The Metaverse, Swifties & Diabolical Air Fryers
5 in 5 - Brave & Heart HeartBeat #220 ❤️
This week we’re rethinking the adult to child ratio in the Metaverse, asking what Elon Musk got out of this election, and welcoming the Swifties to Bluesky.
Plus, we find out the diabolical ways in which smart tech can be used against us, and by who, and learn how to stop checking our phone every five minutes.
Let’s get into it.
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#1 - The Upside Down
Also known as the Metaverse, because while we were all worried that the Metaverse would put children at risk from adults, it seems like they’re the ones ruling the roost over there...
Any unsuspecting adult roaming the Metaverse today is chance to find themselves victimised by loitering groups of children, throwing virtual objects at them, shrieking, laughing, and shouting the occasional slur in their direction. Just kids stuff, you know.
We should have expected this, to be honest. Anyone who has ever played Call of Duty online would know, it’s full of tweens with their microphones on shouting at each other, and not very PG stuff usually, either.
They mostly hang out in the Meta Horizon Worlds VR universe, because that’s the one that lets them in – this summer 2024 they lowered the age of entry to ten years old.
Researcers say it makes sense to lower the age gate. Horizon Worlds was most popular with young teens, and the medium of VR seems especially enciting to kids, - apparently they have a higher tolerance for the “bizarre, cacophonous mess that VR can be”.
If you’ve ever watched any kids TV, that makes sense.
As Meta’s VR headsets get cheaper and cheaper, they may end up under more and more Christmas trees as time goes on.
#2 -What Has Elon Won?
While Trump has won the election with a little help from his friend Musk, what is he getting out of it?
Well, for one, Tesla stocks have already gone up 15% on wall street – a wealth gain of 15 billion for Musk.
For two, SpaceX were already getting government contracts under Biden, now his bestie is in the White House, experts say he’ll be getting a lot more.
And finally, the role that Trump apparently has in mind for Musk, the department of government efficiency – i.e. Doge. Please, please let it be a joke. If not a joke, a Musk-led government efficiency commission would have Musk in charge of “efficiency” – firing people and getting rid of bureaucracy, basically.
If it was a part-time role, Musk could do it while still heading his companies, and getting rid of bureaucracy would allow him to do some of the stuff he’s been trying to do with SpaceX without that pesky government getting in the way.
So, basically, he’s put a load of his own money and time in, but he’s already reaping the benefits mere days into the presidency announcement.
Maybe this gamble will pay off for him.
Hope Not
Bluesky are up to one million new users since, and, obviously, because of, Trumps election win.
Why? Well, as one user so elequantly put it, come January, “X could be owned by a de facto member of the Trump administration” and used as “a Trump propaganda outlet and far-right radicalization machine”.
Good point, well made.
X is now intrinsically linked to Donald Trump and his election win, and that doesn’t appeal to everybody. Not to mention the fact that the platform was arguably weaponised by Elon Musk to ensure that win.
For example, after his win was announced, Swifties (Taylor Swift fans, to the non initiated) left the platform in droves. Swift had endorsed Kamala Harris for president, and along with the deepfakes of Swift that were used by Trump voters, plus the whole crazy cat lady thing, it left them feeling out of place on the platform. One fan stated that he was leaving X because it didn’t align with Taylor’s values, therefore, not with his either. Bye Musk.
Along with not being linked to Donald Trump, Bluesky has more robust blocking options (like actually being able to block people), a lot less bots, and built-in communities that you can join with a click.
Threads is still in the lead between the two when it comes to subscribers, but we have an inkling that Bluesky may edge Threads out in actual users, if not now, then very soon.
#4 - Are Our Devices Spying On Us?
Yeah, basically.
A recent report found that everything from digital watches to air-fryers are gathering a worrying amount of data to send to their data overlords.
We all love an air fryer nowadays, and of the three “smart” air fryers tested, one connected their app to tackers for Facebook and a TikTok ad network, while two sent personal data to servers in China.
A smart air fryer allows you to use an app to schedule your meal to start cooking before you get home, for example. Maybe we need to start asking ourselves, are these “smart” additions useful, necessary, and worth sending your data to China for.
Another problem with smart tech is that not only can it allow people far away to spy on you for advertising purposed, but it can also allow the people close to you to spy on you, for potentially more nefarious purposes.
For example, ring cameras, location sharing, even mobile phone controlled heating or TV remotes can all be ammunition for an abusive spouse or relative to get info on what you’re doing.
In this case asking yourself if it’s worth it may not be enough, as tech gives more power to the people in power in these situations.
#5 - How To Stop Checking Our Phones All The Time
The last story in the newsletter is usually reserved for work corner, but I’m sure we can all agree, checking our phones is work-related.
Who hasn’t been there, trying to get in the zone with work and the siren song of your smart phone starts whispering in your ear.
Even as we innocently open our phones to look at outlook email notifications, we may find ourselves on our Instagram feed without even remebering how we got there, or why we picked up our phones in the first place.
Yes, we are speaking from experience.
And research suggents, thank god, that we aren’t alone. A 2022 experiment found that only 11% of people’s smartphone checks were even in response to a notification, the other 89% of the time checks were completely unprompted, and they didn’t even know why.
It has become automatic for a lot of us, so much so that smartphones are referred to as “adult pacifiers” by some researchers – they get rid of an uncomfortable feeling of our brains not being occupied by something.
Constant scrolling can effect our job performance, personal relationships, and health, along with causing anxiety through the guilt we may feel for not being strong enough to resist the siren song.
On the flipside, apparently an abrupt digital detox can be bad for you too, causing anxiety.
So what can we do? Apparently, being mindful is one answer. Try and make a conscious effort to ask “why” when you pick up your phone and start on the endless scroll.
In a work context, maybe you’re feeling stuck and unable to start something, and have turned to the scroll as a brain-numbing procrastination tactic. In this case you could do something more helpful such as talk to a colleague about how to get started.
Another option is getting used to being without your phone, for example working in a location where your phone is not. If you need chat notifications, install WhatsApp on your phone – the data shows that mindless scrolling is the issue, not chat notifications.
Finally, switch the story. Realising that your phone is a crutch rather than something that actually soothes you is a mindset change that will stop you from seeing your phone as a pacifier, and hopefully allow you to cut the cord.
Snip Snip
Brave & Heart over and out.
Bonus
Christmas Ads Are Back
And with them, the Christmas ad backlash.
Most recently, Boots, which was slammed for being centred around women, and having nothing to appeal to a straight white man.
A store based around makeup, shocking!
To find out more on how you can retain your top talent, or how we can help you with digital solutions to your business and marketing challenges, check out our case studies.
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