Creative Trends 2024: Embracing the Future of Design with Depositphotos' Insights

How can one predict consumer preferences and behavior or foresee what visuals will resonate with their audiences in the upcoming year? A data-driven approach is one of the possible answers.

Depositphotos, a leading stock content platform with 40 million users worldwide, has just presented a research-based report for content creators, marketers, and business owners looking to navigate tendencies in design and communication. The research includes booming stock content searches, a deep analysis of various artistic approaches taken by the platform’s contributors, as well as insights from leading photography, design, and communication experts.

Take your time to discover concepts relevant to customers in 2024 and learn how to leverage them in your projects immediately.

Top 7 trends in creativity, communication, and graphic design for 2024

In past years, escapism and virtual realms were dominant tendencies in creative communications. On the contrary, 2024 will become a year when creatives and customers ground themselves with structured approaches for a real-world impact. Along with this, the accessibility and rapid development of technologies; a mass shift to remote-first and skill-based work; Gen Z ruling social media; and culture decentralization are all key factors that will influence the creative landscape in the coming year.

In 2024, we will see a nostalgic revival of 70s–90s street culture with a dash of stealth wealth. Creators and brands will lean more towards text-only communication, but there will still be a surge of merging reality, dimensions, and styles, emphasizing individuality and authenticity.

As Millennials and Gen Z dominate social media and are almost inseparable from engaging with and consuming online content, their influence will shape rapidly emerging and just as swiftly fading online aesthetic trends, which can be a fast lane into brand relevance. An ongoing evolution of redesigning workspaces and integrating more digital tools to achieve a more balanced and enjoyable work experience will also be in full swing in 2024.

1. Back to the streets

With social trends on the rise, 2024 graphic design will be influenced by expressive nostalgia, which is highly cherished and currently experienced by Millennials. Coming from four years of social and professional isolation and a remote-first lifestyle, those born in the 80s–90s are eager to re-explore the outdoors and reunite with their community.

Looking ahead, we can expect a boom in urban aesthetics for brand communications, including the use of graffiti lettering, retro and grainy visuals, DIY local scenes, and the integration of community events and street subcultures.

2. A way with words

Transparent communication is what drives consumer trust the most. Clear messaging and a thoughtful combination of typography are set to be leading design elements in 2024. Driven by the shift towards straightforward and easily digestible visual designs, this trend focuses on adding personality to minimalistic, text-only projects.

Creators can play with fonts and typefaces, creating shimmering, distorted, pixelated, and animated lettering to inject dynamism into their work, fully expressing their creative vision and boosting any message. Colored, angled, and differently sized type variations will eliminate the need to use additional design elements and facilitate the blend of diverse styles within a composition.

3. Core wave

Social media, with the majority of its active users being Gen Z, is sparking a move from a single leading aesthetic toward numerous "-cores" based on popular movies, books, cartoons, historical periods, and more. Marketers, designers, communicators, and other content creators can leverage these rising and sometimes short-lived aesthetics to engage consumers and improve their visibility.

Instead of sticking to one safe style for months, experiment with color palettes, visual elements, music genres, and effects to create a distinctive design that aligns with the values and interests of your audience. Apply different cores, like the trending Animecore, Cottagecore, or Barbiecore to your brand and product materials to show your adaptability and willingness to embrace creative change.

4. Retro yet timeless

Looking to the past for inspiration has always been a design tactic. And 2024 is bringing the #oldmoney aesthetic, where creators will delve into classic design elements, especially family-style legacy and antiques. With a modern spin, this trend embraces sustainability and a reimagining of old traditions, allowing the timeless aesthetics of quiet luxury items to resurface.

We can expect designs to feature natural, rich, brown-, green-, and earth-toned colors; 20th-century newspaper lettering; time-worn quality items; and elegantly crafted details that declare heritage and sophistication. To boost the timeless, retro film aesthetic, you can experiment with color-grading effects, vintage props, wood, leather, stone, and other durable, tactile textures.

