Survey Reveals Pinterest as Top Choice for User-Generated Content Marketing, Outpacing X

According to Digiday+ Research, many digital marketers are thinking about making social media marketing strategies and budgets on platforms that rely on user-generated content. X is the biggest user-generated content (UGC) focused app and marketers have started making marketing strategies on this platform since 2022. But the new survey reveals that Pinterest, another UGC focused platform, is becoming a favorite of many marketers this year. Many retailers and marketers are budgeting more ad spend for Pinterest than for X.

Digiday+ found out that Pinterest is ranking the highest among other UGC focused platforms (X and Twitch). Pinterest also has the highest brand usage than X, which is a huge change from last year. 30% of the brand retailers have said that they have posted content on Pinterest last month while 21% said that they have posted brand content on X last month. Comparatively, 28% of the brand retailers and marketers said that they posted brand content on Pinterest last summer, while 35% said that about X. This shows that now marketers are interested about Pinterest more than X. On the other hand, Twitch is far behind these platforms with only 11% marketers saying that they have posted content on Twitch last month.

Looking at brands' ad spend on Pinterest last summer, 26% of brands said that they purchased advertising on Pinterest but this summer, only 21% of brands purchased advertising on the platform. There can be several reasons for this dip, but the prominent one is probably Pinterest’s push to grow its advertising last year. Many brands purchased ads last year because they were seeing how Pinterest and its teams were pushing advertising, but they soon saw that their purchased ads didn’t pay off on Pinterest. Even with this dip, Pinterest is still the top UGC focused platform in terms of ad spend. Both X and Twitch just saw 8% marketers purchasing ad spend this summer.

Digiday’s survey also found out that X is constantly declining in ad spend and usage. In summer 2022, 73% of marketers and brand retailers posted content on X which then declined to 35% in summer 2023 and soon fell to 21% in summer 2024. Similar is the case with purchasing advertisements on X. In summer 2022, 21% brands purchased ads while 14% did so in summer 2023. This year the ad spending on the platform has declined to just 8%.

Although Twitch is not that popular among brands, its ad spending has remained steady. 11% brands did marketing on Twitch this year but 9% the summer before. In summer 2022, 12% brands and marketers advertised on the platform. The ad spending on Twitch was 8% this year, 7% in 2023 and 6% in 2022.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google Makes Makes Major Update To Chrome With Silent Integration Of Advanced Gemini AI Chabot In Address Bar

Search engine giant Google has just upgraded its Chrome browser with a major AI update that was rolled out discreetly.

Recently, Google integrated the Gemini chatbot into the address bar, starting from Chrome Canary version, which gave users access to some great AI advancements. It’s certainly a major step that would alter the way many carry out searches through Google Chrome browser .

Experts predict it would replace classic means of making search queries with the help of Generative AI in the replies. Now, you can directly chat with Gemini through the address bar.

The company gives Chrome users the chance to access the chatbot by typing @gemini right after their respective question in the browser’s address bar (just be sure you are an active user of Gemini and logged into your Google account). Therefore, users don’t need to waste time going to separate websites or adding apps to better engage with the audience for the best AI assistance.

This certainly makes AI a default means of browsing on Chrome as compared to before where classic search mechanisms were used.

Well, we won’t call the feature new as tests started in the middle of April and slowly launched into Chrome’s Canary as a beta. But after its successful integration, the company is launching this for all users to get wider adoption.

The arrival of this feature comes in Chrome’s general version and that marks Google’s goal of adding more AI to different core products. We also are aware of Gemini 1.5 Flash which gives more users access to the best AI technology through browsers directly.

While we agree it’s not as specialized as Gemini 1.5 Pro, this Flast variant does still give a lot of improvements to what its predecessors offered. Still, the level is not the same as Microsoft’s Copilot which does give users more contextual awareness when browsing. Hence, assistance on specific websites cannot be provided with the feature.

Just last month, Google spoke about the launch of several AI offerings for Chrome such as Google Lens to conduct visual searches. Similarly, it added a tab comparison for online e-shopping and better offerings for browsing history.

