The Devastating State of Pakistan Due to Complete Internet Blackout; Millions of Citizens Fall Victim of Social Media Shutdown

Pakistan’s decision to shut down the internet and social media platforms caused chaos and destruction for the citizens and left millions handicapped. After Imran Khan’s arrest on Tuesday, the government of Pakistan shut down mobile data and big social media apps including Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. According to the data collected by ProPakistani, telecom operators have faced a 1.64 billion PKR revenue loss whereas the government has suffered a loss of almost 573 million PKR in tax revenue.

Ever since the censorship of mobile internet, everything has come to a halt. Cab services such as InDrive, Uber, Careem, and Bykea, delivery services such as Foodpanda, restaurants, freelance and remote employees and employers, and online education for students have suffered the most. With a huge devastating impact on 160,000 ride drivers and riders, more than 12,000 home chefs and restaurants including those on the ride-hailing platforms, and roughly 500,000 digital freelancers trying to make a living for themselves.

Furthermore, 90,000 POS vendors, 6,000 e-commerce stores, and 42,483,573 mobile wallets are also a victim of this foced shutdown. This has caused millions to lose their daily income who heavily rely on these apps and resources to survive each day, losing these resources indefinitely is too much for these millions to recover from. Not just that, they might not find any other options to make do in this situation.

Most of the major roads in cities are blocked and access to hospitals is restricted as well causing devastation across the nation. The arrest of this political leader sparked protests nation-wide almost immediately. The videos of the protests and the arrest have gone viral. The shutdown was implemented to quill the resistance of the citizens and has been so far the worst shutdown that the nation experienced. Immobile patients’ access to healthcare and freelancers' access to the market and resources has caused the whole nation to sit down empty-handed.

Moreover, online learning has become a routine practice since COVID-19. The shutdown handicapped thousands of higher and secondary educational institutes which were conducting online sessions for the students. Social media block has cut off a means of connection between millions of people as well as countless businesses online. Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok offered incredible earning opportunities for the nation which have now been made unavailable as much due to the new internet restrictions, affecting millions of Pakistani content creators who used these platforms for a main income for themselves and their families as well.

As the protests have gone on the past few days, the lack of connectivity gave the protesters no hurdles or issues at all. The real victims of this data connectivity shut down for an indefinite period are the workers, students, freelancers, riders, drivers, etc. In this digital age, the nation heavily relies on the availability of these apps and connectivity to earn a living, support dreams, to be able to find opportunities, and build connections. The shutdown has only sparked more uncertainty, discomfort, devastation, and confusion for the citizens of Pakistan. Although, PTA claimed it'll soon restore the internet services but it failed to delineate what it achieved by blocking the internet in the country.

Not knowing when internet services will be restored and restrictions on social media sites will be lifted has happened for the first time for most of this generation. Now, there is a higher need for these resources than ever before causing extreme damage to the lower class of this country. They took the initiative and built an income source for themselves to feed their families and children, support their education, and everything in between. Currently, no one is aware of the future of this shutdown and the restoration of their valuable resources. With the economy down the drain already, it is quite unsettling to experience such restrictions and witness the economy deteriorate further right in front of our eyes.

This is not merely devasting and unfortunate, it is a direct violation of the human rights of Pakistanis. This shutdown has proved to be an unnecessary, inappropriate, and damaging response to the political issues at hand. This has not only caused great economic losses but also the lives and livelihoods of millions of citizens who rely on online connectivity to function. The government must take notice and lift the restrictions everywhere immediately to alleviate the suffering of Pakistan’s citizens and prevent any further economic losses.

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by Ayesha Hasnain via Digital Information World

New Survey Reveals Nearly 95% of Creators Make Content With the Help of AI

AI has become a hot topic as of late because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up transforming the manner in which we engage in various practices. One area of the economy that people thought might take a hit is the creator niche, with many assuming that the services of creative professionals would become less necessary than might have been the case otherwise.

In spite of the fact that this is the case, it turns out that creators are actually leveraging AI tools to improve their performance and make far better content than in the past. Influencer Marketing Factory recently conducted a survey to shed some light on how popular AI tools have become among creatives, and it turns out that the vast majority of them are using these tools on a regular basis.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that as many as 94.5% of creators have admitted to using AI to aid them in the creation of content. Around 660 creators were polled in this survey, which reveals the enormous extent to which AI is now being utilized since barely any of these creators have eschewed the use of AI tools in their work flow.

The most popular use for AI is in the editing field, since Large Language Models like ChatGPT can parse large blocks of text and point out errors that can quickly be corrected. Many creators are also using AI to generate images and videos without having to hire someone for the task, and creating captions has also become considerably easier thanks to the abundance of countless AI tools that creators are already signing up for.

Video editing is yet another area where AI is coming in clutch. With popular platforms like Adobe Premiere Pro incorporating AI into its video editing software, creators can now clip entire scenes from their videos and remove objects with AI. This is vastly easier than trying to do it themselves, and there are plenty of platforms that allow creators to take advantage of AI in such a manner.