5. Personality, not gender

2024 is the year of cultivating self-acceptance, celebrating diversity, breaking gender norms, and recognizing human character. Rather than sorting products, styles, and expressions into male- and female-oriented categories, we encourage an inclusive visual environment where everyone has the chance to self-express and genuinely represent their identity.

Designers will defy gender stereotypes in their projects, all while eliminating society boundaries. We will see the honoring of natural beauty, psychological diversity, human backgrounds, and individual experiences portrayed in brand visual communications.

6. The dimensions game

Are you ready to let your imagination run free and play with merging genres, dimensions, aesthetics, and concepts? In 2024, you can design with a fresh outlook on artistic expression and reimagine brand communication while channeling your creative self. Interweave reality with simulation, pushing the boundaries of human perception and creating unreal immersive experiences.

We can expect creators to experiment with color fusions, visual layering, motion effects, and interlacing dimensions to bring their fantasies to life. Contrasting techniques and textures will enhance visual storytelling and add a bit of zest to your work. Draw inspiration from renowned art movements and integrate AR design elements to create emotional impact and maintain clear messaging.

7. Life, work, hybrid

In 2024, the question of work-life balance will continue to evolve, reflecting our collective need for a harmonious combination of personal and professional pursuits. While some prefer separating their professional and personal tasks by dedicating time to executing work swiftly and indulging in leisure time, others shift towards a seamless blend of work and personal life without distinctive separation.

Digital design and brand communications will portray functional and stylish workspaces that accommodate various requirements and personal preferences. Creators will highlight the collaborative environments and inclusive energy of coworking locations, cafes, and redesigned office spaces. We will also see an emphasis on comfort, efficiency, and visually stimulating home settings where people can pay attention to their professional tasks and take care of familial responsibilities.

Ready to implement these trends and create exquisite design projects?

Exploring the 2024 creative trends and expert insights will allow you to channel your creativity with purpose and transform ideas into impactful visuals. Moreover, knowing what's on the horizon helps you stay relevant and visible to your target audience, meeting their evolving preferences and interests.

Use the Depositphotos Trend Report 2024 to choose concepts that fit your brand aesthetic and discover curated collections of licensed, high-quality images, videos, and audio files for your creative endeavors.

Read next: The Biggest Mobile App Trends for 2024 Revealed
by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

50 Countries Imposed Social Media Restrictions Since 2015, Surfshark’s Study Shows

Most people living in democratic societies enjoy free and uninhibited access to social media. Sadly, that’s not the case for everyone. According to a Surfshark study, 50 countries have imposed social media restrictions since 2015 (including cases that began before 2015 and were ongoing at the start of the year). While some restrictions were short-term and lasted just a few hours, others have persisted for many years and don’t seem to be coming to an end anytime soon.

“Social media users tend to think that platforms like Facebook and Instagram are only for sharing memes, funny videos, and posting photos. While that’s a large part of social media, we must not forget that it’s also used by journalists and activists to share news and opinions. In countries with constant civil unrest and political instability, staying informed is especially important, but these countries are also the ones that are being affected by internet restrictions the most.”, says Lina Survila, Surfshark spokeswoman.

Five countries were found to have ongoing restrictions lasting more than five years — China, Turkmenistan, Iran, Eritrea, and North Korea. In total, 1.55 billion people live in these countries.

In 2009, China and Iran banned Facebook, Twitter (X), and YouTube, while Turkmenistan banned YouTube. The three countries also restricted other social media platforms later on. Eritrea banned YouTube in 2011 — a restriction that’s also still in place today.

North Korea is an interesting case — while social media has never been available to its citizens, visitors from other countries were allowed to connect to social media for a while. However, that ended when Instagram was banned in 2015, and Facebook, Twitter (X), YouTube, and Whatsapp were banned in 2017.

Many young people (namely Gen Z) are growing up without access to all or some social media. Sure, this might save them from the detrimental and addictive effects that the platforms tend to have on young people. But it also leaves them isolated and susceptible to their government’s propaganda, making it difficult for them to form unbiased opinions.