Now, this latest AI feature inside address bars is a major step towards the escalation of the entire AI movement by Google across its suite. As far as what the impact of these offerings would be, it could really raise AI accessibility for hundreds of millions of global users. It’s a widespread availability that accelerates AI tool adoption for daily tasks and makes productivity better. This means the common user can gain access to information better and quicker.

However, the latest rollout is not going unnoticed by critics who have raised important concerns. Some of these have to do with data privacy and the greater role of AI in our everyday lives. Amongst those, the biggest concern has to do with data collection and profiling of users.

It also means a major makeshift change for the business and tech world. The rollout signals a shifting landscape in software and how data is managed. This forces firms to reassess their tech stacks and how to better compete against AI-based platforms. Furthermore, it might have a big impact on the world of SEO and digital marketing.

More users will use AI browsing and that could alter their behaviors in terms of consuming information online. How business plans to optimize their presence and increase engagement will be affected.

When we look at this feature in the AI race against other arch-rivals, Google’s decision is a strategic one to ensure it’s the leader in browsers and AI. Chrome is the most popular with a massive user base. So equipping this with AI expands the company’s footprint in this division.

Read next: OpenAI Is Working On Eight More Voices For ChatGPT That Express Sounds More Naturally
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

OpenAI Is Working On Eight More Voices For ChatGPT That Express Sounds More Naturally

OpenAI is working on giving users a more seamless and natural experience while using the popular chat assistant.

If you’ve become bored of the constant or repetitive sounds that come out of the chatbot during use, here’s some great news. The tool is getting up to eight more natural sounds. This brings the total number of options to 12 for this AI endeavor.

Voice support has always been one of the chatbot’s most unique features and seeing this get a revamp is certainly going to be welcomed by users.

This news was first confirmed by Testing Catlog which thanks to reverse engineering shared the revelation of eight new voice options coming in a future launch. Interestingly, each voice has a specific name including Fathom, Harp, Orbit, Reef, Rainbow, Glimmer, Maple, Ridge, and Vale.

This would be up for grabs alongside the usual four options that we’ve been using since the start. Other than giving a distinct tone, the fresh offerings can also express non-verbal sounds. This adds a more realistic touch.

Furthermore, the new voices will be able to imitate animals and produce sounds so much more accurately. Common examples described so far are dog barks. Other than that, the latest array of sounds can give rise to more adjustments for tones depending on how text is formatted. Hence, if something is highlighted in bold, it could express a feeling with greater emotion than another in plain style. The same would go for italics.

For now, it’s not clear if and when the release will happen as OpenAI is yet to provide any confirmation on this front. All the reports are generated through reverse engineering so it’s still a work in progress.

Read next: Survey Reveals Top and Bottom Performers in Junior Employee Satisfaction: Salesforce and Google Lead, Amazon Trails
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Survey Reveals Top and Bottom Performers in Junior Employee Satisfaction: Salesforce and Google Lead, Amazon Trails

When you’re starting in a new company with very little experience, you’re given the tag of being a junior employee. This not only comes with the added burden of performing well under pressure but also means longer work hours and doing the worst tasks with very little in return.

Many are exploited without realizing it because they focus solely on getting a decent paycheck to pay their dues.

Understanding how companies work can best be seen in how junior employees are treated. This can guide other aspirants who wish to join the same workplace. Thanks to a new survey conducted by ResumeIO which took into consideration 22,095 junior employee satisfaction reviews, we’ve got more insights on 54 leading companies.

While many ambitious employees are given a clear-cut vision of what their next job will be like and how the company works, the reality can be very different from that portrayed. We’re not saying all are bad but some are certainly not as good as others.

Many junior workers must learn the hard way related to how industries work by a simple ‘pay your dues’ culture. This means doing your share of tasks while you figure out your dedication. Sadly, many are getting exploited on such a huge level. Some manage to excel as they’re built for it while others succumb to the pressure and face burnout and bitterness.

