30% of Americans Say They Send Voice Notes Weekly, But Why Are They So Popular?

The modern world has a wide range of communication methods that people can use. Phone calls, text messages and video chats are pretty commonplace, but in spite of the fact that this is the case, they tend to give users a fair bit of anxiety particularly if they struggle with social situations. However, sending voice notes has turned into a much more popular form of getting in touch with people.

According to a poll of about one thousand Americans that was conducted by YouGov, around 62% of people living in the US stated that they have sent voice notes at some point in the past. 30% of them went so far as to say that they send at least one voice note per week, with many using them on a daily basis with all things having been considered and taken into account.

If we were to zero in on the younger crowd, namely those who are between the ages of 18 and 29, voice notes seem even more popular than might have been the case otherwise. Around 43% of survey respondents who fell within this age bracket stated that they use voice notes regularly because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up helping them communicate with less anxiety.

WhatsApp’s own statistics seem to support the notion that voice note popularity is at an all time high. According to numbers released by the instant messaging app, users send around 7 billion voice notes to each other every single day.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that voice notes could play a role in helping people overcome social anxiety as well as feelings of isolation. They provide a method of communication that places less pressure on the person at the other end, since they can listen to the voice note at their leisure without feeling the need to respond urgently.

Studies have actually shown that it can be easier to communicate if you can actually listen to the other person instead of just reading a block of text. According to some research, paralinguistic cues which are largely absent from text based forms of communication are easier to pick up if you can hear the other person’s voice.

This helps to provide context and cues that the other person can use to form a reply appropriately. A study conducted at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley revealed that people seem more intelligent and thoughtful through voice messages than they do through text messages.

Voice messages can help to clear up any confusion caused by misinformation. They are able to convey tone in a way that text messages simply can’t, so it’s easy to see why people might prefer them. Checking up on a loved one is easier when you can convey your concern through your voice rather than worrying about the chance that it might get misconstrued.

Voice notes are clearly seeing an uptick in popularity. This could have a lasting impact not just on WhatsApp but on the social media industry as a whole in the near future.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

New Study Proves Millions Of Dollars Go Missing Each Day Due To Cryptocurrency Crimes

While the topic of crypto may be trending for the past few years, investors need to pay heed to some shocking findings revealed in a new study.

The research proves how millions of dollars continue to go missing daily in crimes related to cryptocurrency. Moreover, researchers have also provided hints as to how the number of this crime continues to multiply, reaching a new high in the past year.

Today, investors are actually at a loss when putting bets on digital currency as they could lose as much as $12 billion in just 2022. However, the report has released a warning about how it might not get better anytime soon with fears of the problem multiplying in 2023.

One team located at Chainplay noted how investors in the world of crypto globally had figures as high as $30 billion stolen over the last ten years. And then in 2022, some major crime incidents reached a high of 436, which is almost quadrupled that seen in 2021.

But with time, the figure continues to rise and we could be witnessing a rise entailing 46% between 2021 and 2022. So when you actually come to think of it, that’s nearly a theft worth $12 billion in just 2022 alone. And to be more specific, we’re talking about cryptocurrency disappearing each hour from users’ accounts.

The study has also noted how certain periods are more vulnerable to crime in the crypt world than others. For instance, you might not want to invest during the summertime, June in particular.

There has been a huge rise in incident reporting during this period. More digital crimes that end up stealing crypto took place in June than any other month of the year in the past decade, the study’s researchers noted.

There is just one exception that can be found, and that’s May when thieves ran away with nearly $5.7 billion and that stood for a fifth of the crypto lost since figures were recorded in 2012.

The study did explain how Turkish investors lost a staggering $2 billion in crypto-related scams while around $23 billion of the funds stolen was through unidentified sources. But you must be wondering how can something like this take place.

See, the answer is quite simple. It’s like people adore making digital money and with currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum at an all-time high, they love how it's encrypted and has been decentralized in terms of exchange mediums.

The problem has to do with how currencies like Bitcoin are not anonymous. They do mask the user’s identity but with the right tools in place, experts reveal how the identity can be shown.

However, if you think you have lost your funds through a crypto scam, the chances of you getting them back are little to none. These types of centralized endeavors are huge targets for robbers in the cyber world.