Surfshark also analyzed the countries that have imposed more short-term restrictions (less than five years). These kinds of restrictions frequently happen in times of political unrest like protests or elections — which just so happen to be when staying connected is as important as ever.

45 countries have imposed short-term social media restrictions since 2015, affecting a sizable portion of the world population — 2.3 billion people. Just like with long-term restrictions, there is a tendency for these to occur throughout authoritarian regimes in Asia and Africa.

Although these shorter restrictions don’t span decades, the average duration of them is almost half a year. Some restrictions can last just a couple of hours, while others stretch out across several years.

Eswatini experienced one of these short-term restrictions — in 2021, the country restricted access to the internet and several social media platforms for two hours. Although that may not seem like a big deal in light of China’s and Iran’s decade-long restrictions, Eswatini’s restriction happened amid pro-democracy protests.

Survila says that “During times of political turmoil, especially protests or violent riots, it’s as important as ever for people to stay connected to one another and stay in the loop on the latest developments. Eswatini’s citizens were left in the dark for two whole hours during protests, making it especially difficult for people to check on their friends and family, considering that even messaging app Whatsapp was among the platforms affected by the temporary ban.”

Pakistan has experienced seven temporary social media restrictions since 2015. The most recent ones occurred in May of this year when former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested. First, the government restricted Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, followed by Instagram the next day. The platforms are now once again up and running, but Pakistanis will likely have to face even more restrictions in the future, given the government’s track record.

Social media restrictions, and internet censorship in general, are widely recognized issues by organizations like the United Nations. There have already been several UN resolutions aimed at promoting human rights on the internet, with the most recent one happening in 2021. Shockingly, several countries, including Pakistan and Russia, supported the resolution but ended up imposing social media restrictions anyway.

Whether short-term or long-term, social media restrictions can have dire repercussions. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (now X) are no longer just about posting funny photos and videos. They’re also about keeping people from all around the world connected and promoting unbiased news reporting and opinion sharing. When people are cut off from social media, they may be left vulnerable to whatever narrative the government chooses to spread through unrestricted channels. In authoritarian regimes, these unrestricted channels often also happen to be the ones that the government has full control over.

Read next: The Need-to-Know About Consumer Rights And Fine Print
by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

AI Targeting Systems Are Helping Israel Intensify Its War Operations In Gaza While Predicting Civilian Deaths In Advance

The ongoing conflict in Gaza has left many questions in people’s minds in terms of the war strategy being implemented by Israel’s Defense Forces.

But new evidence is emerging in terms of how the country is actually making use of AI targeting systems to help intensify the already brutal operations in the region, which have killed thousands.

The latest system dubbed Hasbora is being utilized for specific target selection in the current war on Hamas. These help to not only highlight Hamas targets in the region but also to link the locations to the operations of Hamas. Similarly, it’s used to guess the figures for civilian deaths arising ahead of time.

This has raised serious eyebrows in terms of how advanced AI has become that it’s being used to intensify the already damaging war whose end seems to be nowhere near. Moreover, knowing how capable AI is, it’s a clear message to the world that perhaps this might be the start of destruction and a means to alter wars currently and in the future too.

Militaries continuously utilize remote as well as autonomous systems which are designed to serve as a means that multiplies the force used to carry out the destructions so that Israel and its soldiers remain secure at all times. Similarly, AI systems may transform soldiers into more useful entities while enhancing the lethality of warfare arising as humans change into invisible beings on the battlefield so they’re less seen and retaliated against by the opposing side.

They can further go on to gather intelligence and hit targets from a massively far distance too.

Now the question is that as the world tries to sit down and unite to find a solution for such a huge conflict, why is technology of this kind emerging in the first place that aggravates the dehumanization of top-of-the-line adversaries? It’s getting scarier to think how AI has been underestimated to such an extent that it’s causing a rift between society and conflicts of this kind.

Seeing the effects of AI on all types of war levels including supporting forces, gathering intelligence, and even generating usage of brutal and lethal weapons without any kind of human intervention can really mean danger.

