#amazon product research 2020

[fatehbaz]

A team of Indigenous Yucuna women in the Colombian Amazon are rescuing and documenting the remaining oral knowledge on bees and their roles in the ecosystem, along with the traditional classification system of diverse bee species. With the help of nine elders, they are documenting and sketching tales and songs to gather bee names, characteristics, behaviors, roles in their crop fields and the places where bees build beehives. [...]

Je’chu [...]. “He is [...] our grandfather,” narrates Carmenza Yucuna Rivas, leader of the Miriti-Parana Indigenous Reserve in Colombia, located in the Amazon Rainforest. [...] “Beehives [...] give us the opportunity to create chakras [food gardens typically using an agroforestry model with divers plant species] [...]. They let us have something to cultivate [...] in the first place.”

To rescue and document the remaining oral knowledge of the origin of bees in their culture and their importance to their ecosystems and territory, Carmenza is leading research about these species with 36 women from the 12 communities part of the Indigenous reserve. [...]

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Since the second half of 2020, Carmenza and her colleagues have been going to each of the communities and speaking to elders to gather information, such as tales and songs that talk of the origin of the bees. They also draw [...]. Each of them has taken the task of sketching the stories on paper to describe the insects.

Their aim is to classify the bees according to the cultural system of the Yucuna-Matapí, Tanimuca-Letuama, and Tuyuca-Macuna peoples, including their names, characteristics, and the places where they build the beehives.

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Carmenza describes one by one the most relevant bees in the territory. The munumunú are the Melipona, that is, the bees that produce honey; the mapa or mapachara are the ones that produce the wax that is used for healing and rituals; the mapakayuna are small and live next to the crops to guarantee their productivity; and the jiñuna “are a great species,” says Carmenza. They live in the Yavarí coconut trees on the river shore where they build huge yellow beehives. [...] Carmenza says that even with the research process and its results, the findings and daily learnings keep surprising them. [...]

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“We’ll take all this knowledge to schools so that teachers can share it with the kids and show them the tales, the drawings, and the classifications and talk about the value of bees in culture. But also, so that they know that bees aren’t beings without importance,” says Carmenza. “They care for us without realizing it. They, through the pollination of trees and flora, help the world breathe.”

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Headline, images, captions, and all text published by: Astrid Arellano, as translated by Maria Angeles Salazar. “Indigenous women record age-old knowledge of bees in Colombia’s Amazon.” Mongabay. 8 February 2023. [Originally published by Arellano as “El origen de las abejas: la importancia del conocimiento ancestral indígena para salvarlas en Colombia” at Mongabay’s Latam site on 12 August 2022.]

[probablyasocialecologist]

The cryptocurrency hype of the past few years already started to introduce people to these problems. Despite producing little to no tangible benefits — unless you count letting rich people make money off speculation and scams — Bitcoin consumed more energy and computer parts than medium-sized countries and crypto miners were so voracious in their energy needs that they turned shuttered coal plants back on to process crypto transactions. Even after the crypto crash, Bitcoin still used more energy in 2023 than the previous year, but some miners found a new opportunity: powering the generative AI boom. The AI tools being pushed by OpenAI, Google, and their peers are far more energy intensive than the products they aim to displace. In the days after ChatGPT’s release in late 2022, Sam Altman called its computing costs “eye-watering” and several months later Alphabet chairman John Hennessy told Reuters that getting a response from Google’s chatbot would “likely cost 10 times more” than using its traditional search tools. Instead of reassessing their plans, major tech companies are doubling down and planning a massive expansion of the computing infrastructure available to them.

[...]

