The NBA and Houston Rockets collaborated to bring exciting initiatives to the AfroTech conference in Houston from Nov. 13-16. One of the key highlights was the first-ever NBA Foundation Tech Challenge, where 25 students from local universities like the University of Houston, Rice University, Prairie View A&M University, and Texas Southern University presented business ideas based on real-world challenges.
Houston Rockets CMO Julian Duncan judged the challenge, NBA All-Star Baron Davis, and Amplitude’s Nikki Lasley. Prairie View A&M took home the top prize, with each student receiving $1,000 and a scholarship funded by a $25,000 donation from Amplitude.
The NBA Foundation also sponsored 100 Houston-area students to attend AfroTech, giving them access to valuable networking opportunities and career insights from top tech professionals. On the Executive Stage, NBA President of Basketball Operations Byron Spruell, WNBA Head of League Operations Bethany Donaphin, and Rockets GM Rafael Stone participated in a panel discussing the intersection of tech and basketball, offering advice on career development.
Additionally, Baron Davis engaged in a Fireside chat about entrepreneurship and innovation, sharing his expertise on blending business and basketball.
IBM and UFC®️ have announced a groundbreaking partnership that will bring the power of IBM’s AI platform, watsonx, to the global audience of the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization. With this collaboration, IBM becomes UFC’s first-ever Official Global AI Partner, introducing a new dimension to live event viewing.
Central to the partnership is the development of the UFC Insights Engine, which will utilize IBM’s AI and data technology, including Granite large language models, alongside UFC’s extensive data feeds. This engine aims to provide UFC fans with real-time, advanced insights during live events, such as fighter tendencies, match projections, and potential victory outcomes. These insights will continuously update on-screen as live data rolls in, offering fans an enriched experience.
Expected to launch in early 2025, the Insights Engine will integrate branded stats and graphics into key UFC platforms. Fans can expect to see this technology across UFC Pay-Per-View broadcasts, pre-event programming, social media, and in-venue displays, reaching millions in 170 countries.
“This partnership with IBM is one of the most significant milestones for UFC and a game changer for how fans will experience our sport,” said Grant Norris-Jones, Head of Global Partnerships at TKO. “IBM is an iconic blue-chip, global brand with decades of experience in sports marketing. Together, we’re pioneering a product to revolutionize analytics and information in live sports. This partnership marks a pivotal win, not only for UFC and IBM, but also for fans around the world who will experience our sport in a whole new way.”
This partnership not only marks UFC’s expansion into AI-driven experiences but also IBM’s commitment to redefining fan engagement. Together, IBM and UFC are set to deliver real-time, data-driven content, enhancing viewer connection to each fight and offering unparalleled access to in-depth UFC fight information.
“Data and AI solutions like UFC Insights Engine built with IBM watsonx can offer current fans entirely new ways to connect with their favorite athletes and sports, while also building excitement among new generations of MMA fans,” said Jonathan Adashek, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at IBM. “Leveraging watsonx and our Granite models also allows UFC to enhance its digital operations and to harness the power of its extensive library of match data – all to the benefit of current and future fans.”
“IBM watsonx is synonymous with AI, and they have been leading the charge in this space from the beginning,” said Alon Cohen, Senior Vice President, UFC Research and Development. “UFC has been working on the concept of the Insights Engine for several years, and now we finally have the right partner in IBM with the depth of expertise in AI to bring it to life. We’re looking forward to rolling this out to our fans in the months ahead.”
Rapper GloRilla is lighting up TikTok once again with her newest singles, “I LUV HER” featuring T-Pain and “WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME” featuring Sexyy Red, which have quickly gained traction on the platform.
Released on October 11, “I LUV HER” has already inspired nearly 76,000 videos from creators, rising to #18 on TikTok’s Viral 50 chart. A standout trend involves users employing the CapCut app to overlay lyrics onto their videos, showcasing TikTok’s creative possibilities. GloRilla’s own post promoting the song has accumulated over 1.3 million views and 67,000 likes, driving even more engagement.
Meanwhile, “WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME” is also making waves, generating nearly 34,000 creator videos and reaching #6 on the Viral 50 chart. Fans have embraced the track with viral dances, and even pop icon Taylor Swift joined in, sharing a TikTok video featuring the song. Swift’s post skyrocketed, amassing over 28.6 million views and 5 million likes within four days.