The system is capable of reshaping the whole war and makes it so much simpler to get into such a conflict. Remember, the system is complex and it’s distributed, and seeing it massively enhance an already escalating war is scary, to say the least.

It can even give rise to major misunderstandings during the war, thanks to its tendency to misinterpret and provide misinformation. Moreover, seeing it give rise to dangerous outcomes and increase uncertainty is also major news.

The restrictions linked to AI systems that interact with other kinds of technology and individuals still need to be researched further but it’s a huge deal and we could never know more details about who authored the output, even though the objective might be quite evident from the start.

Seeing the pace at which the current conflict in Gaza continues to escalate and how the speeds for warfare also remain at an all-time high means altering the manner through which military deterrence is comprehended.

Humans were always assumed to be the leading actors and main intelligence sources for wars but little did we know that it’s actually the brutal pace of machine learning that has led to this. And as militaries continue to alter the decisions via the OODA loop, they’re bidding farewell to spending long hours spent on deliberating what the next or right move in the war could be.

Seeing it bid farewell to chances of ethical deliberations and produce a never-ending cycle of destructions across the board is just mind-blowing. Who knew that the many benefits of AI could soon be overshadowed by its serious drawbacks where no human interactions may end up giving you disaster beyond repair thanks to machine learning of this kind.

And the perfect example that’s present before our eyes is Israel’s war where targeting software continues to delineate bombing targets via Habsora alongside recommendations generated in real time for attacks.

So now what is the question on our minds and how can we take back control of AI systems where heavy reliance during a time where so many of us are reliant on the technology that gets assistance via learning algorithms?

As it is, past experiences prove how controlling AI in any particular location is hard, especially through the use of laws. So many experts feel the right way to combat the situation would be to establish better laws for its governance. But even then, regulating algorithms getting support from machine learning isn’t easy.

Photo: DIW-AIgen

Read next: ChatGPT Enhances Emergency Management by Identifying Distress Locations via Social Media Data
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

EU’s Landmark AI Act Reaches A Provisional Agreement After Being Hailed As A Global Benchmark For AI Governance

The landmark AI Act by the EU has just passed its first round of serious discussions and negotiations, terming it to be a provisional agreement in the region.

The law is becoming famous for being a global benchmark for other nations in terms of AI regulation which many feel is a huge need at this moment in time. And rightly so, considering the amount of debate that surrounds the technology.

Lawmakers united in Brussels this past week and proposed how the AI Act was going to serve as a great example for others to follow suit and possibly pass laws that are very similar to this.

As per the latest press release on the subject, we are hearing more about how the negotiators rolled out obligations that would result in high-impact GPAI systems, meeting all kinds of parameters and benchmarks that would ensure AI is safe to use for users in the region.

This entails tests to ascertain risk, launching incident reports, ad tests, and so much more. The goal is simple, users need to be protected at all times and the technology needs to be useful and not overpowering to an extent that it endangers the human race.

Another major factor of this landmark law is transparency is being kept as the highest priority of them all. There are plenty of detailed summaries in this regard of how content keeps getting used for the sake of training AI models. And that’s something that big AI firms like OpenAI have denied, time after time regarding their ChatGPT endeavor.

One more element in question is in regards to how citizens need the right to roll out complaints regarding AI systems and will continue to attain explanations in terms of the decisions outlined so far like how high of a risk it can be and how it could affect their rights as well.

The announcement made to the press regarding the new law failed to get into the details of how it works or what the set parameters would be. But there were some notes regarding framework as well as fines, if firms opt to break the set regulations outlined.

They are very variable and depend on which part of the law was violated and the size of the organization in question. This could range anywhere between 35 million euros which is a whopping 7% turnover from the firm’s revenue to 7.7 million euros which happens to be a 1.5% turnover of the overall revenue.

There were a few apps where AI happens to be barred such as those linked to scraping facial pictures through CCTV data and even categorizing the offense depending on some uniquely sensitive features like race, political opinions, gender, ethnicity, workplace recognition, education status and the presence of social scoring across the board.