As the cloud took over, more computation fell into the hands of a few dominant tech companies and they made the move to what are called “hyperscale” data centers. Those facilities are usually over 10,000 square feet and hold more than 5,000 servers, but those being built today are often many times larger than that. For example, Amazon says its data centers can have up to 50,000 servers each, while Microsoft has a campus of 20 data centers in Quincy, Washington with almost half a million servers between them. By the end of 2020, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google controlled half of the 597 hyperscale data centres in the world, but what’s even more concerning is how rapidly that number is increasing. By mid-2023, the number of hyperscale data centres stood at 926 and Synergy Research estimates another 427 will be built in the coming years to keep up with the expansion of resource-intensive AI tools and other demands for increased computation. All those data centers come with an increasingly significant resource footprint. A recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the global energy demand of data centers, AI, and crypto could more than double by 2026, increasing from 460 TWh in 2022 to up to 1,050 TWh — similar to the energy consumption of Japan. Meanwhile, in the United States, data center energy use could triple from 130 TWh in 2022 — about 2.5% of the country’s total — to 390 TWh by the end of the decade, accounting for a 7.5% share of total energy, according to Boston Consulting Group. That’s nothing compared to Ireland, where the IEA estimates data centers, AI, and crypto could consume a third of all power in 2026, up from 17% in 2022. Water use is going up too: Google reported it used 5.2 billion gallons of water in its data centers in 2022, a jump of 20% from the previous year, while Microsoft used 1.7 billion gallons in its data centers, an increase of 34% on 2021. University of California, Riverside researcher Shaolei Ren told Fortune, “It’s fair to say the majority of the growth is due to AI.” But these are not just large abstract numbers; they have real material consequences that a lot of communities are getting fed up with just as the companies seek to massively expand their data center footprints.

9 February 2024

[tomorrowusa]

A lot of people won't like hearing this, but the meat industry is terrible for this planet.

Last weekend, Elon Musk posted one of his more outrageously false tweets to date: “Important to note that what happens on Earth’s surface (eg farming) has no meaningful impact on climate change.” Musk was, as he has been from time to time, wrong. As climate experts rushed to emphasize, farming actually accounts for around a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Musk spewing disinformation is not exactly news. But even by his standards, his contention regarding livestock agriculture and climate was on a par with George Santos's fantasies.

The tens of billions of chickens, pigs, cows, and other animals we raise and slaughter for food annually account for around 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from cow burps, animal manure, and the fertilizer used to grow the corn and soy they eat. More than one-third of the Earth’s habitable land is used for animal farming — much of it cleared for cattle grazing and growing all thatcorn and soy — making animal agriculture the leading cause of deforestation and biodiversity loss globally. Deforestation causes emissions itself, but it also represents a missed opportunity to sequester carbon. If that land were “rewilded,” or retired as farmland, it would act as a carbon sink, sucking massive amounts of climate-warming carbon out of the atmosphere. But we keep clearing more and more forestland, especially in the Amazon rainforest and elsewhere in the tropics, mostly for beef, pork, and poultry.

Yep, livestock grazing accounts for almost a third of our usable land.

The message regarding livestock agriculture just isn't getting out.

Madre Brava also conducted a media analysis that found that between 2020 and 2022, less than 0.5 percent of stories about climate change by leading news outlets in the US, the United Kingdom, and Europe mentioned meat or livestock. Last month, two groups that work on issues related to animal agriculture — Sentient Media and Faunalytics — published an analysis with similar findings. The organizations looked at the 100 most recent climate change stories from each of the top 10 US media outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and CNN, and found that 7 percent mentioned animal agriculture. Of that 7 percent, most only discussed how climate change-fueled weather events like droughts, floods, and heatwaves impact animal farmers. “Across the 1,000 articles we examined, only a handful of stories reported in depth on the connection between consuming animal products and climate change,” the researchers wrote. The media is an easy target, and some criticism is deserved — it’s a disservice to readers to largely ignore a leading cause of the climate crisis. Part of the problem is that the media, like everyone else, operates in an information environment in which the meat lobby downplays and in some cases suppresses the full extent to which burgers, ribs, and chicken nuggets pollute the planet. But journalists could be doing more to cut through the noise.

We need to speak up more ourselves. Entrenched interests and powerful lobbying groups are not shy about promoting livestock businesses which harm the planet.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the industry’s leading lobby group, runs a “climate messaging machine,” food journalist Joe Fassler recently wrote in the Guardian, that trains influencers to confuse the public and downplay beef’s emissions. The list goes on. Last year, leaked documents showed that delegates from Brazil and Argentina successfully lobbied the United Nations�� Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to remove any mention of meat’s negative impact on the environment, or recommendations for people in rich countries to reduce their meat consumption, in its recent report. Meat giant Tyson Foods spends a much bigger share of its revenue than ExxonMobil lobbying Congress to stop climate policy. Outside the animal rights movement, there aren’t many voices pushing back against these narratives. The US environmental movement has largely shied away from campaigning to reduce meat and dairy production, with some leaders outright rejecting the notion that we need to eat fewer animals. Policymakers largely avoid the issue too.

