Game App Marketers Invest $27B in Ads Despite Economic Slump

The latest State of Gaming App Marketing report by AppsFlyer claimed that game developers and marketers spent nearly $27 billion on advertising in 2022.

The report revealed that Android game installations surged 8% in 2022 while iOS dropped 5%. Marketers and developers poured an eye-popping $27 billion into ad spending during this period, demonstrating their confidence in the industry's continued success despite challenging times.

In 2022, as people started living before the Covid epidemic, interest in gaming started to wane. Despite this decline in in-game app installs on iOS compared to 2021, Android saw growth, rising 8% year over year. It is good to see that mobile gaming is still a well-liked source of entertainment worldwide, despite the downturns in many industries brought on by Covid and other international events.

As more people turn towards mobile gaming for entertainment during economic downturns, developers must focus on creating engaging experiences to capture user attention and make their apps stand out amongst competitors. With its strong performance throughout 2020 and into 2021, this industry may continue its upward trajectory even amid tough times ahead.

The US continues to be the most important market for gaming app marketers, with an outstanding 19% increase in Android installs predicted for 2022. It contrasts sharply with iOS app installs, which saw a 1% minor decline. It was demonstrated last year that its popularity is still growing.

Consumers are still interested in making in-app purchases despite the difficult economic environment. Despite some decreases in user engagement overall, the Role Playing & Casino genres saw especially sharp drops of 14% between H2 2022 and H1. It exacerbated a noticeable 7% decrease across platforms - Android was down 4%, while iOS dropped 9%.

It is likely due to the economic downturn changing consumer behavior toward these higher IAP activities. Though in-app advertising revenue fell among most genres at year's end, it still proved an important source for hypercasual, match, and simulation game developers during this period.

Mobile advertising campaigns are also becoming more important as part of the increasing trend in gaming activity. App marketers should consider investing in paid ads such as videos to reach consumers. App promotion and advertising can help drive more downloads overall, with a particular focus on high-value users.

Many businesses have moved their attention to cost-effective owned media channels like push notifications or cross-promotional campaigns to offset the decline in investment while still meeting marketing objectives in the face of higher CPI from iOS of $3.75 per install! The good news is that mobile gaming is still a popular area for investment despite these challenges!

The gaming industry continues to face an uphill battle as iOS privacy restrictions limit marketers' abilities that previously relied on user-level data. Despite these challenges, app developers remain committed to capturing quality players through iOS despite higher media costs and difficulty with measurement - creating a greater need for improved technological tools or 'data clean rooms' in 2023 and beyond.

Read next: Here Are the Biggest Trends and Statistics for Entrepreneurs and Startups in 2023
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

A Beginner's Guide to BitTorrent for Educators and Researchers

Since the internet has become a common tool for nearly everything that affects the world today, nearly everyone knows about BitTorrent. Most may be unable to explain what it is, how it works, or some legal ways of using it, but they know something of that sort exists. You are probably using such a technology, knowingly or unknowingly.

One of the biggest questions we have come across is whether torrent files can be helpful for educators and researchers. And the simplest answer is yes.

So, today we shall introduce you to this topic and why you should care. Keep reading to discover more.

What Is BitTorrent?

In the modern world, where everything is done online, there is a need for companies and individuals to find safe ways of sharing large file forms over the internet. As you may already know, sharing such files comes with several challenges, including security issues, speed, and connectivity.

Torrent files are the easiest and most popular way of achieving such goals. Even though they may look a bit challenging for newcomers, they are pretty easy to use once you understand them. You gain access to virtually any file you want, regardless of type or size.

Most people think that BitTorrent is a file, but it is not. It's simply a method used for downloading and uploading files over a distributed peer-to-peer file-sharing network. Users download files through a BitTorrent protocol called BitTorrent clients.

The most unique aspect about this file-sharing protocol is that sharing of files is equally distributed across every user who has downloaded or is downloading a specific file. In simple terms, BitTorrent breaks up files into hundreds of chunks and shares them among users. For instance, if you have a small piece of that file, you can start sharing it with other users who need it, who will also share any piece they have.

Torrent files make downloading and sharing of data fast and efficient. Users don't have to wait until a whole file has been downloaded before they start sharing. Instead, they do it as soon as they receive the smallest part of the data.

