Can social media be held accountable for poor mental health?
.jpg)
Hundreds of private lawsuits have been filed against social media networks in the US, which depict a toxic social media landscape that is harmful to young people. The lawsuits aim to hold social media platforms accountable for the detrimental effects on young people's mental health. Over 200 suits have been joined together in one class action lawsuit filed in March, which included platforms such as TikTok parent ByteDance, Facebook and Instagram parent Meta, Google for YouTube, and Snap. These platforms are being held responsible for their harmful effects while benefiting from huge advertising profits.
​
While the social media platforms argue that responsible use lies with parents, educators, and users themselves, the issues of cyberbullying, comparison and self-esteem, sleep deprivation, privacy and security, grooming, and reduced face-to-face communication are just some of the pitfalls of social media use. The lawsuit includes harrowing stories of a nine-year-old boy uploading a nude image of himself after watching YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat videos, and a 16-year-old girl developing eating disorders after becoming obsessed with her body image after getting hooked on Instagram, reported El Pais.
​
Unrealistic comparison expectations
Social media platforms can create unrealistic expectations and idealized versions of people's lives, causing teenagers to compare themselves unfavorably to others and develop low self-esteem and body image issues. Additionally, social media poses a risk to young people's privacy and security, as they may be exposed to inappropriate content or share personal information that could be used against them.
​
According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report, Youth Risk Behaviour, there is a trend towards declining mental health for America's teenagers. A study published in the Clinical Psychological Science journal found that increased social media use was linked to increased rates of depression, anxiety, and loneliness among adolescents. Another study, published in the Computers in Human Behaviour journal, found that social media use can lead to decreased self-esteem and body image issues among young women, particularly those who spend a lot of time comparing themselves to others online.
The supreme court will decide in June if there is any legal merit to the suits. A key consideration will be whether the platforms can be held accountable for third-party content. It will be difficult to prove if a platform was responsible for causing suicide or radicalizing a young person after watching videos or seeing images. Whether or not the design or algorithm of the platforms prompt a negative effect on mental health will be at the core of these cases.
Hollywood writers go on strike after contract negotiations fail
.jpg)
Hollywood writers are closing their laptops and heading to the picket line.
​
Thousands of unionized scribes who say they are not paid fairly in the streaming era went on strike early Tuesday, bringing television production to a halt. It comes after high-stakes negotiations between a top guild and a trade association representing Hollywood’s marquee studios failed to avert the first walkout in more than 15 years.
The board of directors for the Writers Guild of America, which includes West Coast and East Coast branches, voted unanimously to call for a walkout and said writers face an “existential crisis.”
​
“The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union work force, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing,” the union said in a statement.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers — a trade association that bargains on behalf of studios, television networks and streaming platforms — said in a statement that its offer included “generous increases in compensation for writers.”
​
The main “sticking points,” according to the entertainment giants, include union proposals that would require companies to staff television shows with a certain number of writers for a specific period of time, “whether needed or not.”
The strike brings production on broadcast programs, streaming shows and potentially some films to a virtual standstill, upending the entertainment industry. (Comcast, the corporation that owns NBCUniversal, is one of the entertainment companies represented by the trade group. Some editorial employees of NBCUniversal's news division are represented by the Writers Guild of America.)
.jpg)
German-based European fashion e-tailer Zalando is looking to enhance the online fashion shopping experience with the launch of a virtual fashion assistant utilising OpenAI technology.
​
In a statement, Zalando said it would launch the first beta version of its virtual fashion assistant powered by ChatGPT across its website and apps this spring to help customers navigate through its “large assortment in a more intuitive way”.
Utilising OpenAI technology, the chatbot will allow customers to ask questions using their own fashion terms and words and provide them with relevant suggestions in an “intuitive and natural” way.
​
According to Zalando, if a customer asks, “What should I wear for a wedding in Santorini in July?” the fashion assistant will understand that this is a formal event and what the weather is like in Santorini in July, and therefore, provide clothing recommendations based on that input.
​
This could be combined in the future with customer preferences, such as brands they follow and products available in their sizes to deliver a more personalised selection of products, added Zalando.
​
The virtual fashion assistant will be enabled for a selected group of customers in the UK, Ireland, Germany and Austria, with support in both English and German.
Tian Su, vice president of personalisation and recommendation at Zalando, said: “At Zalando, our customers have always been at the centre of everything we do. As a leader in fashion e-commerce in Europe for 15 years, we have consistently embraced new technologies to enhance our customers' shopping experience. We are excited to be experimenting with ChatGPT to help our valued customers discover even more fashion they will love.
"This is just the beginning; we are committed to understanding our customers' needs and preferences even better, and we are eager to explore the potential that ChatGPT can bring to their shopping journey. As we continue testing and introducing new solutions, our focus remains on learning how our customers want to interact with our fashion assistant to provide them with the best possible experience."
Zalando to launch virtual fashion assistant powered by ChatGPT
Armedangels says ‘sustainable products don’t exist’ in latest marketing campaign
.jpg)
German fashion brand Armedangels has taken a bold new step in its latest marketing campaign. The Cologne-based label wants to be "radically honest" in its communications by bluntly stating: “Sustainable products don't exist.”
​
With the new marketing campaign the brand highlights that every newly produced product leaves an ecological footprint and pollutes the environment, no matter how conscious and resource-saving the production of the garment is.
​
“Consuming less and going for higher quality is the best thing that can be done for the environment,” said Katya Kruk, impact and innovation director at Armedangels, in a German press release.
​
Armedangels calls the strategies of fashion companies to entice people to buy with a more sustainable clothing offer “a tall tale”. The label itself wants to refrain from “misleading claims” and communicate as transparently and precisely as possible on its channels.
​
It now wants to sensitise its clientele to rethinking their consumer behaviour. As a concrete measure, returns from the online shop will be subject to a charge to refrain from frivolous returns which often go hand in hand with online shopping and fast-fashion.
Linking the introduction of return costs with a call for conscious consumption is a smart move, though it remains to be seen how the strategy will be implemented on its channels, because the label does not call on people to buy only second-hand instead of its own products - or preferably nothing at all.
The new campaign is not yet visible on the brand’s Instagram channel. The label continues to promote pieces from its latest collection with each new post - just like any other fashion brand.
Millions Watched ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Illegally on Twitter as Film Hits $1 Billion Box Office Worldwide
.jpg)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie was illegally uploaded to Twitter last week, and millions were able to watch it before it was taken down.
​
Per The Verge, one Twitter Blue subscriber uploaded the full 92-minute movie across two tweets on Friday, April 28. Many accounts reposted the video, including the popular user Vids That Go Hard. The videos have since been removed due to violating copyright laws, but the tweets circulated enough to garner over 9.3 million views.
​
While regular Twitter users are unable to upload videos longer than two minutes and 20 seconds, Twitter Blue subscribers can upload clips up to 60 minutes in length so long as the file size is under 2GB. Needless to say, the original account that posted the movie and various others that reposted it have since been banned, but it also highlights the copyright issues Twitter faces as moderation has been impacted under Elon Musk’s ownership.
​
Those behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie don’t have too much to worry about, though, as Variety reports it became the first film of 2023 to pass $1 billion at the global box office. After 26 days of release, the wildly popular video game adaptation has grossed over $490 million in North America and $532 million overseas. That means it’s only the fifth movie released post-COVID to reach that milestone, as it officially becomes the highest-grossing video game adaptation ever.
Subscribe now to receive every issue of AVANTI MODA Magazine delivered straight to your email inbox.
Subscribe now for Free!