What’s In This Issue?
This Week’s Main Stories
Story 01Pokemon Go Isn't Dead ... It Is Quietly Dominating
Story 02Will Fan Backlash And Overblown Outrage Ruin Entertainment?
Story 03Can Hyperlocal Apps Actually Help Us Interact With Our Neighbors?Even More Stories
- Theater Offers Home Delivery Of Popcorn and Snacks Via Uber Eats
- IKEA Responds After Rowdy English Soccer Fans Trash Store
- Toymaker Baby Einstein Rebrands To Reach Millennial Parents
- Cybersmile Foundation Launches Campaign To Prove #TrollingIsUgly
- Superhero Movies Will Finally Have A Plus-Sized Lead: Faith Herbert
- Audi Replaces Side Mirrors With Virtual Rear View Cameras
Pokemon Go Isn't Dead ... It Is Quietly Dominating
A little over two years ago, Pokemon Go was everywhere. People walked down the street glued to their phones. And then one day it all seemed to stop. Yet as this article from WIRED explores, the game is still dominating. Who is still playing? As writer Brian Barrett notes: "The game attracts proportionally more older people and more women than its peers—and in fact can credit much of its initial success to enthusiasts who otherwise wouldn’t be playing anything at all." The entire story is a perfect reminder that sometimes you never know what is on other people's minds ... or on their phones.
Will Fan Backlash And Overblown Outrage Ruin Entertainment?
Logan director James Mangold is worried that "the fear of upsetting an eager mob" of online fans might drive smart, creative people out of creating great art. For years comedians have been avoiding college campuses because of the inability for easily outraged youth to take a joke. Have we become so uptight that we are unable to find joy in entertainment anymore? The real problem may not be the emotion itself, but the many ways today that outrage can be amplified. The loudest voices become the ones most often repeated and that's rarely a good formula for anything. The solution also can't be to force others to curb their outrage. Maybe what we really need is a little less "outrage surfing" and a little more of deciding for yourself whether you actually find something offensive or worth complaining about in the first place.
Can Hyperlocal Apps Actually Help Us Interact With Our Neighbors?
The idea that neighbors might want the food you won't eat might seem far fetched depending on where you live. Yet the hyperlocal food sharing app called Olio just picked up another $6 million in funding and has already expanded to over 40 countries with rapid growth. More than 400,000 food items have been shared since the app started with everyone from students to local shops raving about the experience. It turns out people hate to throw away perfectly good food - and stories like the user who feasted on unwanted food and reduced her weekly food bill to less than $10 by using the app provide viral examples that it works. When you put this together with the rise in hyperlocal startups and Google's recent launch of hyperlocal app Neighbourly in India, it points to the idea that after years of helping us connect with friends everywhere in the world, technology might finally be helping us actually get to know and interact with the people right next door.
