Stories From This Week

13th September 2020

‘TikTok concedes that its ability to nail users’ preferences so effectively means that its algorithm can produce “filter bubbles,” reinforcing users’ existing preferences rather than showing them more varied content, widening their horizons, or offering them opposing viewpoints.’ Inside TikTok’s killer algorithm.

Also on Tik-Tok, a different perspective – ‘TikTok’s success has been written about countless times, and many analysts talk about the terrifyingly accurate algorithm & the lowered barrier to content creation. However, there is another key component to TikTok’s industry leading engagement rates & growth that often goes unnoticed: its ability to cater to lurkers — silent users that consume but rarely create content.’

Is marketing about making soulful bets? ‘You’ll notice a giant chunk of the chart is something called “soulful bets.” To me, a soulful bet is work outside of the typical purview of marketing: Make a film. Commission an essay. Run a marathon. Sponsor a bake sale. Ride your bicycle from NY to British Columbia….’

Spooky. 20+ people who discovered their art history doppelgängers at museums.

Fortnite is launching a concert series it hopes will become a ‘tour stop’ for artists.

From Tim Harford. ‘A week full of new experiences will seem longer in retrospect. A month of repeating the same routine might seem endless, but will be barely a blip in the memory: the “diffs” are not significant enough for the brain to bother with.’ We won’t remember much of what we did in the pandemic.

Patent Drop. Peek into the future with a summary of new patents from the biggest tech companies.

Watch Netflix Through a Filmmaker’s Lens. Here’s how to stream films with screenplays side-by-side, in sync.

By IKEA. Setting itself up as a prequel to the famous tale of the hare and the tortoise, this new spot is a modern twist on the ancient story (1′ 32″)

Nicely observed piece on a well covered subject – Why haven’t we celebrated any major achievements lately? Perhaps we just don’t appreciate progress as much as we used to.

From AdAge. Pornhub celebrates Labor Day in the US, with an innuendo filled spot.

Nice short film from MailChimp (shades of Dr Seuss?) reminds us our “ideas will flow again” in an overwhelming world.

Facebook just invented … Facebook. Facebook Campus aims to help college students find each other. But does Gen Z really need it?

2020. An Isolation Odyssey (split-screen). A minor saga of quarantine and isolation (12′ 04″)

Love it. American Psycho’s business card scene, but with cats.

An artist illustrates his battle with depression as a mystical world of spirit animals. 

Charming. It’s About Time. A homage to the passage of Time. A portrait created with eight visual metaphors orchestrated in harmony.

Humpty Dumpty had a great Fall (but not in the way you are thinking).