How Torrent Files Can Help Educators and Researchers

As stated earlier, BitTorrent has become the most popular and reliable way to share huge chunks of data. They are reliable and extremely useful. And that is why they have become a part of our everyday life in different industries.

Academic experts can use torrent files to share information and data necessary for research. Many institutions of higher learning need to make learning materials available for their students and staff. They can do so using Academic Torrents.

What Are Academic Torrents?

Academic Torrents are a platform allowing researchers and educators to share large data files. The two main parts define the platforms that create a useful data-sharing center. These include:

A site for users to search for data sets. This is like a search engine that allows users to easily search for any information they need. It is like using Google or any other similar tool.

A BitTorrent backbone. This is the most important aspect of an academic Torrent since it makes data sharing scalable and faster.

Academic Torrents seek to make sharing of large data sets among researchers possible and as easy as possible. It was designed to help the academic world enjoy the convenience of having a platform where you can easily access any research files.

Are Academic Torrents Necessary?

There is always something new coming up in the world of technology today. Yes, there are many ways to share such data. A good example is social media and other internet tools that make data access possible.

However, there are issues with speed and convenience. Some of these sites are not efficient. Besides, there has been an increase in the number of most frequently compromised sites, making security another major concern.

BitTorrents generally provide easy access to extremely large files. The Academic Torrents, in particular, offer access to 15TB or more of data sets divided into various sections, including machine learning data sets like UCI, ImageNet, and Wikipedia.

You can find these data sets somewhere else, but Academic Torrents combines multiple hosting locations together to make downloading these files much easier and faster.

Some of the best Academic Torrents clients offer free access with no sign-up or verification process. They make the collection process much faster and more comprehensive than on any other platform. 

These platforms are designed with the main goal of ensuring the data community always gets what they need when they need it. Data grows bigger and bigger every day, which makes P2P file sharing increasingly necessary. With Academic Torrents, users can access close to 1TB of data daily.

How Do Academic Torrents Work?

Academic Torrents' operating principle is similar to any other torrent file. Many contributors from different places voluntarily mirror datasets that they believe are useful to the community. You can become a mirror by downloading a file and leaving your BitTorrent client running behind the seeding mode.

"Collections" are a crucial component of Academic Torrents, allowing users to curate a list of torrents they want. Every Collection comes with an RSS feed that a BitTorrent client uses to download a new item automatically. Because of this, volunteers spend the shortest time managing the resources they have donated.

Academic Torrents also have the ability to repair corrupted data. It is always important for the user to verify their exact data, which can be hard if hashes are not taken in the precious dataset. BitTorrent is used to verify and repair all data since this is a built-in feature. That means you will always get the best data.

Conclusion

BitTorrents can be used effectively by the academic community. Anyone can contribute to Academic Torrents by ensuring their data is listed on these platforms. You can start by using a reliable Torrent Client to make a torrent and then adding the announced URL to the platform you want for upload.
by Web Desk via Digital Information World

Children by the age of four can start reading maps

The latest U.K.-based research revealed that kids as young as 4 can look through maps. While certain claims were made that young kids around the age of 7 or 8 find it difficult to deal with symbols or drawings, to help these kids in strengthening their base spatial ability skills, the skills to understand, remember, and reason the visual and spatial relationship between space or different items are introduced at an early stage. With an early introduction, spatial skills help kids understand science and mathematics.

To carry out the research, the University of East Anglia, the institute behind the research, surveyed 175 kids between the ages of 2 and 5. They were asked to participate in a spatial learning game in which stickers were shown that were concealed in a computer-generated room. Later on, they had to find other stickers hidden in similar simulations.

While participants below the age of 4 couldn’t understand the spatial layout of the simulation room, kids the age of 4 and above showed positive results as they were able to complete the given task.

Dr. Martin Doherty, a member of the research team, interpreted the results by saying that it shows kids start developing the skills needed to understand a map at the age of 4. He further added that expanding the results to maps will make them more clear. In reply to the previous studies suggesting that it is a matter of arrangement and not spatial skills that help the kid, Dr. Martin stated that studying a map could be simpler cognitively.

For those who are afraid of everyone becoming software dependent, such as the global positioning system, the results could help them be less scared. In case of an emergency, if software-based maps are not available for any reason, kids will be able to navigate the maps available to them.

The same ability can guide these kids to think in difficult situations, help them analyze situations, solve different problems, and enhance their memory. It can even shape the mental map of young kids.