They make use of the most updated means to carry out such malicious campaigns that really leave investors and experts dumbfounded.

Read next: Privacy Concerns In The Online World Continue To Instill A Trust Gap Among Brands And Consumers
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

This New Study Highlights The Trending State Of Creative Team Collaboration In 2023

Collaborating on creative projects with a great team of people is always recommended. But if you’re just as curious as many others in seeing what the current scenario holds for 2023, you might want to read on.

Things have changed dramatically over the years and with the pandemic affecting the way most of us work, it’s thought-provoking to see where creative team collaborations stand today. And that’s why this study by Filestage ended up surveying 366 marketers and heads from the creative industry.

The authors mentioned how they wished to see the current state through the eyes of those belonging to agencies, different leading brands, and production firms. There is definitely a new normal and we’re highlighting the key points of this study for you below.

Today, there is a 33% rise in hybrid work setups. So that practicality means every 2 in 3 marketers are working with this type of working layout. Meanwhile, every 1 in 3 firms is functioning remotely with around 10 members of the workforce as compared to the past when there was just one.

On the other hand, the report proved how 28% took up the digital nomad life by doing work from at least two or more nations. These are stats from last year that showed how much people were resorting to working remotely.

Almost three-quarters of all creative collaborations tend to take the remote route but that does not mean everything is done on those grounds. In fact, 74% takes place in real-time.

Today, the average process linked to creative reviews takes up to 8 whole days and then nearly 3 different versions are required to attain sign-offs. Another problem such as work setups have to deal with is a long time for feedback. And that is what slows down individuals to an extreme degree.

So what this report has told us is that the old-age concept of working long office hours is now gone. It’s being replaced with more modern forms of working that are convenient and efficient for both the employee and employer.

What we found to be particularly interesting is how working from different nations has really helped a lot of people. They agree that traveling does end up empowering and broadening the mind.

Others mentioned how it adds more perspective and inspiration and if that is what you’re looking for, booking tickets to a new designation is the thing to do.

49% of respondents claim their teams spend their time in collaboration through remote working and in real-time. Meanwhile, 26% claim to spend it through remote working and asynchronous. But 25% said it’s all done face to face, so that’s quite interesting.

On average, the research highlighted how it takes up to four days for an average freelancer to get their respective work approved by the leading heads or executives that they’re working for. But when you’re employed as a member of a brand, this would take around 10 days, if not more.

Startup companies are the second slowest where a time of 9 days on average is required for approval. Coming to agencies and production firms, they would take around a week or so.

But experts claim that trends are changing and more companies are resorting to more transparent and centralized measures for reviews. This would assist in shaving days off and saving time and frustration on the part of employees waiting to get approval.

The study highlighted how attaining feedback can be such a nuisance as is the task of chasing people down to attain some kind of approval. Only those workspaces willing to work on the likes of fast feedback cultures can end up overcoming such problems.

Read next: Is a degree essential to a career in tech?
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Ecommerce App Installs Go Up But Retention Remains Stagnant

The mobile app industry has been in a state of crisis since the start of 2022, but in spite of the fact that this is the case recent numbers indicate that things are looking up. Fintech and gaming app installs are up by 13% and 10% respectively, and even the troubled ecommerce sector is performing well with a 4% increase. The ecommerce sector experienced a 0.6% decline last year, so these numbers are definitely heartening.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that user retention is not seeing the same kind of forward momentum. The first day retention rate decreased from 20% to 19%, and two week retention declined from 9% to 8% over the course of the past year.

However, there are many other signs that might suggest that the industry is on the mend. Ecommerce installs in the EMEA region were up by a massive 25%, with APAC seeing a 19% increase and North America’s installs going up by around 15%. LATAM, which was a big boost for ecommerce last year despite a wider industry downturn, came in last with just an 11% rate of growth for app installs.

It seems like shopping apps are winning this battle, with around 58% of the ecommerce installs that were noted going to apps in this category with all things having been considered and taken into account. Deal discovery apps are also seeing a rise in popularity, with 35% of installs going towards them because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up helping users save money.

It's interesting to see shopping apps see such a surge despite inflationary pressures. There is a chance that the rest of 2023 could see deal discovery apps surpassing them since they will help buyers stretch out their limited budgets by a pretty vast margin.

