In his new book "Filterworld," writer Kyle Chayka explores how social media algorithms have transformed content consumption, arguing that they have made us passive consumers and flattened our tastes. He discusses how algorithms impact artists, content creators, and journalism, and suggests that increased regulation of social media companies could mitigate their influence. Chayka also highlights the challenges of knowing what content others are seeing and how success on social media platforms determines opportunities in the arts and entertainment industry.
Flipboard, the popular content curation platform, is transitioning its user accounts to ActivityPub, a protocol that enables interoperability between social media platforms. This move allows Flipboard users to interact with apps like Mastodon and opens up the possibility for users to follow any fediverse account from within the Flipboard app. By March, Flipboard plans to allow all users to open their accounts to the fediverse. This transition positions Flipboard as a major player in the fediverse, offering an ActivityPub-based platform with a focus on reading articles. Flipboard CEO Mike McCue believes this move will make Flipboard the first mainstream consumer service to switch over to ActivityPub.
Disney+ has decided not to move forward with "The Spiderwick Chronicles," a live-action series adaptation of the popular children's fantasy books. The completed eight-episode series, produced by Paramount Television Studios and 20th Television, is now being shopped to other potential buyers. This decision is part of Disney's strategy to cut programming costs and focus on profitability. Disney+ will prioritize content based on Disney-owned IP, with exceptions for certain non-Disney properties like the upcoming Goosebumps series. The first wave of original series for Disney+ has been removed from the platform, and new content development has been put on hold.
Companies are exploring the use of generative AI models, such as ChatGPT, to leverage their proprietary knowledge for improved innovation and competitiveness. Training these models from scratch requires massive amounts of high-quality data and computing power, making it a less common approach. Instead, companies can fine-tune existing models or use prompt-tuning to incorporate domain-specific content. Fine-tuning requires less data and computing power, while prompt-tuning is computationally efficient and does not require extensive data. Content curation and governance are crucial to ensure high-quality knowledge, and evaluation strategies are necessary to maintain accuracy. Legal and governance issues surrounding LLM deployments are complex, and companies should involve legal representatives in the creation and governance process. Shaping user behavior and promoting transparency and accountability are essential for successful implementation of generative AI-based knowledge management systems.
Disney+ and Hulu will merge into a "one app experience," leading to a more reserved approach to content curation. Disney CEO Bob Iger announced the consolidation, stating that the company will be more surgical about what content it produces. CFO Christine McCarthy confirmed that Disney will remove certain content from its streaming platforms, resulting in an impairment charge of approximately $1.5 to $1.8 billion. The move reflects a larger conflict in Disney's business model as it seeks to stay on top in the digital age.
Disney is planning to remove "certain content" from their Disney+ streaming service as part of "strategic changes" to their content curation. CFO Christine McCarthy stated that the company is "in the process of reviewing the content on our DTC services" and "will be removing certain content from our streaming platforms." The company also announced that it would be adding Hulu content to Disney+ by the end of the year.
