so high in America and this video will hurt the sentiments of the people who cannot afford it. He also said that Mr. Beast just knows how to make content out of people's problems. After this tweet, many people contributed their thoughts. Some people said that those people in the video shouldn't have taken Jimmy's help to fix their problems. Now people are going to expect that rich people will solve their problems.

There is something so demonic about this and I can’t even articulate what it is pic.twitter.com/OSpgaUxnQK

— Lolo (@LolOverruled) January 29, 2023

Many tweets started accusing Mr. Beast of gaining clout in the name of surgery. Some of the people said that Mr. Beast is just doing all of this out of pure sympathy and his intentions are good. When this situation became worse, Mr. Beast came to Twitter to say that he only has pure intentions, and he just wanted to help out the people. Many influencers and YouTubers supported Jimmy Donaldson, saying that what Donaldson did is great and that this world needs more people like him.

Twitter - Rich people should help others with their money

Me - Okay, I’ll use my money to help people and I promise to give away all my money before I die. Every single penny.

Twitter - MrBeast bad

— MrBeast (@MrBeast) January 30, 2023

Keep in mind that Mr. Beast is always known for making these kind of philanthropy videos, and he always makes sure that he can help people with his content.



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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Retail media is gaining ground as a new marketing strategy

Retail media is gaining ground as a new marketing strategy, as brands increasingly shift their shopper, trade, and brand marketing budget to this channel.

A new report by ANA discovered that marketers are conflicted when it comes to advertising on Retail Marketing Networks (RMN). However, these mixed feelings do not affect the popularity of this marketing medium. Using RMN to reach the correct kind of audience seems like a good deal. So why are marketers hesitant?

The survey for this report was conducted in two parts. The first one included a poll taken by 138 members out of whom 80 utilize RMN. The second part of the survey included a follow-up where insights were gathered about their perspectives toward RMN.

As a result, it was found that two-thirds of the respondents use RMN simply to drive sales. Only 12% of the respondents use the medium to gain brand recognition. The audience around RMN has only one purpose - buying.

Retail industry leaders have identified a new and potentially lucrative source of revenue through RMNs. By offering advertisers access to their audiences and website traffic, retailers can create high-margin revenue streams. They can also increase their overall operating margins, which can range from 50% to 70%.

This shift towards RMNs has proven to be a game-changer for retailers with historically low single-digit margins. They are now able to monetize their shopper touchpoints, interactions, and intelligence. The result is a significant increase in their economic potential and a new avenue for growth.

The secret behind the growth of RMN is simple - the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic caused a shift in consumer shopping habits, it led to a significant increase in online traffic and transactions for retailers.

Retailers are leveraging these new channels to reach and engage with consumers in innovative ways, remain competitive, and meet changing consumer needs in the evolving retail landscape.

It seems like the downfall of the third-party cookie kingdom is also adding to the shift in brands focusing on building their first-party platforms. And who owns the first-party data forte? RMNs.

While RMN is the upcoming trend, brands need to approach retail media with a strategic mindset and partner with retailers that align with their values and target audience. Brands must also consider privacy concerns and ensure that their use of customer data is transparent and in compliance with all relevant regulations.

The report also highlighted some of the shortcomings of the trending medium. These include the lack of standardization and not being fully optimized to deliver KPIs. While some brands believe that RMNs are bound to cause brand values to decline, most brands are optimistic about the growth of this powerful marketing tool.

Overall, the trend towards RMNs is a promising development for both retailers and advertisers, as it offers a new way to unlock economic potential and drive growth in the rapidly evolving retail and marketing landscapes respectively.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Creator Insider answers hot FAQs about YouTube's Partner Program contract terms

Creator Insider, an informal YouTube channel that highlights any latest development the platform has to offer to content creators, is back with another video. This time, the channel answered some frequently asked questions regarding the YPP contract.

The YouTube Partner Program is meant to provide creators with more access to resources and monetization features. It will enable the sharing of revenue generated from advertisements shown during the videos. While the platform established clear eligibility criteria to become a part of the program, there were still several queries that were answered by Conor through Creator Insider.

Starting with the first question, if a creator accidentally dismisses the YPP contract notification, how can it be accepted? To this, Conor clarified that by visiting the Earn tab and tapping the Get Started button, the contract will start.

Next up, if a user only accepts some terms initially and wants to accept more, this can also be fixed from the earn tab. From the “ways to earn” option, tap “get started” and accept more terms. Another similar question is what happens when someone mistakenly leaves the YPP during their acceptance term. The user can simply visit the “Earn” tab and apply to YPP again.

Another frequently asked question is about multiple modules. To this, Conor clarified that the addition of multiple modules to YPP is for future modifications regarding monetization instead of renewing the whole agreement. Next up for those who couldn’t become a part of YPP, they asked on what basis short views would be accumulated for YPP eligibility. To clear up this confusion, Creator Insider explained that through the “Earn” tab, creators can track the activity of their channel. If the activity follows the eligibility criteria, then the creator can apply for the YPP contract.

Another common question was: if a creator has already been paid with short-term funds, will they automatically become a party to the contract? The answer to this question is no; to become part of the YPP contract, it has to be applied. And lastly, does Short count toward the 4000 watch hours of eligibility? The answer to this question is also no. Combined activity across formats is not how the eligibility criteria are considered.



