#underthehood
How Instagram Content Rankings Work
Adam Mosseri gives us a peek under the hood of Instagram’s algorithm for ranking posts, Stories, Reels, and Explore recommendations.
#learnings
How the Biggest Apps Acquired Their First 50,000 Users
An insightful summary of how the web’s biggest apps initially grew their brands, featuring Netflix, Spotify, LinkedIn, Discord, Notion, Slack, Zoom and other well-known projects.
#free
Loreteller shares 50+ free resources (and some paid) on mental models, plot structures, and narrative systems for marketers, novelists, and storytellers.
#omg
Will Google’s AI Plans Destroy the Media?
NYMag’s Intelligencer hops on the AI anxiety bandwagon, envisioning an apocalyptic scenario for digital publishers wherein Google’s AI produces generative content by itself—a kind of parasite leeching from blogs, news sites and other content creators while stealing all their views.
#speculations
The iPhone is dead — long live the iPhone
Of Apple’s flagship product, The Verge says “it’s not dead, it’s not dying” but maybe it’s stuck in a rut, then predicts that the company is about to unveil its first mixed reality headset.
#tools
The AI revolution is about to take over your web browser
Another good read from The Verge. This one’s about the new AI-assisted tools that are going to change your web browsing experience—making online research a lot easier.
#launches
New App Alert: Archer, a dating app for gay, bisexual, and queer men
Match.com was the original dating website. Now, the Match Group is launching a sleek (and lavender-themed) app “combining the connection-seeking of dating with the self-expression of social media“ to help men to get with other men.
This Plugin Lets Anyone Build Their Own ChatGPT AI Apps for Mobile
Appy Pie has launched a GPT-4 powered ChatGPT plugin that can turn user prompts into a fully functional mobile app for Android or iOS—no coding skills required.
#investments
Meanwhile, Microsoft Invests in Startup “Builder.ai”
Builder.ai is a startup that makes “no-code” and “low-code” tools to help non-programmers develop apps. Microsoft wants to integrate Builder.ai tools into its Teams and Azure Cloud platforms.
Chinese Startup MiniMax Enters the AI Big Leagues with $250 Million in Backing
Looks like China is seeking to compete with OpenAI. The startup’s fundraising efforts have brought in over $250 million from investors, including game maker Mihoyo and an entity reportedly affiliated with Tencent.
#culture
There Will Never Be Another Twitter
Media scholar Ethan Zuckerman guests on Have a Nice Future to discuss why it’s so hard to replace Twitter and how it fosters a “politics of attention” that is teetering towards becoming the politics of outrage.
