Meta's Threads Surges to 21.7 Million US Users — But Can It Ever Catch X?

Threads was first introduced by Meta in July 2023 and it quickly gained 100 million users in its initial days. But soon Threads usage went cold. Gaining users by making them curious about the new app was a good move but Meta couldn’t make users keep on coming back to the app. Threads was also in talks of becoming Twitter's rival (Now X) but Threads couldn’t reach Twitter’s popularity no matter how hard it tried.

Now Threads is gaining momentum and getting some regular users. Just two months ago, Threads reached 200 million users. According to the latest data from Similarweb, as of September 2024, Threads had 21.7 million US users visiting its website on both desktop and mobile platforms. While globally it touched 141.3 million monthly user figure. The traffic on the platform is also continuing the momentum of Threads’ growth.

Even with the good number of monthly visits, it is still nowhere near Twitter. Where Threads got 21.7 million users in September, Twitter got 1.02 billion users in the same time period. This shows that Threads still has a long way to go to compete with Twitter/X. A reason why Threads is suddenly getting more users is also because of its click bait content and moderation issues. Manipulative content makes users engage with the post one way or another. Instagram’s Adamm Mosseri says that the company is trying to fix this issue.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

A New Research Shows that US Users Aren’t Following Political Accounts or Watching Political Content on TikTok

According to a research published in Pew Research based on analysis of 227,946 accounts followed by 664 TikTok users, only a small fraction of people are following political accounts on social media. The research noted that typical US adults do not follow any political accounts on TikTok. Only 1% of the accounts that were analyzed were following civic actors, journalists or politicians.

The research also found that most US adults follow accounts related to pop culture, entertainment, humor and dancing clips on TikTok. 43% of the people were also following accounts that were discussing politics as well as pop culture or entertainment news. Algorithms also play an important role in what people choose to see or choose not to see on TikTok.

As per a previous report, 45% of the US TikTok users reported seeing some political content on their feeds even though they weren’t watching any political videos. There have always been talks about what US users see on TikTok. TikTok was also moving towards a ban after some TikTok critics said that the platform extensively shows Pro-Palestine content. Now TikTok has stopped showing views counts for specific hashtags.

The report didn’t cover algorithm activities of TikTok but it is still important to know while studying posts that users see on TikTok. The interactions of users with the accounts they follow on TikTok can help us understand what content users actively choose to watch on the platform.
 
Take a look at the charts below for more insights from the latest PewResearch report on "Who U.S. Adults Follow on TikTok":

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Upcoming WhatsApp Feature Lets Users Verify Shared Images via Google

WhatsApp Beta for Android 2.24.21.31 is here and the Meta-owned messaging app is introducing a new feature which will allow users to search shared images on the web (probably via Google Image or Lens). Previously, WhatsApp tested a feature that let users search shared links on the web. This feature will allows users fact-check the content that usually get altered or contain misinformation. By using the search links on the web, users will be able to see if an article is authentic and contains true information or not.

Now WhatsApp is working on extending this feature to images too. Users will be able to search images on the web that have been shared on WhatsApp. This way users will be able to verify if the image they are seeing is true or not. To search images on the web, users will have to click on the image and then the three dots that appear at the far right corner. By clicking the three dots, they will be able to see a “search in web” option.

When users click on it, it will initiate a search on Google for that image. If it is available on Google, users will be able to get better/contextual ideas about it. Keep in mind that the picture won’t be shared with WhatsApp which means that user privacy won’t be neglected during this process. Users will be able to easily identify the source of images using this feature, which will help them to find out if an image is AI created or altered in any way.

This feature is going to be available to users in the next update of WhatsApp. Users will have entire control over this feature. This means that only they would be able to initiate the search for images on the web. The images searched on the web can be from anyone, whether it is closed contact or a forwarded message.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google Is Not Happy About Calls To Break It Apart After Being Accused Of Unlawful Monopoly Behavior

The American Justice Department seems to be on a mission to break Android maker Google apart.

The news comes after a shocking court ruling called out Google for behaving like a monopoly. The jury found Google guilty of stifling competition and ensuring its dominance remains in the world of online search and advertising.

As per the DOJ, the only way to prevent Google from its unlawful behavior is by forcing a breakup. The focus would now be on products by Google such as Chrome and Android that unfairly disturb users and put the search engine giant at an advantage.

As proclaimed in the recent court submission, Google was accused of self-reinforcing tactics. This went on for more than a decade and has significantly negatively impacted the industry. So many other arch-rivals are not able to get any benefits in terms of search and ads. If that was not enough, the company was even involved in raising prices for ads while compromising on ad quality and other linked services.

The Department of Justice says the solution only remains to split Google and stop it from getting benefits from Android, the Play Store, and its Chrome browser. Other remedies include restricting search access locations like AI over other entrants in the business. It seems like Chrome is high on the target list of the DOJ and Google is not happy. They referred to it as the root cause of disabling competition.

Google’s vice president mentioned through a blog post how such drastic rulings can lead to risks for damage and hurt the consumers in the long run. The consequences can be severe for brands, clients, and the overall competition in the American industry.

Splitting Android and Chrome is important for the DOJ but it’s the opposite for Google. It says both of these are public services where billions of users benefit. The company spoke about making huge investments in both these services and if such a split does occur, it would harm consumers and developers the most.