GloRilla’s latest successes build on her previous viral achievements, cementing her influence in shaping TikTok trends and reinforcing the platform’s pivotal role in music discovery. With these chart-topping tracks, GloRilla continues to dominate TikTok, making her one of the most exciting artists in today’s digital music scene.
Whelp, the legal fight against TikTok rages. This time a bipartisan group of over a dozen state attorneys general, including those from New York, California, and the District of Columbia, have filed lawsuits against social media giant TikTok, citing harmful effects on teens and young users. The District of Columbia’s Attorney General Brian Schwalb, leading one of the lawsuits, accuses TikTok of misleading users by claiming its app is safe for children, despite its “addictive” features, and of operating an unlicensed virtual money transmission system. Schwalb stated, “TikTok is intentionally trying to addict young people to its platform” and referred to the app as “digital nicotine,” claiming it poses significant mental health risks, including depression, anxiety, sleep loss, and body dysmorphia.
Get this, Schwalb’s lawsuit also highlights TikTok’s virtual currency system, “TikTok Coins,” which allows users to buy virtual gifts during live streams, with streamers cashing out for real money. The lawsuit alleges that TikTok has profited substantially from this system, charging commissions as high as 50%. Schwalb contends that the platform’s lax age verification processes have allowed minors to access age-restricted features, leading to instances of exploitation.
Naturally, TikTok strongly denies these accusations, asserting in a statement, “We provide robust safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily launched safety features such as default screen time limits, family pairing, and privacy by default for minors under 16.” The company expressed disappointment that state attorneys general chose litigation over collaboration to address industrywide concerns.
Here’s their statement on X (formerly Twitter):
Our statement on today’s Attorneys General lawsuits:
“We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading. We’re proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we’ve done to protect teens and we will continue to update and improve…
This serious legal action against TikTok comes amid growing scrutiny of social media platforms for their impact on children. Similar lawsuits have been filed against other platforms, such as Snapchat and Facebook, which have faced accusations of enabling exploitation and fostering harmful content. In a broader context, TikTok is also fighting a new law that would ban the app unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells it to a non-Chinese buyer by January 19, 2024, a move TikTok argues violates the First Amendment rights of its users.
Kerry Washington is best known on the big and small screen but now you can add tech investor to her repertoire. The Scandal star has recently become an investor in Spill, a Black-owned social media platform that fosters connections, culture, and commerce. According to an exclusive report from TechCrunch, Washington provided financial backing as the platform approaches its second anniversary.
Washington has been an active participant and early adopter on the platform, perhaps by design, regularly hosting live video sessions called “tea parties” for her followers. Alphonzo Terrell, Spill’s founder, praised Washington’s engagement with the community, saying, “She’s incredibly accessible and knowledgeable, especially around these topics, and is not scared in any way, shape, or form about really engaging with people directly. I think it really does represent the kind of environment we want to cultivate on Spill … We’re all human here, too. Let’s connect.”
Get this, the actress shared her motivation for supporting Spill, explaining, “When I joined Spill as a user, I was amazed and inspired by how safe the community felt. I immediately wanted to support the growth of the platform, because safety is a powerful tool to foster honesty, creativity, connection, and community.” She went on to highlight how Spill prioritizes marginalized communities, adding, “In a digital world where marginalized groups, especially Black, Brown, and LGBTQIA folks, rarely feel prioritized, Spill stands out. I’m proud to be part of this community as both a user and an investor.”
What’s more, Washington hosted a voter registration-themed Tea Party on Spill, engaging her followers in discussions about the upcoming election and the vital role of voters in driving social and political change.
As for Spill users, known as “Spillionaires,” they can share posts that combine 90 characters of text with images, GIFs, or videos. The platform allows users to “Spill” their thoughts, share, comment, or quote posts. The Spillboard helps users stay updated on trending topics worldwide, while live conversations, games like Spades, and tea parties foster further engagement.
Spill is available for download on both iOS and Android.