The last two of those are linked to how human behavior could end up limiting users’ free will or exploiting their vulnerabilities. Such rules have also included safety factors put into place and any exemptions that could be attained for instance from law enforcement officials like if they wish to get biometrics or look for evidence linked to recordings and so on.

It seems like there would be a final deal expected very soon and this comes before the year ends. But as far as the implementation of the AI law is concerned, that won’t be happening until the year 2025, which is also a very early estimate by experts.

The initial draft for the landmark AI Act was first made public in 2021 and during that time it was delineated as being a big deal and really differentiating in terms of what would be included as AI and what rules would end up regulating the technology for different member states.

But we need to remember how this is just limited to a provisional agreement. There are still going to be more rounds where negotiations and deliberations will occur and possibly more changes are to come and that would add further delay.

Read next: The top countries paving the way for women in STEM
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Google Launches New Recovery Tool After User Files Mysteriously Disappeared From Google Drive

The end of November had Google Drive users going bonkers after they noticed a peculiar issue linked to their files online.

Users said they would log into their accounts and see everything had gone missing. And we are talking about data that was not new but actually stored for months or years. Moreover, there were also some situations where old variants of such files were present but the newest ones were nowhere to be seen.

Now, the search engine giant claims to have found the ultimate fix, thanks to the latest recovery tool. And that’s when the company says the latter is designed to get their data back with ease.

The rollout would specifically be related to files on the desktop that went missing but they failed to outline which bug ended up causing it. It was alarming as not even a single trace of the data was left behind. And that included no data inside the trash too.

It just seemed like the whole Drive went back to its old self, a situation that you’d find dating back months or even years!

After the uproar, it was obvious that the Android maker would be required to do something to try and retrieve those. You just need to install the latest version for Google Drive and that comes with that tool. Once that is done, simply launch this Drive platform, press settings, and simultaneously hold Shift while selecting Recover on the Backups.

The company did delineate how anyone facing problems would be required to send feedback via their Drive on the Desktop app using hashtags like #DFD84. This would entail the options for Diagnostics as well.

In case you wish to add recovered files linked to particular locations, the search engine giant also added an interface variant for the recovery tool featuring a command line. In cases when it does not work, the search engine giant does add recommendations for utilizing the Backup feature on Windows or your respective iOS device. This would ensure your device is restored to a specific point when all respective cached files found on Drive continue to exist.

While it may have taken the company a while to really address the huge concerns of many who use Google Drive for personal and professional purposes, we’re glad they’ve managed to roll out something.

Read next: The top countries paving the way for women in STEM
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

The top countries paving the way for women in STEM

Currently, women only account for 24% of those working in STEM around the world. On top of this, the wage gap between men and women in STEM professions is a huge $15,000. There are active efforts from many countries around the world to promote inclusivity in the workplace, but which are the best at championing women in the STEM field?

To find out, cloud cost intelligence platform CloudZero has analyzed all 38 OECD member countries. The study has looked at the percentage of women who are STEM graduates or are working in STEM roles, and the number of STEM job opportunities available in each country. CloudZero has also revealed the gender wage gap and average female salary in each location, to better understand the landscape for female workers in these countries. The metrics have then all been combined to reveal the countries who are paving the way for women in STEM.

The top five countries championing women in STEM

1 Iceland

According to the study, Iceland is the best country for championing women in STEM. The European country offers the highest average salary for females across all job types, at $79,473, and it also has a low gender wage gap of just 10%. Iceland also has almost equal gender representation in the STEM fields, as 45% of those working in STEM roles are female.

Iceland’s commitment to gender equality is proven through its Act on Equal Status and Equal Rights of Men and Women, which was established in 2000 with the goal of reaching equal rights in every area of society, including in business. The law also states that companies with over 50 employees must have at least 40% women on their boards.