We have a lot of catching up to do – and fast.

“The food conversation is probably about 20 years behind the energy conversation, and it is catching up, but it’s not visceral to people in the way energy is — that they immediately know energy is a climate issue,” said Michael Grunwald, a food and agriculture columnist for Canary Media, in the Sentient Media panel discussion. But time is in short supply. Experts say that if we don’t change what we eat — especially reducing beef and dairy — we can’t meet the Paris climate agreement of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius or less.

In addition to publicizing the issue, we can lead by example. Eating less meat or even no meat lets people know we're serious about what we're saying.

There will be pushback from the industry and also from populist blowhards. We can imagine at least one saying something like: "Hunter Biden wants to steal your double cheeseburger. SAD!"

But no discussion of carbon emissions is complete without talk of livestock agriculture and its effects.

[pandoramsbox]

Sci-Fi Saturday: Five

Week 29:

Film(s): Five (Dir. Arch Oboler, 1951, USA)

Viewing Format: Streaming Video (Amazon)

Date Watched: 2022-02-11

Rationale for Inclusion:

Late in the runtime of last week's film, The Thing From Another World (Dir. Christian Nyby, 1951, USA), as part of a monologue trying to convince his fellow occupants of the Arctic base not to destroy the carnivorous plant alien that has already drained the blood of multiple scientists and sled dogs, Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) concludes his plea for the importance of the pursuit of knowledge at all costs with, "We split the atom." At which point, one of the airmen, Lt. Eddie Dykes (James Young), cuts in with, "Yes, and that sure made the world happy, didn't it?" The sardonic quip stops Carrington cold.

In 1951, only six years had passed since the United States had deployed atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in August of 1945. Whilst news of the destruction and atrocities were initially slow to spread, by the time the film takes place the scientists and airmen in The Thing no doubt knew the horrors inflicted upon Japan. Furthermore, the Soviet Union had detonated its first nuclear weapon in 1949, and the Cold War was very much underway.

With this cultural context in place, it follows that the post-apocalyptic film would make a comeback in the 1950s. Rocketship X-M (Dir. Kurt Neumann, 1950, USA) featured a post nuclear disaster society on Mars, but this survey has not featured a film where the central narrative is built around people trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world since natural disaster film Deluge (Dir. Felix E. Feist, 1933, USA). So when I encountered Five (Dir. Arch Oboler, 1951, USA) described as the "first to depict the aftermath of an Earthly atomic bomb catastrophe" whilst perusing Wikipedia's science fiction cinema list, I knew it was an essential film to view.

Five was an independent film written, directed and produced by Arch Oboler, a successful radio dramatist who followed in Orson Welles' footsteps in transitioning to filmmaking. Oboler had directed three films prior to Five, and to keep costs down on the production the cast featured relatively unknown working actors, the crew was recruited from recent University of Southern California graduates, and the primary filming location was a Frank Lloyd Wright designed guest house on Oboler's Malibu ranch.

Reactions:

With its limited cast and locations, Five is dominantly the kind of no frills character study that would become more commonplace during the 1960s. It is simply and competently made with aesthetics that may remind modern day audiences of episodes of anthology television series, like The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits.

As implied by the title of the film, the small cast of characters includes five people: the pregnant Roseanne Rogers (Susan Douglas Rubeš), white everyman Michael Rogin (William Phipps), the aged bank clerk Oliver P. Barnstaple (Earl Lee), black everyman Charles (Charles Lampkin), and supposedly affluent adventurer Eric (James Anderson). Roseanne's sex and Charles' race become sources of drama, mostly because Eric exhibits a behavior described decades later by sociologists as "elite panic."