As for image generation, DALL-E and Midjourney tend to be the most prevalent options. They facilitate image generation from simple text prompts, and creators can use them to add visual flair to their work. Even if the images don’t make it to the final cut, they can be used as sources of inspiration or as thumbnails that can get more eyes on the content. All in all, creators are clearly seeing a lot of value in AI during their projects.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Consumer Media Spending Growth Fell in 2022 After Record Breaking 2021, More Deceleration Expected for 2023

The acceleration in consumer spending that was seen in 2021 broke all records, with growth rates 6.2% in the US and 6.9% in the rest of the world. In spite of the fact that this is the case, 2022 saw this growth rate lose some of its steam, falling to 6.3% around the world. One thing that bears mentioning here is that the US was hit even worse than the rest of the world, with its own growth rate consumer spending on media falling to just 5.1%.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this trend is predicted to persist for the rest of 2023, and indeed for much of the current decade. Consumer spending on media in the US finally managed to break the half trillion dollar mark, reaching $510.2 billion back in 2022.

However, the drop in the growth rate suggests the future increases might come more slowly than might have been the case otherwise. The US is still the largest media market in the world, making up a whopping 23.3% of the total media spending that is seen around the world, but its dominance is clearly beginning to slip.

Its slow rate of expansion might be concerning because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up leaving the US behind other countries with a much faster growth rate. South Africa managed to increase its consumer media spending by a massive 9.8%, and many other emerging economies are beginning to do the same with all things having been considered and taken into account.

It will be interesting to see where things go from here on out. The US has been the single biggest consumer market in the world for decades now, but the aftermath of the pandemic which will continue well into 2027 if not longer poses a huge risk to its status. The country’s hegemony will be a thing of the past if countries like South Africa, India and China catch up to it.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Several Challenges for Smartphone Industry Up in the Row in 2023

A new study highlights that smartphone shipments in America dropped by an average of seventeen percent in the current year's first quarter. This drop was an outcome of various factors, including high inflation rates, inventory problems, and consumer demand.

The study analyzed that increasing inflation is the major cause of the dropdown in mobile phone shipments. Due to higher taxes and higher prices, many consumers refrained from buying a new device for their use.

Besides higher inflation, the adjustnebt of inventory was also the major factor in the dropdown of these shipments. In previous years, the manufacturers produced higher quantities of these devices, resulting in lesser supplies, and eroded profits from the consumers' end. Further, this surplus led to hefty discounts and promotions, creating instability for various manufacturers.

In addition, less demand for these gadgets plays a massive role in the shipment fall. America's economic system is currently undergoing several problems. The rise in inflation, supply chain disorders, and the ongoing Ukraine war, are the major factors that are forcing consumers to spend less and save more for rainy days.

The study also highlights that besides these constant failures, Apple is the only tech giant that is sustaining. In the current year's first quarter, the organization was able to raise its market share by four percent, from 49 - 53. The rise highlights the innovation and approach of Apple toward its consumers and targets.

It further highlights that despite these issues, some premium quality phones, such as foldable ones, will do good in the market. The insights show that this category of cell phones offers an exceptional consumer experience that they may lack in other devices. It also highlights the trait of innovation, making this category the profitable one.

Also, during the other half of this year, it is expected that existing service providers will boost their marketing strategies to give a tough time to other network operators. The following operators are providing flexible rates that are resulting in increased consumer equity and a better share of the market.

Thus, to sum up, the overall market of this industry is facing several challenges. But with these challenges, there are various opportunities also, through which any potential competitor can come and rule the market.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Meta Is Designing New Built-In Generation Tools For Ads As It Works To Align Against The Generative AI Shift

Tech giant Meta is on the move to align itself with the current wave of Generative AI.

The company is working to create a new range of advertising tools that would assist in refining its options in the AI world and that entails the creation of built-in generation tools for the sake of ad creatives.

The company mentioned through its innovative Sandbox project how it would be putting a small group of advertisers to the test and that includes the option of designing more ad campaigns.

Today, Meta’s AI Sandbox project currently entails three different types of elements including Image Outcropping, Text Variations, and Background Generation.

With the help of text variation, users would now be able to make use of AI to produce several variations in advertising text while providing marketers with a series of new options to select from for better performance.

As could be seen with such an example, this whole process would take the latest advertising copy and provide users with a long list of alternatives depending on the ads of Meta and its best practices. They would then be able to use such variations via a one-click procedure and the A/B tests to see how effective the performance really is.

Meanwhile, the tool called Background Generation is there to make backdrops for images of products using text inputs. And yes, in case you’re wondering, it’s quite similar in function to DALL-E.

At the end of it all, it might save users funds and time while helping them make more creative elements. But we do agree that some of these examples of Generative AI could be a little hard to mend so you might need to be careful when dealing with this.

Lastly, users would be able to make use of a feature called Image Outcropping that’s designed to adjust visuals so that they fit into all sorts of aspect ratios across a number of different surfaces including Reels and Stories.

As could be seen in such examples, these types of systems can simulate all kinds of extended visuals. This way, users can fit into it using different formats, even if there are no custom creatives for such endeavors.