Another shocking claim mentioned how Google pays tech giant Apple and Samsung so much money each year to make its search engine the default choice for users. In reality, the tech giant is actually just offering the products as a subsidy for consumers.

Image: DIW-AIgen

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Are Modern-Day Smart TVs Safe? The Answer In This New Study Might Shock You

Watching television is one of the most common pastimes around the globe. Today, smart TVs are on the rise but did you ever consider how you might not just be watching alone?

A new report from expert academicians from the US, UK, and Spain shed light on the real world of smart TVs. They all include ACR or Automatic Content Recognition tech and it’s not something new.

Streaming apps like Netflix and Hulu used it for years and now, growing evidence suggests how tracking by third parties has reached at alarming levels. It’s quite like capturing whatever content is on the screen and matching it with content databases to see what’s on display at any moment in time.

Thanks to this latest research, we’re learning more about how third-party tracking inside smart TVs isn’t discussed as much as it should. This is because the test included leading tech brands in TV, LG, and Samsung. In the results, the authors concluded how ACR operates even in those states when there is a dumb display.

This kind of tracking is done directly through smart TV apps operating through the system. As per researchers, it captures scenes, develops fingerprints, and even shares them with ACR servers to match with databases of known material like movies, ads, and even live feeds.

When fingerprints match, ACR servers can determine which content is being seen on the screen. This enables the platforms to profile any watchers through the TV into specific audiences. So the company benefits in terms of tracking users for personalized ads.

We’ve already seen South Korean tech giant Samsung be called out in 2015 for the actions of collecting users’ personal data through voice recognition. As per the company, they take privacy very seriously and admitted to curating products with this theme in mind.

As per the study, smart TVs are all over the house. They can be inside bedrooms, lounge areas, or living rooms. Furthermore, they feature microphones and cameras that give access to habits and personal data. In terms of the ACR, fingerprints match with servers to identify the kind of content seen. So in this case, the viewing habits are out in the open.

What was interesting in this research is that ACR data wasn’t collected when using YouTube or Netflix. This might be related to copyright issues which make the process complex. For instance, Netflix likes to have ACR deactivated while streaming content for users. Other cases might have to do with the fact that they actually do care about users’ privacy.

In the study, the authors were able to conclude that configuring devices to opt-out can prevent traffic from any ACR domain. But that process is not very simple. It requires intricate navigation via different settings in several subsections and there’s no simple switch to toggle off either.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

AI Wins Big At This Year’s Nobel Prize Awards As Pioneers Who Laid Groundwork For LLMs & Generative AI Hailed

The contributions made by two pioneers in the world of AI were acknowledged at this year’s Nobel Prize Awards.

Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield were rewarded for setting the groundwork of Large Language Models and Generative AI. They were also hailed for their massive contributions in this domain, linked to the world of physics.

Arising from the University of Toronto, Geoffrey Hinton was given the award for all his work in the field of backpropagation. Today, he’s known as the godfather of AI and also made the news last year for his great contributions.

Many call him the godfather of AI who used to work for Google in the past. He quit in 2023 as he felt he couldn’t speak more openly against the risks that AI comes with. This is the technology that he spent a lot of time making.

Backpropagation is a technique that dates back to the 80s and is a concept that allows algorithms to learn. You can think of it like a three-step process comprising of noticing errors, figuring out reasons why, and improving. In the end, thousands of pictures are under review and this robot gets better at finding the correct answer. So this is how a computer learns.

On the other hand, the other big winner at this year’s event was John Hopfield who came up with the concept of associative memory. He came up with computer memory that is similar to the human mind. It’s quite like linking the dots of information.

The reason why this concept is so famous has to do with how it can withstand unclear information. So the perfect example is trying to decipher noise in a crowded room full of people. Hopfield tried to ensure computers could recall data in a way that human minds could. So he designed software that could recognize patterns and fill in algorithms.

Both these mega contributions have given rise to the world of AI as can see it today. The honor came with a mega $1M cheque. The award is a prestigious honor that includes accomplishments related to the world of science, health, literature, economics, physics, and peace.

Image: Nobel Prize / Niklas Elmehed

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Researchers Identify Key Thinking Patterns Behind Excessive Social Media Usage

According to a new research published in Addictive Behaviors, there is a strong relationship between psychological distress and social media use. Everyone nowadays has social media presence and they are used for social interactions frequently. But the constant use of social media sites has proven to be problematic. When an individual obsessively uses social media, it leads to a lot of negative effects like abandoning responsibilities, social isolation and rise of mental health issues.

The study aimed to provide insights into cognitive processes that lead to problematic or negative social media use. The researchers said that a lot of worry and distress or thinking about desires can lead to harmful social media use. For the study, the researchers gathered 548 social media users with average ages of 29 years. The participants were asked to complete some psychological assessments like the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21, the Ruminative Response Scale, the Penn State Worry Questionnaire and the 10-item Desire Thinking Questionnaire.

The results of this activity confirmed the researchers’ suspicions. It showed that psychological distress leads to extended thinking styles like desire thinking, worry and rumination which leads to excessive social media use. Keep in mind that the study doesn’t talk about cause and effect. It just talks about the relationship between problematic social media use and extending thinking and distress.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World