NYMag asked a bunch of teenagers whether Instagram Stories, which are picking up major steam, will lure them away from Snapchat. Spoiler: no.
[O]f the dozen teenagers and college students Select All spoke with, only one said she preferred Instagram Stories over Snapchat... "Stories just doesn't seem like the function of Instagram," Neira, a 19-year-old college freshman from New York, explained. "It was a kinda unnecessary add-on."
Facebook has hired MTV executive Mina Lefevre to lead development of scripted and unscripted content, according to The Verge.
Why now?: After years of saying it wasn't interested in becoming a buyer of content, Facebook announced in December that it would begin buying original programming to build a pipeline for the site, per Hollywood Reporter. CEO Mark Zuckerberg told investors the site is looking at short-form content before moving to longer projects to compete with other streaming services like Netflix.
Why it matters: Facebook wants to increase the amount of video on the site to keep its users more engaged, therefore increasing the time they spend on the social network. Also, having its own content gives the company more inventory to sell ads against. Bringing on a seasoned TV executive will jumpstart operation.
Lawfare thought it was the right decision: "The Ninth Circuit is correct to leave the TRO in place, in my view, for the simple reason that there is no cause to plunge the country into turmoil again while the courts address the merits of these matters over the next few weeks."
And Trump missed the money quote at the end: "...the incompetent malevolence with which this order was promulgated."
Because he didn't read the whole thing: Per HuffPo's Ethan Klapper, he saw an excerpt on Morning Joe.
Let's face it: most of us are more distracted and more frazzled than ever. We are prisoners to our phones: tweeting our every thought, or snapping our every emotion, or Facebooking our every fantasy, feeling or family moment. We scroll, click and swipe our days away, better connected than at any point in humanity — but not necessarily better informed.
We've been hit with more technological innovations than we are capable of responsibly handling.
Privacy advocates are worried that President Trump and his appointees could expand the government surveillance apparatus.
Why it's on the radar: Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that he tends to "err on the side of security" when it comes to debates over NSA surveillance. New Attorney General Jeff Sessions and CIA Director Mike Pompeo both opposed surveillance reforms while they were serving in Congress.