Not many know the story of the platform Twitch, and how it went full circle in a way. It started as Justin.tv, where anyone could stream what they were doing. However, the creators noticed how the gaming section was getting way more attention and started the streaming site called Twitch. This quickly became a social hub exclusively for gamers, and from it, a whole slew of internet celebrities rose. Now, Twitch is owned by Amazon and has a massive user base. What’s more, just like the original intention behind Justin.tv the streaming content has become more diverse.
People just chat with subscribers, comment on the latest events and developments, and some create exciting content by gambling. In fact, Twitch had a big impact on the gambling industry as it inspired live dealer games. According to experts from casinoofthekings.ca traffic on their project started to grow at the same time as Twitch launched a separate category for gambling and online casinos.
The Appeal of Twitch for Celebrities
Everyone is pretty much aware that most celebrities have teams of people in charge of their social media accounts. In other words, when you interact with your role models online chances are you are just talking to the members of their staff. That’s not the case with Twitch streaming.
Here you see the person, and you directly interact with them. That’s why both fans and celebrities love this platform. It helps them form a more genuine connection. Not only that but Twitch makes it easy to send money or make donations. So, if a celeb wants to run a charity event and help gather funds for a specific cause, Twitch is a perfect place to do so.
Not only that but Twitch can help celebrities reach more people. Maybe someone didn’t find them interesting based on their music or sports career. But now they get to know the other side of them and maybe re-evaluate the initial image they had of that person.
Celebrities Influencing Twitch Culture and Content
As stated, this platform started out as a social hub for gamers. Over the years they manage to attract socialites from other walks of life, and celebrities were an important factor in this change. Now there are several new categories that aren’t gaming-related:
IRL (In Real Life) – Category that features podcasts, live chatting, ASMR, sports, discussion on politics, and other more general topics.
Music and DJ – A category for music artists where they create new music and collaborate with fans. It’s a great way to get instant feedback and include followers in creative process.
Creative – Category for arts and crafts that is great for live tutorials.
Clearly, there is an intention here to attract more influencers from other spheres, in order to grow the number of active users. With more active users it’s easier to attract more sponsors who wish to advertise on the site.
Top Celebrities Making Waves on Twitch
Given their busy schedules, celebrities don’t stream as frequently or regularly like other top creators. But whenever they are online users definitely notice. Below are some notable examples.
Post Malone
As a young artist, Post Malone is adored by younger generations. In other words, many gamers love his songs. It comes as no surprise that when Post Malone starts to stream his channel lights up. He also plays very popular battle royale titles like Apex Legends. Not only that but he is genuinely good at it; he even reached the rank of diamond.
Snoop Dogg
Music made Snoop Dogg famous, but his success as an artist is only matched by his achievements as an entrepreneur. And to this day his portfolio of business ventures continues to expand. Back in 2023, he even launched a game studio with his son called Death Row Games, and Snoop has been involved with the industry for quite some time now.
Felicia Day
A lot of World of Warcraft players know Felica from the web series she created The Guild, but she was also in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Supernatural TV show. People who love narrative-driven games like God of War, and Last of US also love to watch Felicia on Twitch. She is very committed to gaming and does a full playthrough of these games.
Mike Shinoda
Before Linkin Park found its new lead singer, the co-founder Mike Shinoda saw Twitch as a home for his creative outlet. While on Twitch Mike connected with his community, played Valorant, and created new music. What’s more, he collaborated with Twitch to white label the music he created on stream so that his fans can freely use it.
Madison Beer
The number one reason Madison Beer started a Twitch channel was to promote her music or music projects. But even some of those music projects were gaming-related. For example, she played or sang as League of Legends’s Evelyn during K/DA concerts.
That said she does play games on her streams and easily attracts over 30,000 viewers. Madison plays indie releases like Only Up as well as some popular titles like Valorant and Fall Guys.
Impact on Twitch’s User Demographics
Obviously, celebrities help this platform grow further. They have a lot of star power and a fan base of devotees who are eager to socialize with them. It helped Twitch become more than just a place for gamers.
However, the core users of Twitch are still gamers, so the platform also helped these celebrities reach more people. As you can see, all of them played different games while on the stream, and many players who don’t necessarily know these celebrities will hop on to check out their stream. After all, the platform directs viewers to those channels that have the highest view count.