From a young age, women in Iceland are encouraged to pursue an education in STEM, which is reflected in the fact that 35% of STEM graduates in the country are female. One example of Iceland’s equal opportunity education initiatives is the Hjalli teaching method, which aims to free children from gender stereotypes and promotes equal opportunities for all.

2. The Netherlands

The Netherlands has come in second place. The country has the highest number of STEM opportunities for women, with 13 available for every 1,000 female workers.

The Netherlands also has a high average wage for females, at $63,225, however only 29% of the country’s female workforce are in STEM roles. This could be in part thanks to the fact that often in the Netherlands, caregiving responsibilities fall unequally on women. Cost of childcare could also be perpetuating this, with OECD findings suggesting that more than 80% of the average earnings of women in the Netherlands goes towards childcare fees.

However, the Netherlands is one of the countries that are actively working to promote gender diversity across the whole workforce. In 2017, the country introduced a national strategy for tackling gender equality issues, focusing on the appointment of women to senior positions, the elimination of the gender pay gap, and equal treatment of women in the workplace.

3. USA

Following in third is the U.S, with the country offering one of the highest female salaries of $77,463. However, it’s important to note that this could be reflective of the U.S having the highest GDP per capita ($80,030), rather than its gender pay initiatives. Despite the high salaries for women, the gender wage gap is still very high, at 17%, showing that more efforts are needed to achieve equality in the workplace.

In the U.S, women make up 34% of STEM graduates. This is perhaps in part thanks to the country’s federal and state-level policies that promote gender equality in education. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, for example, prevents education programs from excluding people based on their gender.

The U.S is also the birthplace of many famous women in STEM, including Shirley Ann Jackson, the first African-American woman to earn a doctorate from MIT, and Nancy Roman, the first female executive at NASA.

4. Belgium

With the lowest gender wage gap of all countries analysed (1%), Belgium is in fourth place. In 2012, the government introduced legislation that was specifically aimed at reducing the pay gap. Under these laws, companies must conduct a comparative analysis every two years into the wage structure of female and male employees, and if this analysis shows women earn less, the company will be required to produce an action plan to rectify this.

One-third of the STEM workforce are female in Belgium, though only 26% of STEM graduates are women, showing there is perhaps more to be done at an educational level.

5. Denmark

Denmark rounds off the top five best countries for championing women in STEM. The gender wage gap here is also low, at just 6%, and women earn an average of $64,127. Despite there only being one STEM role opportunity for every 1,000 female workers in Denmark, women do make up 35% of the STEM workforce.

Looking at particular initiatives, in 2014 the government created the ‘More Women in Research’ task force to provide recommendations for more equal gender distribution among researchers. Since 2011 the Ministry of Higher Education and Science has also worked with top science and tech universities to define clear gender equality objectives, which is perhaps why 34% of STEM graduates in Denmark are women.

Rank	Country	Percentage of Women in STEM Roles (%)	Percentage of Female STEM Graduates	Gender Wage Gap (%)	Average Female Wage ($)	STEM Roles per 1,000 Female Workers
1	Iceland	45	35	10	$79,473	1
2	Netherlands	29	29	13	$63,225	13
3	United States	34	34	17	$77,463	7
4	Belgium	33	26	1	$64,848	5
5	Denmark	35	34	6	$64,127	1

The top three countries for women who want to kickstart a career in STEM

The study has also revealed the top countries for women looking to kickstart a career in STEM, taking into account the number of specific roles in the science, mathematics, computer science, and engineering industries, as well as the number of STEM roles available per 1,000 female workers.

1. The Netherlands

Not only is the Netherlands one of the top countries championing women in STEM, it’s also the number one country for those women wanting to establish their STEM career.

The European country offers the highest number of STEM roles per 1,000 female workers (13), and in particular, there are currently a huge 121,167 engineering roles available in the Netherlands. There’s a wide variety of engineering opportunities in the country, particularly in sustainability and infrastructure development.

As we’ve mentioned, women are earning around $63,225 on average in the Netherlands, however the gender pay gap is significant, at 13%, showing there is definitely more work to be done to close this.