Lee Clarke and Caron Chess of Rutgers University coined the term in a 2008 journal article, in which based on available research and case studies of disasters from the 1950s through 2001 they determined that the source of panic in these scenarios was not the general public devolving into a mob, but by elites, fearing that their power and wealth would be violently stripped from them by a mob. Clarke and Chess specifically identify three relationships with panic that occur during disasters: elites fearing panic, elites causing panic, and elites panicking. My introduction to this concept came via an episode of the podcast Behind the Bastards recorded during November of 2020, when amid the COVID-19 pandemic and stress around the presidential election having a reminder that the majority of people are inherently giving, caring, communal creatures was a huge comfort.

In Five, after an initially violent encounter, Michael and Roseanne band together for survival, with Oliver and Charles later joining them. They compassionately deal with Roseanne's pregnancy and Oliver's mental dissociation and decline from radiation sickness amid their limited resources. Oliver's dying request to visit the nearby ocean results in the old man having as peaceful a death as available under the circumstances, and the discovery of a man washed ashore, Eric.

The injured Eric's explanation for how he survived the atomic bombing is bizarre compared to the banality of the others' explanations, who were shielded from the blast via being in an elevator, lead-lined hospital x-ray room, and bank vault, respectively. Instead Eric was actively climbing Mount Everest alone when a blizzard stranded him. When he made it back to basecamp he found other climbers dead. On foot and via abandoned conveyances Eric had made his way back to America, encountering no other survivors along the way, just dead bodies.

Eric's journey in its entirety sounds highly unlikely, but at first only one aspect utterly defied my credulity: who climbs Mount Everest alone? Mountaineering is not a pet topic of research for me, but I know enough to know that no serious climber attempts Everest without guides, frequently members of the local Sherpa community. "What happened to his sherpa?" I demanded aloud when we got to this point in the film. "Did he eat them?"

Given that Eric is gradually revealed to be a greedy opportunist, in retrospect his story may have been nothing but lies. It seems more likely he was in the United States the entire time and leapfrogged from one pocket of resources and survivors to another until he ended up washing up on the beach. Regardless of whether he actually was a billionaire or not--and the film does nothing to disprove his account--he nevertheless has an elite mentality: trying to hoard resources (including Roseanne) to himself. 

Eric is the sociopathic evolution of the wandering rapists from Deluge, and ultimately serves the narrative role of Michael's doppelganger. Michael may have initially tried to sexually assault Roseanne, but spends the rest of the film making up for that feral moment. Eric is predatory and ends up becoming a murderer in the course of the narrative; after being banished by the others, he goes back to steal supplies and kills Charles when he is caught. Michael is spared having to also become a murderer by the reveal near the end of the film that Eric has radiation poisoning and likely does not have much time left. The film makes it clear that Michael is a good man, and deserving of being the new Adam of the post-apocalyptic world.

Roseanne earns her new Eve status in part by being the token female, and in part because she is devoted to her missing husband until she finds definitive proof that he died in the bombing. Her dedication to her husband and baby are all that is needed to qualify her as a good woman. 

Unfortunately, her newborn dies for reasons of narrative convenience. Apparently it was too much to ask for Michael to be father to a baby he did not conceive. Instead it ends with Michael and Roseanne left alone. Despite the tragedies and threat of radiation sickness lingering, Five closes conservatively and reasonably optimistically: life will go on.

Before I wrap up, I would be remiss if I did not spend more time discussing Charles. His presence is itself a progressive act, given how the casts of most mainstream films surveyed thus far have been all or mostly white. However, he is introduced in a subservient role to an old white man, and spends the remainder of his time in the narrative as a litmus test to show who is the superior white man to repopulate the world: Michael or Eric. The notion that Charles might be a candidate for Roseanne's mate is never so much as suggested. For all the indignities Charles suffers throughout Five, he at least is spared the trope frequently placed on black men of being the first to die. Overall, Charles is a minor step forward for black representation in science fiction cinema.

