Why we all use subtitles now
Why we all use subtitles now
Wait, what did he say? Rewind it
Do you use subtitles with movies, shows, or live TV even though your hearing is pretty typical? I do.
And although it could be a sign of hearing loss that you need words with your pictures, there's actually a lot happening with digital audio engineering that could be the culprit. I really enjoyed this long-form look into phenomena from Vox's Edward Vega.
I shared this on LinkedIn, and the engagement was fantastic! I got a bunch of DMs, too. Some of my favorite insights from that discussion:
I get all the technical stuff but literally job one for a sound engineer has to be "Make sure they can hear the words."
Yes, but my wife hates it.
I feel so seen. I also think we should prioritize auto-captions on meetings and live video - inclusivity should be the default.
My most recent dilemma: Keep the subtitles on during a Netflix comedy special and continue to read the punchline before the delivery, or turn them off and only catch 2% of what the comedian is saying.
For now, I’m leaving captions on. I just wish there was one of those bouncing balls like a Disney Sing-Along Songs movie. Right?
The Shorty Awards Deadline is Upon Us
It’s always an honor to witness the iconic work and moments in digital storytelling. I’m excited to do this as a judge once again at this year’s Shorty Awards!
The next deadline is February 9th. Learn more about the categories and submit your work here.
Introducing… ⚡️ Social Signals WhatsApp Alerts!⚡️
I’ve been tracking a handful of newsletter authors creating WhatsApp communities to share real-time push notifications with their communities (outside of social media, email, and the Substack app). I’ve followed the WhatsApp newsletters from Rohit Bhargava, Matt Navarra and Cathy Hackl and really enjoyed both the intimacy and real-time nature of seeing what’s in their brains way before that content makes it way to social, email, etc. So I’m going to test one out - want to join?
Note: I’m going on vacation for a week after today, so if you’re not getting a bunch of alerts that’s a good thing. I’m OOO. 🤠
🚀 This Issue’s Social Signals
“Our eyes can only see so much.” It has been super curious to watch how Snap Inc. is marketing and (re)positioning Snapchat in this new campaign for what CCO Colleen DeCourcy calls “the best known, least understood” social platform. Watch the spot here.
Nike's dot swoosh Web3 program is live with its first community social challenge. Read more here about how Nike approached this initiative, including doing a roadshow to have community discussions to give input into what they will do with this – including the huge gap in education they (and we all) are encountering.
Remember when every single app started adding Stories? Well, the TikTok-ification is upon us, with networks like Twitter and even Etsy adding “For You” feeds. And yes, a lot of that content is actually just TikToks.
Folks on my timeline are sharing a fake Google Calendar plugin that shows the cost of the meeting by totaling up the billable hours per person and has a “SEND AN EMAIL INSTEAD” button. I used to own this tabletop meeting clock and calculator called TIM (time is money) that did this. I think I must have left it in a Weber Shandwick conference room at some point because it’s gone.
Shutterstock launched its Generative AI image tool, and the initial reports aren’t great. I’m still bullish on stock image companies getting into this and helping lead the usage rights and licensing conversations.
Mattel and Minecraft are releasing a new line of toys in the Minecraft Creator Series that gives you a physical toy AND unlocks Camp Enderwood DLC (downloadable content) you can play in the game. This marks the first time where players will be able to unlock exclusive in-game items through buying the toys. And you can bet it won’t be the last.
Taylor Lorenz covers #OldMoney: Cashmere, cologne, and white sunshine/Red racing cars, Sunset and Vine! Twitter may be consumed with #eattherich, but on Gen Z's favorite platform the hashtag #oldmoney has raked in a collective 1.7 billion views and growing.
The Microsoft Teams update with ChatGPT is something else: “In the coming months, you’ll see key points and takeaways after the meeting, with AI-generated notes automatically created and powered by GPT-3.5. Follow-up is easy with AI-generated tasks and action items automatically suggested for you.” This is what I mean when I say AI is a tool that can help improve our jobs, not take them. Is it taking the job of a note taker? Yes. So train the note taker on a different job.
Do you daydream at work? More importantly, do you feel bad about it? Zoning out – and letting my subconscious crunch on a problem – is a key part of my creative process. And of course, there's science that backs it up. Love this quote from Fast Company, "Daydreaming is a feature of the mind, not a bug."
QR code scams are apparently a thing. Look for a story on your local TV news about this in the coming months. Just like any nefarious use of technology, we shouldn’t vilify the technology just because people use it to trick people. QR codes are incredibly valuable. We just need to continue to raise the acumen of digital education and awareness to ensure folks aren’t being taken advantage.
Really good long read here on the move from horizontal communities to vertical communities and the space between online and IRL. Key quote: “We now live in a world where our communities exist in three dimensions — the familiar hodgepodge of local humanity in two dimensions, and our self-sorted online spaces in a third.”
Nothing, Forever is a Seinfeld-eque Twitch show about nothing that happens forever using generative A.I. The description reads: “Nothing, Forever is always-on, runs 365 days of the year, and delivers new content every minute.” You kind of have to see it to understand it. But imagine something like this deep in the depths of your 2024 Netflix streaming package. Watch here.
This Twitter thread asking Midjourney to imagine different types of software developers is hilarious. But when you compare it to the same exercise from 10 months ago, it’s striking.
A YouTuber created an experience where real-life fish in an aquarium could “play” video games by swimming in different vectors of a grid. But when the game crashed and the fish’s owner wasn’t paying attention they changed windows, broadcast his credit card, and even made purchases from the Nintendo Store online. It’s like a real-world Pixar story, and I love it so much you have to watch this.
Courtney Love says stay the f— offline (NSFW). Personally, I’m happy she’s not.
App of the Week: one sec forces you to take a deep breath whenever you open social media apps. It creates added friction to make distracting apps less appealing. Try it here.
TikTok of the Week: Stop trying to be influencers; we need electricians.
See you in the future!
Greg