Moving on to the report’s key findings, we’ve got plenty to say. Salesforce scored 4.6 out of 5 while Google came in second with 4.53 and Microsoft third with 4.52. They’re undoubtedly the top three places that people would like to work when they’re new in the industry and the satisfaction reviews are proof of just that. Juniors rated Tesla scored 0.77 points higher than more senior employees.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about tech giant Amazon. It had the lowest average rating for junior employees which is 4.05. Meanwhile, levels in America fell 6% between the years 2020 and 2023 while there was a 0.8% rise this year.

Tech firms led the race for the greatest level of junior employee satisfaction. We saw Salesforce has the best reviews with an average of 4.65 across all junior positions on Glassdoor.

Meanwhile, companies involved in the retail and fast food industry were among the top ones to dominate for all the wrong reasons. Yes, people felt this might be the worst sector to be in when you’re starting off your career with very little experience.

Amongst the lowest rated firms included Whole Foods, Walmart, McDonald’s, Starbucks, and even Burger King. Still, the worst one based on the study is IT company DXC. it had an average score of 3.28.

Among the tech companies with the best reviews, aspiring individuals often dream of working for leading firms like Google and Apple. This is as per findings seen on a recent survey by Axios and Generation Lab where college students took part.

Six out of 10 most desirable locations to work are big tech organizations. Out of them all, it’s Google had the best reviews for junior employee satisfaction, followed by Microsoft as discussed at the start.

The reason why Google is hailed by juniors is how much it offers in return for being a part of its workforce. From a wide array of development opportunities to great areas to excel in terms of mentorship, the list of benefits is huge.

Other than that, it maintains a massively diverse workforce. As a young working professional, what more can one ask for that’s why Gen Z cannot get enough of the company.

Meanwhile, when you compare that with senior experience, it’s Tesla that shaped up to be the best for younger workers with a lack of experience. Some went as far as to score it 4.39 stars while seniors gave it just 3.61

To conclude, the consensus that junior employees don’t like to do a lot of work does not always stand true. Instead, they’re given work that’s not only less enjoyable but more in quantity when compared to the pay scale offered at the start. This results in lower job satisfaction.

Take a look at below infographic for more insights:

Read next: A New Survey Shows What iPhone and Android Users Think of Each Other
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

The Social Media App Everyone’s Flocking To: Reddit’s Astonishing Rise in User Engagement!

According to Comscore Mobile Metrix, Reddit is surpassing many social media apps in terms of engagements. Reddit has experienced a rise in average time spent monthly, from 215.3 minutes to 243.0 minutes between June 2023 and June 2024. The reason why Reddit is getting so many engagements is because it is providing a niche community for all types of discussions. Users are liking how they can read and discuss all types of topics on the app. Emarketer predicts that an 11% increase in average time spent is expected by Reddit this year.

There are also some other factors which are making Reddit better than other apps. In addition to the content that appeals to all types of audience which has contributed to 50% increase in daily active users YoY in Q2, the company is also focusing on its ad offering. Reddit has expanded its agency partnerships which has boosted its ad revenues to 41% in Q2 of 2024. Reddit is going to expand further in the upcoming days because of its search capabilities with AI driven search enhancements.

Among US adults, 7.8% of their daily time is spent on Reddit while it generates 0.9% of the social ad spend. This means that it has much room to grow. On the other hand, Facebook has the most monthly time spent per user but is seeing some decline, right along with Instagram. Meta’s Messenger app saw some increase in the monthly time spent. It went from 171.8 minutes in June 2023 to 203.0 minutes in June 2024.

TikTok also saw some decrease, growing from 429.2 minutes in June 2023 to 406.4 minutes in June 2024. WhatsApp, X and Snapchat haven’t seen any prominent rise or decline in average monthly time spent by users. Overall, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are still taking most of the users’ time but Reddit has seen some nice growth.

Read next: Apple Tops the List of Ten Best Selling Smartphones in Q2 of 2024
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Bombshell Leak Reveals Facebook’s Marketing Partners Listen To Users’ Smartphone Microphones

A concerning new leak has Facebook’s marketing partners discussing a shocking situation. This includes eavesdropping on users’ conversations.

The reason is simple. They’re using it to grasp users’ needs and wants and then target them specifically with ads related to that. But the question on our minds is if that’s even legal as we’re not aware of entering into any such agreement.