Read next: These Countries Have Maintained the Lowest Inflation Rates in the World
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

New Research Uncovers Surprising Insights into Social Media Use among Adolescents

A new study published in Frontiers in Psychology has revealed that gender ideologies strongly predict social media use among adolescents in the United States.

A curious new understanding of how teenagers use social media has been revealed by research into the subject. US researchers who published their findings in the journal Frontiers of Psychology have aided our grasp of this complex subject.

It can be challenging to ascertain gender disparities in adolescent social media use. Unexpected findings came from a research of cisgender American high school students who predominately used TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram; girls reported higher usage levels for emotional connection, confirmation of beauty, and social recompense. While boys tended towards utilizing co-activity or gaming platforms like Discord more frequently than their female peers to explore what causes these disparities.

Teenagers are flocking to popular digital platforms, and the most favored app is Instagram, with an overwhelming 92% of adolescents using it. Closely tracked by Snapchat at 88%, then TikTok (48%), there was no difference between boys or girls for the top two choices, yet interesting distinctions emerged throughout the rest of them, Tumblr has more female users than Discord, Reddit MMORPGs, and Steam, with a male majority on each platform.

This study produced an unexpected finding suggesting that teenage boys' and girls' perspectives on femininity and masculinity may be more comparable. However, teenagers' social media usage is still heavily influenced by traditional gender norms; the desire for online validation primarily drives young women as they attempt to exhibit masculine characteristics.

According to these findings, sexual characteristics and attitudes should be considered in interventions to decrease hazardous online behavior. It is essential to comprehend the psychology underlying teenage social media usage to encourage wholesome and secure online habits.

With adolescents increasingly turning to social media, gender differences in these platforms' usage have become more evident. While teenage girls use sites like Instagram or Snapchat for friendship bonding and validating their appearance, boys tend to seek out outlets such as Twitter or YouTube primarily for self-promotion and group activities. Unfortunately, some teenagers employ the same technology that was meant to connect others as a means of cyberbullying one another.

• Also read: The most frequently compromised websites are Facebook and Instagram

Boys and girls agreed that using social media to overcome challenges with the people who matter most to them was the most enticing use, even when they disagreed on less competitive activities. Females were more inclined than males to engage in emotional bonding (exchanging personal thoughts), attractiveness validation (assessing one's looks in comparison to others), social comparison, and making new acquaintances online. Surprisingly, there was little evidence that gender made a difference in cyberbullying; male and female users were equally likely to experience incidents.

This research demonstrates the complex relationship youth have with social media. While girls and boys often use platforms for different activities, cyberbullying is a common experience that does not discriminate on gender lines. Social media can be positive and negative for young people, so it is important to understand how they use it to ensure their safety and well-being.

Read next: The state of freedom in 195 countries and 15 territories
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

64% of Marketers Plan to Invest More in Influencers

Working with influencers used to be considered a very niche form of marketing, but in spite of the fact that this is the case it has risen in prominence over the years. Nowadays, countless marketers are willing to hire influencers in order to make their ad campaigns more effective than might have been the case otherwise. With 64% of marketers planning to increase budgets that would pay influencers, members of this field stand to gain a lot in 2023.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that TikTok is gaining a lot of ground in terms of influencer output. The Chinese short form video and social media app has managed to bridge the gap between itself and Instagram, although the latter is still the 8th most visited app in the world and is therefore highly valuable.

Influencers were asked what they expected to earn from the various marketing campaigns that they would be taking part in, and there was a lot of difference that could be seen based on the number of followers they had. Influencers who had fewer than a thousand followers stated that they expected to earn around $89 from a marketing campaign with all things having been considered and taken into account.

As for slightly more significant influencers, namely those who have between a hundred thousand to a million followers, their average expected payout is estimated to be approximately $1,000 for each campaign.

Small time influencers assumed that larger influencers would get upwards of $20,000 per campaign because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up being more in line with their renown. However, this was a massive overestimation. It is very unlikely that an influencer would end up getting paid such a tremendous sum of cash, even if they have in excess of a million followers.

This just goes to show that influencer marketing, while profitable, is not the massive money maker that people assume. Smaller influencers can still earn a decent living by doing what they love.

