The lesson of BuzzFeed is that dominant Aggregators like Facebook have no incentive to act against their self interest and support suppliers.
More on Apple and China (and Podcasts!), Apple and Duck Duck Go, WordPress Newspack
How much was Apple impacted by the arrest of Huawei’s CFO? Then, Apple’s agreement with DuckDuckGo and its connection with Google, and why WordPress Newspack is so exciting.
Facebook Adds Reputation Scores, Facebook’s Solution, The Unintended Consequences
Facebook will assign reputation scores to news sources, and the solution is far better than most of the company’s critics would have you think. There are, though, unintended consequences.
LaVar Ball and Deciding Viewers; The Logan Paul Controversy; Spectre and Philosophy, Redux
The latest controversy in the basketball world illustrates how the destruction of media business models has far-ranging effects. Then, the Logan Paul controversy, and why the way forward depends on getting core assumptions right.
Goodbye Gatekeepers
Harvey Weinstein was a gate-keeper — a position that existed in multiple industries, including the media. That entire structure, though, is untenable on the Internet, and that’s a good thing.
Fake News and Facebook, Filter Bubbles and People, Google’s Featured Snippets Problem
Research says truly fake news isn’t much of a problem; filter bubbles are, but algorithms are less responsible than it seems. That, though, is why Google in particular has a responsibility to do better.
Manifestos and Monopolies
Facebook has long had too much power, but Mark Zuckerberg’s expressed willingness to use said power for political ends means it’s time to consider countermeasures.
The State of Technology at the End of 2016
The annual Stratechery review of the state of technology, and call to build products that unlock human potential
Facebook’s China Censorship Tool, The Fake News Connection, A Thanksgiving Note
Facebook has pre-emptively built a tool for censoring content in China even as the Chinese government is talking about “fake news”. Then, a note of thanks from me to you.
Amazon Explores Sports Rights, Insta-Snapchat-Gram, Zuckerberg on Fake News
Amazon is looking into sports, but real changes won’t happen for a while. Then, Instagram continues to battle Snapchat, which is a useful reminder that the best Facebook antidote is competition.