What’s more, people are shopping on mobile more than ever before. A 12% increase on mobile ecommerce sessions was noted for the past year, and chances are that the growth rate will continue in 2023.

H/T: Adjust report.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Google Plans To Add More Security Features To Personal Loan Apps Including Zero Access To Users’ Pictures And Contacts

Top loan apps have been in the spotlight for harassing users and their respective contact lists after gaining access to sensitive information.

But it now appears that top tech giant Google is on the move to control the situation. The search engine giant hopes to introduce a range of security features whose main goal is to prevent access to users’ images and contact lists.

The new law would come into play by the end of May this year and it is designed to safeguard users from the likes of abuse and online harassment. These are the latest changes made to its policy and they were identified by TechCrunch today so personal loan apps are kept at bay.

So if you’ve got personal images, videos, or contact numbers on your device, you no longer have to worry about it being transferred or taken advantage of.

The action comes after plenty of cases regarding harassment were reported from different parts of the world including Pakistan, the Philippines, Kenya, and India. And it’s not something new, it’s been happening for a while now. So it’s about time Google took notice and did something about it.

Similarly, it’s very common to see such platforms gaining access to phonebooks and media before giving out their financial services to respective clients. And the fact that individuals may install such apps with ease on their devices seems like they’re the most convenient answer for a sudden surge of financial issues.

But let’s not forget how they end up charging huge interest rates when so many borrowers have trouble with due payments. This is the point in time when such abuse starts. Moreover, agents were seen sending out profanity-filled text messages to contact lists belonging to the borrower, after stealing access to them.

From colleagues to loved ones and more, random texts would be sent out that would embarrass the client in such a way that it would humiliate them and make them pay for it. Moreover, some individuals would threaten those further and even cause harm to family members.

As mentioned by TechCrunch, sometimes the abuse would really get too bad for some individuals that it would cause them to take their lives.

So now, Google is stepping into the picture and taking the situation under its own wings to help nations struggling with the ordeal. Therefore, all apps need to gain approval and a list of documentation from respective government agencies.

Across America, Google ended up banning apps providing payday loans that had a yearly percentage rate that was greater than 36% in 2019. And in places like Pakistan, it was non-banking financial firms would only give given the chance to include a single loan app across Google Play Store, beginning next month.

The screening measures are certainly tight and much more intense than what was seen a year back. But still, there are still a huge number of apps providing loans on Google’s Play Store that are working without any form of check and balance.

Therefore, we tend to hear about online abuse and harassment cases, time after time. Users keep being taken advantage of by agents routinely. But with stricter measures like these in place, screening can now be done easily.

Just screening agents is not the solution and Google has seen that it was worked without much success in the past. But with that said, Google is working hard in terms of blocking apps from getting access to users’ phonebooks.

Read next: Protecting Your Digital Life: The Alarming Increase in Phishing Scams
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Power users of most social networks might have to pay to have access to some of their services

2022 was the last year when we got to use social media apps for free. Starting in June 2022, a number of social media platforms began offering subscription bundles to its customers, which means some people may have to pay to utilize more features on these platforms. Snapchat was the first one to take the initiative and launch this, followed by Twitter, and Meta (Instagram and Facebook) in 2023.

Some people viewed this trend as helpful for marketers, influencers, or content producers, while others were opposed to it. In order to find out that people are optimistic about this or not, a research was carried out and 1,056 respondents were questioned extensively so they could express their opinions. Each question was graded on a scale of 1 to 10. Additionally, it was discovered that, in contrast to Facebook, Instagram is used more frequently by teenagers and individuals under the age of 40, while Facebook is the opposite of it. Meta-owned Facebook is most likely to be used by people who are above the age of 40. The bulk of users on Twitter and Snapchat are, respectively, between the ages of 18 and 19 and 35 to 65.

Before diving into the research’s conclusion and findings, you have to know what these bundles are offering. Twitter, a major player in technology, appears to benefit its users by giving them a blue verified badge, priority rankings for their replies mentions, less adverts, and you could even upload longer video to your feed. While Instagram and Facebook provide features like straight access to customer service, user authentication, high reach of your content, and the ability of protection against account impersonation, all of these might be advantageous to users and make this platform more easy-to-use. Snapchat isn't lagging behind any other platform since it also offers options like the ability to alter the app icon, user verification, and people could know who has re-watched their story.