Of course, this is in a way bad for other content creators who are trying to make it and have a low number of followers. Now with celebrities streaming getting noticed will be even harder.
How Celebrity Involvement is Attracting Brands and Advertisers
There are many other celebrities who occasional stream T-Pain, Keke Palmer, Soulja Boy, Doja Cat, and Neymar Jr. to name a few. Unlike other social networks, Twitch is a place where streamers reply to messages in chat. These are all big names in their respective industries and that’s incredibly relevant for brands who want to advertise on Twitch.
Unlike with ads on YouTube, users have an incentive to stay on Twitch when the ads start to roll. The stream is happening right there and then, you can’t come back tomorrow or after a few hours and enjoy the same content. Ever since Twitch grew the ads campaign became more aggressive, which once again kills the discoverability of smaller creators. People just don’t want to sit that long and wait for ads to stop playing.
This isn’t the case with celebrity streams. These are high profile individuals and viewers look forward to interacting with them. So, even when ads are unskippable on these streams viewers will stick around. As a result, more brands who want to advertise on Twitch, especially during these streams.
Conclusion
To sum up, Twitch has drastically changed over the past decade and celebrities and influential internet personalities played a big role. It can be difficult to re-brand especially when your identity is so heavily centred around one hobby. Luckily, Twitch has managed to follow through and create a place that Justin.tv was meant to be. They did this thanks to a strong infrastructure for socializing, advertising and online donations.
In a way, whenever someone who is famous wants to connect with their fans and raise funds in the process, Twitch is the go-to option. The brand is visible and already has a big user base, and it has categories that invite creators from different niches.
The future is here. The days of carrying around your actual ID may be coming to an end… Apple just introduced the ability for California residents to add their driver’s licenses and state IDs to Apple Wallet, allowing them to securely and conveniently present their IDs using an iPhone or Apple Watch. This initiative is part of the California DMV’s mobile driver’s license (mDL) pilot program, which launched last year and is limited to 1.5 million participants.
“Enabling California residents to seamlessly add and present their IDs with their iPhone or Apple Watch represents a significant step in replacing the physical wallet with a more secure and private digital wallet,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. “The launch also represents an important milestone in the rollout of IDs in Apple Wallet. Not only is California one of the largest states in the U.S., but it’s also our own backyard, and we’re excited to bring an easy and transparent way to present IDs in our home state.”
Here’s what California Governor Gavin Newsom added, “Californians now have the option of adding their driver’s license or state ID to their iPhone or Apple Watch in Apple Wallet. With this new integration, we’re working to better serve the people of California in the 21st century.”
Get this, the digital expansion into California follows similar launches in Hawaii and Ohio, as well as earlier rollouts in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, and Maryland. Other states, including Montana, New Mexico, and West Virginia, have also committed to adopting this digital ID system. Additionally, Japan has signed on to bring its My Number Card to Apple Wallet, marking the first international expansion of the feature.
How does it work? To use the ID, users simply select their ID in Apple Wallet, hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near an identity reader, review the requested information, and authenticate using Face ID or Touch ID. Currently, IDs in Apple Wallet can be presented at select TSA checkpoints, certain businesses and venues, and Apple Stores across the U.S. for order pickup and Genius Bar appointments. Additionally, apps like Tap2iD Mobile, VeriScan, and Mobile ID Verify allow businesses to securely verify IDs using Apple’s ID Verifier API, without the need for extra hardware.
Soon, users will also be able to use their digital ID for services like CLEAR member enrollment.
Technology is moving real fast. The question is, are we really ready for it?
Finally some guard rails with Instagram to protect kids. The massive social media platform is rolling out new separate accounts specifically for users under 18, aiming to make the platform safer for young people amid increasing concerns over social media’s impact on mental health.
About time.
Get this, starting Tuesday in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia, new users under 18 will be automatically placed into these more restrictive accounts, and existing teen accounts will be transitioned over the next 60 days. Similar changes will be implemented for teens in the European Union later this year.