The news comes to us thanks to 404 Media who put the matter into the spotlight. Based on documents rolled out to reporters, the leaks come from news and radio giant Cox Media Group. They’re heard bragging about a software dubbed Active Listening that makes use of AI to capture real-time data by listening to chats.

Advertisers are pairing the voice data with behavioral data to better approach the market.

We also hear about CMG adding some more bombshell names from the tech world that make use of similar practices. Common examples include Google, Facebook, as well as Amazon. These are all clients that become a part of the Active Listening service.

When 404 reached out for more details and to confirm if the matter was even true, Google’s response was a shocker. It removed the media house from its list of partner programs. This further led to Meta admitting that it was in the process of carrying out a review to see if any violations were made to its Terms of Service.

Moving on to Amazon, it blatantly denied the allegations and spoke about how CMG never worked with the company and would like to keep it that way for the near future. Still, if any marketing partners were found guilty of the act, they would be brought to justice for violations.

The latest revelations mark this as three time in a row that we’ve seen 404 media reports on the shady behavior of using voice service to target clients. In the past year, the independent news website put the marketing firm on blast for promoting creepy technology through a podcast. Knowing that this listening feature does exist is so sad.

Combined with the new update, the stories are giving rise to a lot of suspicions related to advertisers using phones to listen to users without consent. It’s like privacy has gone out of the window.

The question on people’s minds is whether or not this behavior is legal or not. The answer is that it’s legal for devices to listen to you because when you make downloads or updates for apps, it’s mentioned in fine print somewhere about this. You’ll see Active Listening as a part of this list.

CMG failed to acknowledge how it took on the voice data. It just identified those who were ready to purchase and hence made targeted lists for those individuals depending on what their interests were.

They are charging up to $100 each day and $200 if you’re a little further from reach like the 20-mile radius. The fact that CMG is not replying to many media outlets who are bombarding them with common questions like how is this possible and what techniques it uses to carry out active listening is questionable.

If you cannot reply, then don’t give hope to others that it’s still very possible. And if you are standing by your claims, please be strong enough to support them. Active listening is very creepy and really puts a big question mark on users’ safety and privacy in the world of advancing tech.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: Apple’s Hypocrisy Unraveled: The Company Spends Millions To Lobby Against Child Safety Mandates
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Apple’s Hypocrisy Unraveled: The Company Spends Millions To Lobby Against Child Safety Mandates

At first glance, it might appear that tech giant Apple is adding new ways to reduce the addiction that comes with smartphone usage. However, a new report is shedding light on another concerning finding.

At one end of the spectrum, we have Apple spending millions to lobby against child safety mandates. This means killing bills promoting the safety of minors.

Thanks to the Wall Street Journal, we saw reports related to several American states trying to control smartphone usage by teenagers. To be more specific, one report details about Louisiana. Issues had to do with a bill requiring Apple to include age restrictions via the App Store. This way, individual apps would no longer be in charge of age limits.

Meta also found that an appealing decision and sided with the discussion as there would be a single place for parents to control social media rather than run around different apps for the same ordeal. Apple was included in this legislation and within no time, many from Apple made it clear that this was not the right call.

Many Apple lobbyists referred to this as the poison pill from Meta, a way to deflect attention from different challenges linked to child safety that the company was facing.

The rep added Apple was providing parental controls and outlining age details with various third-party platforms and hence sharing age-related information would be their privacy violation.

This means the bill might get into a lot of trouble and the state might be in even more trouble as the company could face legal action for getting on board with App Store requirements.

In the end, no requirement was included in the bill to include Apple’s App Store and it crossed the Senate with ease. We are yet to hear from Apple’s lobbyists about the matter but those who did come across the news simply mentioned that other states didn’t want it either.

In reality, Apple’s parental controls don’t stand where they should be. While the iPhone maker wishes to spend less in terms of lobbying as compared to Meta and Amazon, it’s still spending millions. Today, lobbyists are going as far as to offer investments in state education. The price is dropping legislations linked to the App Store.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: Apple Tops the List of Ten Best Selling Smartphones in Q2 of 2024
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World