According to the poll, what counts most is whether or not these features meet the demands of the users. Instagram users appear to be the most satisfied with these services, scoring 7.41 out of a possible 10, while Facebook was left behind with 7.31. To add to it, there wasn't much of a difference in the responses given by those with and without college degrees because both groups consider these traits to be of high caliber.

• Also read: Protecting Your Digital Life: The Alarming Increase in Phishing Scams

The survey's second question focused on how respondents felt about the costs associated with subscription services. In addition to Snapchat who is offering 3.99 dollars, Twitter is providing subscriptions for 8.00 dollars. In Australia and New Zealand, Meta decided on a pricing of 11.99 for a web membership and 14.99 for an Android or iOS one. However, given the outcome of the question, Snapchat’s scores were 7.38, whilst Twitter scored 7.37 in the survey beating out Meta which scored the total of 7.25.

Moreover, the respondents were inquired with the question that is, how much they are willing to buy these platforms’ subscriptions. Snap's package received the highest rating from the respondents (7.27), indicating that users were highly pleased with it. Twitter came in after Snapchat with a total score of 7.14, followed by Instagram and Facebook with 7.21 and 7.16, respectively. Additionally, college graduates (7.41) are more likely to choose these subscriptions than those who are not included in the group of those with a college education (5.85).

• Related: New Web Traffic Data Reveals Only 4% Of People That Visited Twitter Blue's Sales Webpage Subscribed To It

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google Gears Up To Introduce Conversational AI Into Its Search Engine

The world’s leading search engine is gearing up to allocate some innovative AI features to its search.

The news was confirmed today by the Wall Street Journal where Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai mentioned how important it was to make advances in this field. He similarly noted how conversational AI does have great potential for supercharging its search engine.

When asked during his recent interview if individuals would be able to inquire and provide engagement with LLMs in relation to search, the tech giant’s head firmly said yes. He even referenced the great number of language models that run these AI chatbots.

In the past, we saw the search engine giant hint at some major plans to combine AI into the search world after it introduced the Bard chatbot, a tool that is designated to be more similar in design to ChatGPT by OpenAI.

But let’s not forget how Bard is kept away from Google Search as it entails its own webpage and a completely separate waitlist to attain access.

Google Daily brings out piles of information with plenty of links, after all, it’s the world’s number one search engine. This is a response to the huge number of queries that pop up on a daily basis. Moreover, you’ll see bringing forward AI chat to its search and that is what makes technology available to a huge number of people.

This is taken from a huge realm of experimental ideas and classic tools that users can utilize to find what they’re searching for.

For now, Google is yet to give out responses to queries on this front and when exactly we can expect conversational AI to be seen in its Search.

In February of this year, we saw the tech giant introduce Bard as a part of the company making its way in the race of generative AI. There are plenty of products and services popping up as we speak in this domain and who can forget the roaring success of ChatGPT that arose this past year.

OpenAI’s breakthrough tool grabbed a hold of imaginations and managed to give out replies that were very similar to human interaction when it was bombarded with queries from users. Similarly, it was asked to set out poems and outline designs for the software. Clearly, the range of functions is plenty. And then by January of this year, we saw ChatGPT reach out to nearly 100 million users who were active, and that is what made it one of the quickest platforms on the web to achieve so much growth in such a short span of time.

• Also read: Google Unveils Details Regarding One Of Its AI Supercomputers While Raving About Its Speed And Efficiency

This is what paved the way for more and more firms to introduce a wide range of AI goods. And Microsoft’s Bing search was no exception. The latter is a huge success and when compared to Google’s Bard, there is no competition. It’s an innovative tool that gives the classic mode of search a new twist. And with the combination of AI, it’s now giving more and more people detailed replies with the right type of information to support it.

Speaking to WSJ, Google’s CEO also hinted at how the company was busy experimenting with a number of search products that are powered by AI technology. This includes those that would enable people to request follow-ups to the initial question put forward.

Let’s not forget how the Android maker has similarly introduced AI offerings into a number of its tools across the Google Workspace and that includes the popular Gmail and Docs.

Photo: Helynn Ospina / WSJ

Read next: Google Hopes To Make Play Store Users’ Lives Easier With Simpler Ways To Delete Accounts
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World