Dear readers,
I’m Anne-Claude. Cambre’s devoted media coordinator. I want to thank you for your loyalty and for taking the time to read our takeaways of the digital and technological transformations in this mad world.
Technology has a big impact on many sectors and the media world is not spared. The way we consume news is highly relevant. We want reliable, fast and free information. At the same time, distrust towards journalists and “mainstream” media is increasing. Whether we talk about fake or “alternative news”, disinformation or propaganda, the challenges of getting trustworthy information are enormous, despite the numerous sources available.
Dear readers, be assured with TechAways, we are committed to providing you with reliable and interesting news about trending tech topics. Enjoy!
Smart ambulances can save your life! 🚑 [The Financial Times]
UK health technology company Visionable has introduced an advanced communication system that uses 5G to connect paramedics and patients in ambulances with specialists via video. This allows specialists to provide faster diagnosis and treatment options to paramedics. The technology is especially lifesaving in the case of strokes, where for every 15 minutes patients are untreated, three years are lost off their life. The company plans to develop wearable devices for paramedics and electrocardiogram monitors that could allow them to stream clinical data directly from the ambulances. As always, it’s exciting to see where tech is leading the health sector.
A virtual Stockholm syndrome [Washington Post]
In the era of disinformation, calls to leave Facebook are routinely heard and yet never seem to fully materialise. Why? In a peculiar yet real way, Facebook’s “group” function provides a support system and community: whether for people with uncommon names or COVID “long-haulers”. The community created by Facebook Groups is hard to replicate elsewhere, meaning users are stuck in a perpetual state of (virtual) Stockholm syndrome – wanting to cut the cord, yet also wanting to stay tethered to their community. Let’s also not forget that Facebook owns Instagram and WhatsApp. Like it or not, Facebook provides our de facto meeting place online, especially during the pandemic. Most of us are not going anywhere (for now).
I see dead people – on social media [Forbes]
The dead are among us… at least on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms. Ever wondered what will happen to all the pictures, videos and other glorious content you have posted about yourself after you move on from your mortal existence? Dead accounts – pun intended – pose a real problem for social media platforms to handle. Facebook has a system allowing users to decide what becomes of their account in the event of their death, but Twitter has yet to develop a way for family and friends to keep the spirit of their deceased alive, while protecting the accounts from abuse. And this problem isn’t going away anytime soon. With an aging social media community, before we know it the dead will outnumber the living. Happy Friday!
“If it’s a chain, it’s free rein” [Vice]
Can’t afford something? Just “borrow” it. This is the message from “Borrowing TikTok”, a community of teens using the platform to encourage and help each other to steal from large chain stores. While shoplifting as a coming-of-age ritual is nothing new, TikTok users are declaring it a political crusade. Instead of calling out big corporations, they hope that their actions will be a more efficient punishment to force them to be more accountable. This growing mindset reveals a generational change: according to a 2020 YouGov report, two in five young people believe “deliberate shoplifting is acceptable under certain circumstances”. If the premise of stealing to get back at the system and becoming an ethical shoplifter might tempt you, watch out for that adrenaline rush. You are only one razor blade (the most commonly shoplifted item) away from turning full-blown kleptomaniac
About this week’s editor, Anne-Claude Martin
A former journalist, I moved to the “dark side” a couple of years ago. I now live and breathe media relations. I’m also a proud member of the Breton mafia (#EmojiBzh), as I originally come from the French far west aka Brittany, motherland of (among other things) crêpes, kouign amann, gâteau breton and salted caramel. And to close an endless debate: yes, the Mont-Saint-Michel IS in Normandy.
In case you haven’t had enough…
Europe looks to crack open data encryption on messaging services like WhatsApp [CNBC]
Twitter to show a warning when you try to like a labeled tweet [The Verge]
Unexplained Monolith Discovered in Rural Utah’s Red Rock Country [Gizmodo]
TikTok will add an epilepsy warning to photosensitive videos [The Verge]
How Archaeologists Are Using Deep Learning to Dig Deeper [The New York Times]
California Says Robot Taxi Can Now Charge for Rides [Gizmodo]