Read next: Are AI Assistants the Next Big Step for Autonomous Vehicles?
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Medical And Life Sciences Marketers Shift Priorities to Event and Social Media Promotions in 2022

A recent survey conducted by Scorrmarketing demonstrated that fitness and life sciences marketers are shifting their focus away from email marketing in 2022. Instead, they are prioritizing event marketing and social media promotions to reach their target audience.

The study, which polled over one hundred and twenty-three healthcare and life sciences executives, found that 52% of respondents are planning to boost their event marketing budgets this year. This marks a significant shift from previous years when email marketing was the go-to tactic for reaching healthcare professionals and patients.

The reason for this shift appears to be the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. With in-person events and conferences canceled or limited in 2020 and early 2021, marketers have had to find new ways to reach their target audience. As a result, many have turned to virtual events and webinars to engage with healthcare professionals and patients.

In addition to events, social media advertising is also becoming an increasingly popular tactic for healthcare and life sciences marketers. The survey found that 37% of respondents plan to increase their social media advertising budgets in 2022. This is likely because social media platforms provide a more targeted way to reach specific audiences, including healthcare professionals and patients.

Email marketing, on the other hand, appears to be falling out of favor. The survey found that email marketing rated 3.23/5. While on the other hand, webinars, case studies, white papers, and social media rated 3.84, 3.83, 3.74, and 3.63/5 respectively.

While email marketing can still be an effective way to reach healthcare professionals and patients, it may no longer be the most efficient or cost-effective tactic. As more and more people become inundated with emails, it can be difficult for healthcare and life sciences marketers to cut through the noise and get their message heard.

Of course, this doesn't mean that email marketing is dead. Rather, it may simply require a more targeted and strategic approach to be effective. This could involve segmenting email lists based on specific criteria, such as job title or specialty, and tailoring email content to the interests and needs of each segment.

In addition, the investigation also highlights that approximately 72% of organizations use social media promotions through various online platforms. Among these, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter lead to the front.

Overall, the survey results suggest that healthcare and life sciences advertisers are adapting to the changing landscape of the industry and are finding new and innovative ways to reach their target audience. While events and social media advertising may be more expensive than email marketing, they also offer the potential for greater engagement and interaction with healthcare professionals and patients.

As the industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how healthcare and life sciences marketers continue to adapt their strategies and tactics to stay ahead of the curve. Whether it's through virtual events, social media advertising, or other innovative approaches, the key to success will be staying nimble and responsive to the changing needs and preferences of the target audience.

Read next: What Will Be the Biggest Tech Trend of 2023?
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

New Analysis Proves How The App Store And Play Store Continuously Fail At Filtering Fake Reviews

There are two main places that mobile users turn to when they’re in search of downloading an app of their preference.

And in case you haven’t guessed by now, it’s Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store. But one issue that both these places have failed to overcome is linked to fake reviews.

It’s a constant struggle and people are failing at filtering those suspicious reviews out of their apps, as recently found by an analysis conducted by Which?

It made use of a special model that classified all sorts of suspicious review behavior on those apps and they found nearly 25% of the top 100 applications on Google Play have questionable reviews. As far as the App Store is concerned, the figure here was said to be 17%.

The trend has been spiraling upward for a number of years and various products and companies are really struggling. So if you do see a business doing well based on fake reviews across the stores, don’t be surprised, as this review confirms.

A large-scale analysis of such reviews on the respective platforms showed how people were paying hundreds of dollars to attain five-star reviews. And when you look at such data online, you’ll see a figure that’s close to 18,000.

This is massive and by benchmarking such apps, it’s a clear strategy to differentiate this from other trusted apps that arise in similar categories. After that, the behavior linked to certain reviewers was compared to attain a model that would be able to calculate the degree of suspicious activity arising.

Clearly, there were massive differences between both patterns of reviews.

With five stars, so many apps were making use of paid reviews and these had a much bigger proportion linked to five-star reviews. For instance, dating apps had massively positive reviews that comprised nearly 60%.

Experts from this study also made people aware of how they can note down suspicious activity in the form of review manipulation with ease. They’re usually comprised of bulk uploads. Yes, so many clusters of highly rated reviews arise over a span of just four to five days.

Then you’ll notice a break, right before another huge spike comes into play. Again, these were apps that were not too well known. They contrasted so much different when compared to the apps with fake reviews.

Read next: Fear of Social Rejection Spurs Individuals to Disperse Fake News, Investigation Shows
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World