Meta is trying to get ahead of kids circumventing the soon to come protections. The company acknowledges the possibility of teenagers lying about their age and has stated it will require more frequent age verification. The company is also developing technology to identify accounts where teens might be pretending to be adults, automatically placing them into restricted teen accounts. These accounts will be private by default, and direct messages will be limited to people teens already follow. Additionally, “sensitive content” will be restricted, and teens will receive notifications if they spend more than 60 minutes on the platform. A “sleep mode” feature will disable notifications and send auto-replies between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
What’s more, teens aged 16 and 17 can opt out of some of these restrictions, while users under 16 will need parental permission to do so. Naomi Gleit, Meta’s head of product, stated, “The three concerns we’re hearing from parents are that their teens are seeing content that they don’t want to see or that they’re getting contacted by people they don’t want to be contacted by or that they’re spending too much on the app. So teen accounts are really focused on addressing those three concerns.”
Timing wise, this move comes as Meta faces lawsuits from multiple U.S. states, alleging that the company has contributed to the youth mental health crisis by creating features that are addictive to children. New York Attorney General Letitia James called Meta’s actions “an important first step,” but emphasized that more needs to be done to protect children from social media harm. While Meta has introduced features like time-limit notifications in the past, these have been criticized for not being strict enough, as teens can easily bypass them without parental supervision.
Basically, with the new teen accounts, Meta provides parents more tools to oversee their children’s activity on Instagram. If parental supervision is enabled, parents can limit their teens’ screen time and see who is messaging their child, offering them a chance to engage in conversations about online safety. Gleit added, “Parents will be able to see, via the family center, who is messaging their teen and hopefully have a conversation with their teen.”
If you love TikTok and all that comes with it, have fun now because it might not last too much longer. The U.S. government clashed with the popular platform’s lawyers in federal court over a law that could ban the app by mid-January. TikTok is arguing the measure is unconstitutional and the Justice Department claiming it is necessary to eliminate a national security risk.
The legal battle took place before a panel of three judges at a federal appeals court in Washington.
Andrew Pincus, representing TikTok, argued, “The law before this court is unprecedented and its effect would be staggering,” suggesting that it would impose speech limitations based on hypothetical future risks. Additionally, an attorney for content creators who joined the challenge compared the law to banning Americans from publishing on foreign-owned media outlets.
Get this, the law was signed by President Joe Biden in April, comes after years of concern in Washington about TikTok’s ties to China. The U.S. government make a serious claim that TikTok collects sensitive user data that could be accessed by the Chinese government and that the app’s proprietary algorithm could be manipulated to shape content.
What’s more, Daniel Tenny, an attorney for the Justice Department, argued, “The problem is that same data is extremely valuable to a foreign adversary trying to compromise the security of the United States.”
Pincus contended that Congress should have opted for transparency regarding potential propaganda rather than forcing a divestiture or ban.
Interestingly, the judges also pressed the Justice Department on First Amendment concerns. Judge Sri Srinivasan noted that government efforts to curb content manipulation raise alarms regarding free speech. Tenny responded that the law does not directly target TikTok users or creators, suggesting any impact on them would be indirect.
Anyway, TikTok maintains that it does not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government and that divestment is not a feasible option. The company argues that even if divestment were possible, TikTok would lose the technology that powers the app, reducing it to “a shell of its former self.”
TikTok here or gone, it’s part of a bigger construct with the impact of social media in our lives. And that is here to stay.
ICYMI, at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, Tyla celebrated her first VMA win for Best Afrobeats Video with her hit song “Water.” During her acceptance speech, the South African pop star asked Lil Nas X, who presented the award with Halle Bailey, to hold her trophy, sparking some confusion among viewers.
In response to the buzz on social media, Tyla addressed the situation on X (formerly Twitter), posting:
“Y’all make everything weird… I was not asking my girl Halle… We just girls. STFU I WON A VMAAAA.”
During her speech, Tyla humorously explained, “I’m not strong enough, please hold it for me,” to which Lil Nas X obliged, and she followed up with, “Thank you, I’m sorry.” Halle Bailey later showed support by congratulating Tyla, saying, “Exactly love u babes congrats.”
The post’s engagement has 7.6M views, 5.3K Reposts, 932 Quotes, 96K Likes and 3.2K Bookmarks.
Yea, sometimes socials just acts weird. Anyway, congrats on your VMA Tyla!
