Instagram is teaming up with GLAAD, Out magazine and The Trevor Project to mark International Transgender Day of Visibility Wednesday (March 31). GLAAD created a guide to highlight trans comedians who are using their platform to speak from personal experience with humor infused in their observations, including Rhea Butcher, Kai Choyce, Patti Harrison, D’Lo, Shakina…
The China-Iran Axis
Instagram Extends Test of IGTV Ads to Australia, UK
Instagram began testing ads on its IGTV long-form video platform with a select group of creators in the U.S. last May, and the Facebook-owned photo- and video-sharing network said Monday that it is extending that testing to Australia and the U.K. The test will roll out in those countries over the next few weeks, with…
All Trump’s Codependents
PetSmart Turns to Snapchat Lens to Dress Up Pets for Easter
PetSmart wants to make sure pets aren’t left out of this year’s Easter festivities. The retailer released a Snapchat lens in Canada, Puerto Rico and the rest of the U.S. that enables people to dress their pets up for Easter without risking life and limb doing so. Easter falls on April 4 this year.
Facebook Freezes the Account of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
Venezuelan President Nicol?s Maduro joined former U.S. President Donald Trump in a very exclusive club: the club of world leaders who have been suspended by Facebook. Maduro’s account was frozen over the weekend for spreading misinformation about Covid-19 by repeatedly claiming that Venezuelan-made mostly herbal liquid Carvativir can cure the virus. The last post on…
T-Mobile Pulls the Plug On TVision Streaming Service After Just 5 Months
Just five months after promising to “take on the cableopoly,” T-Mobile is discontinuing its TVision streaming TV service. TVision rolled out last November and offered existing T-Mobile customers low-cost options for live sports, news and network channels without needing a cable subscription. But T-Mobile quickly realized the model wasn’t sustainable. The company will wind down…
Facebook, Partners Team Up on 2 Subsea Cables for Indonesia, Singapore
Facebook is teaming up with regional and global partners, including Google, on two subsea trans-Pacific cables to connect North America with Indonesia and Singapore. Director of network investments Kevin Salvadori and manager of network investments Nico Roehrich said in a blog post that the two cables–Bifrost and Echo–are still subject to regulatory approvals, but if…
Why Marketers Plan to Continue Using QR Codes in a Post-Pandemic World
As a contact-free way to access information with a simple scan of a phone camera, QR codes have enjoyed a surge in popularity as a marketing tool for retailers within the past several months of the pandemic. Now, with the country approaching some form of a new normal, retail brands are examining how they might…
Facebook Completes First Phase of Fiber Build Across Indiana
Facebook said Monday that it completed the first phase of a fiber network build across Indiana, running nearly 80 miles alongside Interstate 70 from the Indiana-Ohio border to downtown Indianapolis. Sourcing managers Boh DuPree and Michele Kohler said in a Newsroom post Monday that construction of the second phase is underway, which will result in…