Five, on the other hand, is a solid first representation of the post-nuclear apocalypse narrative. Later films built on the premise, like On the Beach (Dir. Stanley Kramer, 1959) and The World, the Flesh and the Devil (Dir. Ranald MacDougall, 1959), would result in better movies, but Five deserves greater attention within the sub-genre.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Hearing Amazônia: MIT musicians in Manaus, Brazil

In a new documentary film, music’s storytelling power illuminates cultural and environmental sustainability in Brazil.

On Dec. 13, the MIT community came together for the premiere of “We Are The Forest,” a documentary by MIT Video Productions that tells the story of the MIT musicians who traveled to the Brazilian Amazon seeking culture and scientific exchange.

The film features performances by Djuena Tikuna, Luciana Souza, Anat Cohen, and Evan Ziporyn, with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim. Fred Harris conducts the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble and MIT Wind Ensemble and Laura Grill Jaye conducts the MIT Vocal Jazz Ensemble.

The impact of ecological devastation in the Amazon reflects the climate crisis worldwide. During the Institute's spring break in March 2023, nearly 80 student musicians became only the second student group from MIT to travel to the Brazilian Amazon. Inspired by the research and activism of Talia Khan ’20, who is currently a PhD candidate in MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering, the trip built upon experiences of the 2020-21 academic year when virtual visiting artists Luciana Souza and Anat Cohen lectured on Brazilian music and culture before joining the November 2021 launch of Hearing Amazônia — The Responsibility of Existence.

This consciousness-raising project at MIT, sponsored by the Center for Art, Science and Technology (CAST), began with a concert featuring Brazilian and Amazonian music influenced by the natural world. The project was created and led by MIT director of wind and jazz ensembles and senior lecturer in music Frederick Harris Jr.

Continue reading.

[anniekoh]

Fen, Bog and Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis

by Annie Proulx (2022)

lifelong acolyte of the natural world, Annie Proulx brings her witness and research to the subject of wetlands and the vitally important role they play in preserving the environment—by storing the carbon emissions that accelerate climate change. Fens, bogs, swamps, and marine estuaries are crucial to the earth's survival, and in four illuminating parts, Proulx documents their systemic destruction in pursuit of profit. In a vivid and revelatory journey through history, Proulx describes the fens of 16th-century England, Canada's Hudson Bay lowlands, Russia's Great Vasyugan Mire, and America's Okeefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. She introduces the early explorers who launched the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, and writes of the diseases spawned in the wetlands—the Ague, malaria, Marsh Fever.

Canopy of Titans: The Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest

by Jessica Applegate & Paul Koberstein (2023)

The product of years of on-the-ground reporting, this richly illustrated book celebrates the beauty and complexity of one of the world's great forests. It provides readers with easy-to-grasp insights into the science behind carbon sequestration and the value of forests as climate mitigation. The story is organized along two broad narratives: A geographical arc runs from south-to-north beginning with the redwood forest of Northern California and ending in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. A temporal arc starts with wildfires raging across the American West in the summer of 2020 and ends at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November 2021, with many historical flashbacks in between. Along the way, Applegate and Koberstein pull back the curtain on policies of governmental bodies that have seriously diminished the rainforest's capacity to store carbon, and uncover industry practices that have led to the destruction of swaths of a major ecological resource. Additionally, using an environmental justice perspective, the book shines a light on the indigenous communities that have lived in the rainforest for millennia, and the impact forest policies have had on their lives.

[freeworldallahmbaclass]

50 Cent executive MBA Class Omari Hardwick style class it's a style and look GQ man of the year and time magazine man of the year New York City man of the year and America's man of the year Allen Henry aka Free World 🌎 2019 , 2020 , 2021 , 2022 and again 2023 and did I mention I won the Nobel memorial prizes twice 2019 and 2021 for economic sciences and the Nobel peace prize 🏆 with good company like Martin Luther King JR he won his back then I won it a couple years ago and I'm still living and yeah Martin Luther King Jr is my role model he has a class of excellence politics and style about him that I love I champion MLK they don't give him enough props

50 Cent executive MBA Class Omari Hardwick style class it's a style and look

Suits and ties

The town go back to 50 Cent and I get a piece of the action ( New York City ) As an MBA conducting my business in New York the 16th captain and current captain of New York City I made NY Yankees history , thank you .

