Along with charges of fake news and photoshopped pics, thanks to Facebook, Snapchat and others, we’ll soon have to contend with a glut of reality-altering effects as they creep into our everyday post. As tech companies race to give us new ways to enhance our daily lives, it seems like separating fact from fiction is going to get increasingly difficult.
Earlier this week, Apple announced it had purchased the iOS-native app Workflow, an automation tool designed to help made your device smarter, and more productive. Now ordinarily this may not have been big news, but it comes at a time when the company is trying to position its mobile devices as real workhorses. So this week, on Episode 118 on The Campfire Project, we revisit the changing nature of work thanks to the computers in our pockets.
Matt and Keith take a deep dive into Facebook Messenger's new "Day," and how it compares to Snap Stories, Instagram, and visual messaging as a whole.
Uber’s meteoric rise from another Silicon Valley startup to the next great evolution in transportation has been one fraught with resistance. Led by its aggressive CEO, Travis Kalanick, the company has spearheaded a new one way to get around, and earned a reputation for running over anyone or anything in its path. With a massive valuation though, the company seemed untouchable. Until…this past month. Now all hell is breaking loose.
A week ago, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, penned a post in defence of Globalization. In the age of Trump, it was a striking note, and one that has fuelled rumours of Zuckerberg running for President one day. But Facebook is already one of the most powerful company’s on Earth. So, with such a large megaphone at his disposal, how will Zuckerberg use it?
All across the political spectrum, people are angry, upset, and disillusioned. The 2016 election has left its mark and now, left in the fallout, is an audience still grappling to make sense of what exactly happened, and how. As the US, and the world grapples with having a President Trump, one line of attack has reemerged as particularly effective: Satire. But how effective can comedy be?
If the Trump candidacy was defined by Twitter rants, the Trump Presidency may be defined by “fake news”. Since his election, the president and others have only intensified their use of the slur to shame journalists they don’t like. At the same time, dozens of new social media accounts have sprung up purporting to be run by “rogue” government staffers, intent on tweeting out facts that run counter to White House claims. And it is getting increasingly difficult to tell fact from fiction.
This Friday, January 20 will mark history, as Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. With his trademark bluster, Trump has ridden a wave of popularity to Inauguration Day, mostly famously by treating his Twitter followers as his own bully pulpit. His campaign style was unique to the social media era, and in direct contrast to that of the outgoing president, Barack Obama, whose administration modernized the way the White House speaks to people of all generations.
After a 2 month delay, Apple released its newest product just before Christmas - AirPods. When they were unveiled in the fall, these small, sleek wireless were billed as the ultimate answer to the non-headphone jack having iPhone 7. They sold out immediately. It’s clear though that Apple is laying the groundwork for something much bigger with this new hardware – the ability for your devices to tell stories right in your ear. It’s an interesting concept, but is that what people really want?
Well, here we are – the end of 2016. It has been…well, certainly not a boring year. And as it comes to a close, we wanted to take a look back at some of our favourite technologies of the last 12 months - and the impressive stories they told.
The state of television is always changing. From standard to high def to widescreen to 4k, and now web integration. Most of these are gimmicks. But the latest change may be set to change things forever, and it’s the topic of this week’s episode of The Campfire Project.
President-elect Trump. These are words I didn’t imagine we’d be saying on the show, and yet here we are. As people grapple with a reality television star living in the White House, this week we take a look at the fall-out. In particular, how did storytelling factor into this election?
New worlds are here. With Oculus, Vive, and Playstation VR among the first to bring virtual reality to the mainstream. In previous episodes, we’ve explored what this new tech could mean when it comes to telling new stories and playing games. This week, on Episode 107 of The Campfire Project, we go further into these new realities.
In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s an election year in the States – one of the most rocky and chaotic in living memory, in fact. News seems to break not just daily, but nearly hourly, thanks to social media in general, and Twitter in particular. The years-long campaign has shown the intrinsic value of the service. But the company? Not so much. as it continues to struggle to find solid footing or a suitor. Twitter’s story is of a company so valuable while at the same time, not worth it. And that’s worth exploring today, on Episode 106 of The Campfire Project.
Throughout the entirety of this US Presidential election, when all bets are off and the rules no longer seem to apply, one maxim seems to hold true: whoever is in the headlines is losing. Between always-on television cameras and Twitter, the race to the White House has been marred by what is perhaps the most shocking cycle in modern history. And all that reached a boiling point this week, with the revelation of the Trump Tapes, followed by the second presidential debate. So this week, on episode 105 of the Campfire Project, we look at how cameras and connectivity are shaping the story of American political discourse.
We already knew what Apple was going to show us when Tim Cook took the stage this past Wednesday: new iPhone, new Watch, new accessories for the fall. There weren't many surprises, when it came to products. The story was already written. Maybe that's why then that the focus following the technology company's keynote has been on one thing: courage, or rather, its use of it when it comes to a headphone jack. This week, on Episode 103 of The Campfire Project, a look at Apple's tone-deaf approach and the media fallout.
Social media is a versatile tool. Through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the rest, millions of people keep up with loved ones and learn about the world through their daily feeds. Since their inception though, speculation has run rampant on how continued use of these networks effects people's lives, treating them less like a tool and more like a drug. So, for one month this summer, I stopped using. Today, on Episode 102 of The Campfire Project, a decidedly anti-social story.
Back on episode 94, we discussed Gawker Media, the gossip-y website that had been embroiled in legal troubles lately. A few weeks later and Gawker has been sued, sold and will soon be taken down. So today on Episode 101 of the Campfire Project, a return to one of the web’s most fascinating stories.
Chris and Matt discuss the past, present, and future of The Campfire Project.
In an age full of cameraphones and constant connectivity, it was only a matter of time before a game like Pokémon Go set the world on fire. The newly released smartphone app has dominated the conversation both online and off, as people of all ages race to finally capture their favourite pokémon out in the real world. Pokémon Go is the perfect example of technology and storytelling coming together to create a truly unique experience. And that’s why it’s our topic this week on The Campfire Project.