Tubefilter: Company Behind YouTube DIY Channel Blossom Pulls Down Videos Showing False, Dangerous Hacks. “First Media, the company behind popular life hack channel Blossom, has pulled down a number of videos after the Wall Street Journal challenged the veracity and safety of its hacks. Blossom, known for popularizing memeable life hacks like bathing peanut butter-smeared charcoal in ice to turn it into crystals, has a whopping 11.3M subscribers on YouTube, and 58M followers on Facebook. During its peak months (around this time last year), it brought in more than 200M views on YouTube, but it’s since sloped down to around 50M views per month.”
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BuzzFeed News: Dozens Of YouTube Videos Are Showing People How To Make Potentially Dangerous Vape Oil
BuzzFeed News: Dozens Of YouTube Videos Are Showing People How To Make Potentially Dangerous Vape Oil. “As health agencies scramble to control a rash of mysterious vaping-related lung injuries, YouTube is playing host to dozens of videos that offer step-by-step instructions on how to make black-market THC vape oil. Some of these videos, which are rife with safety hazards, including the use of potentially harmful chemicals, have been viewed millions of times.”
CNET: This deepfake shows an impressionist taking on 20 celebrities, convincingly
CNET: This deepfake shows an impressionist taking on 20 celebrities, convincingly. “Actor Jim Meskimen has released a video on YouTube giving a ‘deeper’ look at his skills as an impressionist. The voice work is all his, but thanks to deepfake software, he also takes on the facial features of 20 celebrities — and becomes recognizably those people.”
Column: Facebook’s bogus video claims just cost it $40 million, but they caused much more damage (Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles Times: Column: Facebook’s bogus video claims just cost it $40 million, but they caused much more damage. “Facebook doesn’t deserve all the blame for the carnage. The truth is that there was never a great deal of evidence to suggest that online users liked video much, especially when their goal was to obtain information. The impression that video was the coming thing was fueled by occasional clips that went viral. But these often were undernourishing curiosities, such as BuzzFeed’s famous 2016 exploding watermelon stunt (currently notched at 11 million views on Facebook).”
CNET: Shooting near German synagogue was livestreamed on Twitch
CNET: Shooting near German synagogue was livestreamed on Twitch. “A shooting Wednesday that killed two people outside a German synagogue during one of the most important Jewish holidays was livestreamed for 35 minutes on Twitch. The video has since been removed from the streaming platform, but it was uploaded to other video sites.”
Advertising Age: Facebook agrees to pay advertisers $40 million over inflated video stats
Advertising Age: Facebook agrees to pay advertisers $40 million over inflated video stats. “Facebook has agreed to pay advertisers $40 million for the inflated video metrics it incorrectly provided, a case that spurred marketers to question the reliability of measurement reports from the social network and led them to demand more safeguards from all digital platforms.” For you and me, a breathtaking amount of money. For Facebook, chump change.
Variety: Twitch’s Latest Music Channel Wants to Put Gamers to Sleep
Variety: Twitch’s Latest Music Channel Wants to Put Gamers to Sleep. “Twitch has teamed up with Berlin-based generative music startup Endel for a new channel that aims to lull gamers and other Twitch viewers to sleep. Endel’s new ‘Insomnia’ Twitch channel plays 24 hours of music specifically designed to improve the sleep of its listeners.”