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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Even If Smartphone Shipment Is Declining Since 2022, Its Camera Resolution Keeps on Improving

According to Counterpoint Smartphone Camera Tracker report, OEMs are still working on upgrading the camera quality of smartphones even after the decline of smartphone shipments in 2022. There are many tricks and techniques in the smartphone market which can turn the camera resolution to a higher level. Smartphone OEMs have been using the already existing cameras to advance the microchip sets within the camera. Many new software algorithms are also being introduced in the cameras to improve their functioning. OEMs are not using macro cameras and depth to improve the camera quality, rather they are focusing on improving the core camera functions. This means that the cameras with 8MP and low resolutions are no longer in the race.

Even amidst the smartphone shipment crisis in 2022, Apple seemed to sell more smartphones as compared to Android. So smartphones with 10MP-12MP resolutions had an increase in market share. But this resolution isn't going to get so far in 2023 because the iPhone 14 pro model will be 48MP. Smartphones with 13MP-32MP resolutions experienced a huge decline as smartphones with even higher resolutions were getting popular in the market. However, the share of 42MP-48MP was seen declining in the market because many smartphones continue upgrading to 50 MP resolution. But this will go to reverse as the new iPhone model is going to arrive in the market.

50MP has been getting popular since its release in 2022, and smartphones with this camera resolution do not have high prices either. OEMs have been using 50MP large-pixel cameras for smartphones because it gives high-resolution and high-quality pictures. 50MP is mostly in mid to high-end smartphones. In 2022, 50MP smartphones will have more than 260 million units in their total sales.

64MP smartphones are slowly migrating towards large 50MP, that's why the sale for 60MP and 64MP smartphones is declining. 100MP is also going at a steady pace since its release but its prices are high and are being sold to mid to high-end segments. But still, 100MP is being loved by many and there's no chance that it will revert to 60MP or less.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

What Trends Are In Store For The Digital World In 2023? This New Report Has The Answer

For the past year, we’ve seen a lot of fluctuations taking place in the digital world. Behaviors have altered, some for the worst and others for the good. But what does that mean for 2023?

To help give more insight, we’re glancing over a new report that shares what trends are leading the way and how they’ll impact 2023. So let’s take a look!

For starters, let’s glance over the trending headlines linked to the current global tech world.

Current population statistics prove how the population stands at roughly 8 billion individuals and around 57% of the world’s population lives in urbanized districts. Out of this, around 5 billion make use of cell phones since the year 2023 began, accounting for 68% of the world’s total population.

Moving on to internet users, there are roughly 5 billion of them situated in different locations around the globe. This means a good 64% of the global population stays connected online. And this itself has seen a growth of 2% in the past year.

But at the same time, certain delays in the world of reporting prove how real growth is bigger than what this figure is suggesting.

Today, the world of social media attracts roughly 5 billion people, which is just a little less than 60% of the world’s total population. And the figures keep increasing as we speak.

And let’s not forget how certain delays in data reports would suggest how the value is more than this. Hence, such headlines are clear proof to us and so many others of what’s happening around the globe.

But we really need to dig deep to realize how people are evolving with plenty of data on display. Let’s now switch on to overviews of the world’s internet usage.

These are some key indicators of how the internet is being adopted and used by global users.

Today, the figure has risen to 5.16, a great rise from figures calculated last year in October. The number of people using the internet has grown by around 90 million in the past year. This makes the YoY growth a little less than 2%. And when you come to think of it, the growth was not as dynamic as that in 2010.

So the growth is definitely slow, but not a huge surprise as so many people are online. Figures predict that by the end of this year, we should be seeing the majority of the world go online by this year’s end.

When looking at statistics from around the globe, digital use is very variable. Toward the top of the list, we’ve got the likes of 99% adoption rates for the web in around 8 different nations. Meanwhile, 55 different countries are enjoying internet adoption that’s greater than 90%.

What is surprising to a few people is how people are adopting the internet at a faster pace in places like Europe and the UK as compared to nations in North America. Analysis proves how 92% of the global population in the US is situated online and that ranks the nation at position number 45 on the world map.

North America only accounts for the likes of 6% of the global population for internet usage, contrary to many people’s beliefs. Hence, you might feel that digital trends in the US are barely a true representation of the digital habits observed around the globe.

This is why experts suggest paying closer attention to the likes of data on a local country level to better gauge what is taking place and how you can reach out and engage better with your market’s audience.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

This New Google Maps Feature Might Help EV Owners Plan Their Trips

Electric vehicles are widely thought to be the next big trend in the automotive industry, but in spite of the fact that this is the case they are still at the very start of their market journey. This means that finding charging stations for EVs can still be a bit of a concern for consumers, and they have to put more thought into planning out their trips than might have been the case otherwise.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Google Maps might be bringing a new update to its Android app that will make things a lot easier for EV owners around the world, as per 9to5G. This is a part of their Android Automotive push, of which Google Maps is a pretty integral part.

One crucial thing to note here is that this functionality will now be expanded to EV users who aren’t using Android Automotive as of right now. The way this works is that they will be able to plan their trips by making it so that they know about all of the recharging stations that they would come across along the way.

Updates like this are useful because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up allowing EV users to get to their destinations without worrying about finding charging stations. Automatic route planning will also be on the cards, so this is clearly a step in the right direction with all things having been considered and taken into account.

Whether or not this updated Google Maps app will include other types of functionality from Android Automotive remains to be seen. Features like estimated battery life are quite essential to people who drive around in EVs, and chances are that Google would want to help them out with that.

This could put Google front and center in the EV revolution, despite not offering such cars themselves. We might see more EV users turning to Android due to the nature of this update and how convenient it can make everything.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World