But we do see how such tools may turn out to be a great help while putting together a range of creative elements that are paired so well together with Meta’s Advantage + targeting initiative. And at the end of the day, it provides the company’s ad systems with a series of creative options for users and enhances the performance of ads.

Clearly, there are some massive limitations that such tools continue to provide with time. And users would no longer need to keep closer eyes upon every element that’s created. But in those situations when the system ends up confusing itself or starts to churn out garbage, things might need a little extra regulation and control.

These are clearly some great ways to make use of generative. We don’t see them as replacements but as complements to the current system that’s already in place. And that would provide some more great options and end up making considerations that weigh up with time.

Meta also shed light on how it was now making use of some great targeting options that it plans to include in its Advantage+ Campaigns. This provides some great ways to target the intended audience.

Soon, Facebook’s parent firm hopes to see advertisers shift from manual to its Advantage+ campaigns in a single click. And that just makes the entire process of integration so much simpler.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

NBCUniversal Advertising Chief Linda Yaccarino Holds Discussions With Twitter As Musk Hints At Hiring New CEO

The advertising chief of NBCUniversal is busy holding some discussions with Twitter amid speculations that she might be the company’s new CEO.

The news comes after the firm’s chief Elon Musk excitedly announced through his Twitter account that he had finally found a new CEO that would be able to take on the responsibility from him. However, he failed to name who that person is or would be.

The report from The Wall Street Journal went into detail about who Yaccarino is and how her tenure at NBCUniversal has been since she first adopted the leading role in the year 2011.

She was also known for playing the front role in launching the streaming platform as per a new report by The Journal that cited some anonymous sources while reporting talks carried out between her and Musk’s popular microblogging website.

For now, Yaccarino is remaining hushed on the matter and is not even commenting on matter. But if that is indeed the case, it’s a decision that was a long time coming as many felt perhaps the world’s second richest person really needed a break and had to put someone else in charge because he simply could not do everything on his own.

Musk is the world’s second richest individual and the main owner of Twitter but he has vowed to step down from the role of the CEO once he finds someone capable of doing the task and that might be right now.

After stepping down, he would resume the role of the firm’s executive chair and its CTO. Therefore, that means taking on the role of overseeing products, the firm’s systems operations, and also the software involved.

For now, Musk is yet to name the CEO but he did give out a hint that it would be a female as he referred to the new role as ‘She’.

Musk who is also the owner of several other leading companies including Tesla and SpaceX, had provided lots of hints when he wished to step down in the latter part of last year. The majority of people who took part in a poll last year had voted in favor of him stepping down and he hoped to do that by the end of 2023. Therefore, it seems he’s just sticking to his guns.

He has similarly been bashed by investors from Tesla who felt he was very distracted and couldn’t focus on Tesla because Twitter was taking a huge chunk of his time. Therefore, the firm was outlined as being mismanaged with fears of a downfall if things remained in this manner.

There are even reports of a board meeting taking place to speak about how serious the matter has become and if Musk should even remain as the CEO of Tesla as he was finding it hard to make time for the organization.

This sudden decision of a new CEO comes as Twitter makes a series of changes to the app with the rollout of new features such as video calls and encrypted messages through DMs.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

The Advent of 2023 Marked an Alarming Upsurge in Cyber Assaults on Governments

There was a notable spike in cyber spying campaigns, indicating an alarming increase in the exploitation of digital platforms for illicit actions.

In a recent investigation by Surfshark, there has been a rapid rise in cyber assaults targeting official agencies, highlighting a concerning pattern in the realm of digital security.

A published report by Surfshark revealed that out of 921 plus significant cyber-assaults recorded between 2006 to the first quarter of 2023, 720 plus were directed at government bodies. The report highlights the alarming trend in digital assaults toward government bodies, even during the initial month of 2023.

The government witnessed a substantial spike in digital assaults since 2020, with annual means rising from 30 to 95 incidents. A study revealed that nearly fifty percent of the 920 critical cases studied emerged in the past three years. Sociable engineering was often the initial tactic used by threat players, leading to spyware or ransomware strikes, although in specific cases, misleading campaigns were also used.

The Surfshark report indicates that cyber spying drives are a major cause for concern, as 15 percent of all strikes on government commodities since 2006 have been identified as such. The first quarter of 2023 saw 30 plus hits, with almost one-third of them (nine) being cyber spying incidents, a number that's almost equivalent to the whole year of 2022.

According to the analysis, cyber spying campaigns are primarily executed by state-sponsored entities, indicating an escalation in e-warfare between governments. The researchers cite recent cases, such as the Russian hacking of the French National Assembly site and the involvement of a Vietnamese cyber spying group in targeting a United States federal organization in March, as evidence of this trend.

Some of the most diligent and skilled threat players in the world include NK (North Korea), Chinese, and Russian state-sponsored groups. The North Korean Lazarus Group, for instance, is notorious for targeting cryptocurrency firms as a means of generating funds for the country's military and government procedures.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Lazarus Group was responsible for one of the most significant cryptocurrency thefts in history, in which they breached the Ronin Network and stole over $600 million plus worth of cryptocurrencies. This incident highlights the group's highly refined capabilities and the seriousness of the danger posed by state-sponsored cyber-spying drives.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World