2. Luxembourg

Luxembourg has come in as the second best country for women to start a STEM career, offering the second-highest average female wage of $78,310. However, this may be due to the country’s high cost of living, and the need for companies to offer salaries to match this.

Luxembourg also has an above-average number of STEM roles available per 1,000 female workers (7), and as a member of the EU it offers women in STEM the chance to work on international research projects.

There are also several projects aimed at encouraging young girls into STEM across the country, including Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology’s Gender4STEM initiative.

3. Belgium

Belgium is the third best country for women who want to get into the world of STEM. The country has the lowest gender pay gap in the world, at a mere 1%, and women make an average of $64,848 across all sectors.

In particular, Belgium has 25,119 engineering roles available, as well as 1,003 jobs in computer science.

Rank	Country	Gender Wage Gap (%)	Average Female Wage ($)	Science & Math Job Roles	Computer Science & Engineering Job Roles	Engineering Job Roles	STEM Roles per 1,000 Female Workers
1	Netherlands	13%	$63,225	852	1,745	121,167	13
2	Luxembourg	n/a	$78,310	124	301	1,744	7
3	Belgium	1%	$64,848	291	1,003	25,119	5
4	Switzerland	14%	$72,993	284	2,043	29,218	7
5	United States	17%	$77,463	73,151	103,318	889,085	7

Madeline Umscheid at CloudZero, comments: “To start your career in STEM, you should decide on the STEM field that you would like to pursue. Once you identify that, try to find practical experience to develop the skills you need. If you’re in education, lean on your school network to secure a paid internship.

“For those without a degree, try finding an entry-level role. Additionally, you should strive to stay informed about industry developments by building a peer network. Surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals in your field can provide insights and support. Most importantly, seek out inclusive employers as they are more likely to foster a supportive work environment and provide you with clear pathways for your career growth. Remember that prioritizing diversity not only benefits you but also enhances workplace performance.”

Methodology And Sources

CloudZero analyzed a series of metrics across all 38 OECD member countries, including:

• Number of female workers
• Number and percentage of STEM roles held by women
• Percentage of female STEM graduates (most recent figure available for each country)
• The gender wage gap and average female salary
• The volume of STEM jobs available

Data from the OECD, LinkedIn and The World Bank was used to create an indexed ranking, which determined the countries championing women in STEM the most.

All data is accurate as of 18/09/23.

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by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

USA Has Lost A Great Amount to Frauds in Online Shopping in the Last 5 Years

Online Shopping has become a norm in the last few years. People prefer digital mediums, rather than shopping physically. In the last 5 years, online frauds have been happening a lot. That’s the reason online shopping fraud is one of the common frauds happening in the US. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has shared the numbers of online shopping frauds reported since 2019. To know more about online shopping and negative review frauds, consumers should know what this fraud really is. Online shopping scams include unmentioned prices, not delivering products on time or not delivering at all, and fake reviews.

Even though this is considered deceiving the customers, it is known as fraud in digital commerce industry. Many sellers also distort their reviews so they can attract more customers.

Since 2019, 15% of fraudulent cases in the US are through shopping online. If we see this through stats, this means that every hour about 40 Americans fall victim to online shopping fraudulent in the last 5 years. A total of 1.7 million fraud cases have been reported since 2019 in America, i.e., according to Surfshark data.

In Q2 2020, frauds by online shopping were at the highest peak and there were many cases reported. It was right after the spread of covid pandemic when people were preferring to shop online. There was a major contrast between the reported cases of frauds in online shopping in Q1 2020 and Q2 2020. In early 2020, 63k cases of frauds were reported while in mid 2020, it increased to 132k.

If we talk about the loss American citizens endured due to these frauds, it sums up to $1.45 billion. To make the figures more clear, each online shopping fraud victim lost about $16. The cities in the USA which are the most affected in terms of online shopping fraud are Florida and New York. In the past 5 years, Florida has reported 95k frauds while New York has over 89k fraud complaints. The third city in the list is New Jersey with 40k online shopping fraud reports.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World