And I'm going for riverside drive

The new ferry Sports centurion museum and factories for manufacturing and production .

And I'll take Manhattan at least the great parts of it to conduct business as a mover and shaker And Queens business centers .

Then I also am going global with my business and music and betterment movement .

In return I draw up politics to fix up the Bronx , Brooklyn , Harlem , Staten Island and Queens

Politics - ✓Living wages minimum wage increase and tax cuts ✓Job safety and secure in occupation act ✓Fair chance act to compete for jobs ✓Increased employment opportunities in New York City for the formerly incarcerated and full time and permanent employment for people on human resources administration public assistance Into full stable employment with union protection securing their job and future .

New York City accomplishments

I got hotels for the homeless in New York City 2021

I got Amazon workers their union contract

I got Starbucks workers their union contract

I got the minimum wage increased from $ 11 dollars an hour to $ 15 dollars to $ 17 dollars an hour

I got the fair chance to compete for a job act of 2019 in New York City and California hopefully other cities and countries are going to follow suit

I legalized marijuana in New York City

I cleaned up fox square in Brooklyn , NY

Free college education in New York City

Free gym membership for people on Medicare

Citi bikes for New Yorkers

Benefit monetary assistance increase for snap and cash assistance recipients

Rikers Island tablet program podcasts and video games for inmates in jail to help stop crime violent crime in prison and to help rehabilitate the guy or woman and stop the back and forth of them going to jail . The tablet have podcasts and programs for Job Search legal research and books to read to help them become better citizens in the free society .

Laws I'm proposing

Job Safety and secure act - 2022

Fair banking act - 2022

Retirement investment plan for employees IRA act - 2022

Ready , willing and able Expansive territory act - 2023

Riverside drive Expansion project act - 2023

The new ferry from New Jersey to New York City - 2023

School sports culture expansion Act Copperas Cove , Texas

Rikers Island schooling expansion act Added on Basic education classes on Rikers Island on the tablet , college programs on the program , online school on the Tablet . -2023

NYCHA ( New York City Housing projects ) plans and ideas for improvement

The New Trench town rock - 2021 , 2022 , 2023

And many other pitches and proposals rebuilding the workforce , wages and structure of New York city and cities like New York .

Next order of business : My Plans for infrastructure in a utopian society hotels jobs pay raise on citizens paycheck from 15 $ - 17 $ dollars minimum wage pay to 19$ dollars to 20$ dollars an hour to better provide for all costs emergencies uncovered insurance payments due to partial health care coverage and full union membership granted to employees of any company free education grants and school loans payment plans

Pay raise for school teachers in every city at junior high school , high school and elementary school level since they are stewards of our children's future .

Pay raise for civil service workers and Civil service exams made and updated daily to the public , school crossing guards , correction officers , supervisors , probation officers , construction site supervisors .

Pay raise for day care workers

Free day care services for temporarily unemployed mothers and fathers

Pay raise for city fire fighters and police officers .

Job contractors fulfilling contracts with back to work public assistance programs that train and employ job candidates without their high school diploma or GED and granting them full employment with full medical and medicare coverage union membership and back to school Acces Vocational rehabilitation counseling and restoration of financial aid assistance for non violent crimes like drug sellers and abusers to stop recidivism to prison and to cure an addiction to a habit of committing perpetual crimes thus creating repeat offenders .

Jobs moving back to inner cities through the effort of study and research groups from urban planning courses from their neighboring colleges .

Tax abatement and financial incentives and business incentives and tax breaks .

Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris should include this law into all of their plan for cleaning up America I'm glad to see it go beyond New York City and other counties in New York I want to share this honor with author Michelle Alexander who I did my research from her book about mass incarceration of the black and Latino community and the political office and my friends that help put this law in place I reached out to hopefully stop the recidivism to prison and hopefully to help some of my friends and people that go back and forth to jail because they couldn't get a job due to the felonies on their record I recommend a certificate of relief of disabilities to all people returning to society if they haven't given you one go get it from your county's or borough courthouse it works wonders .

Next order of business : Tax cuts to help the everyday person keep more of their check in their pockets cut the tax rates in New York City by 4 percent I see it as New York State taxes % 8.82 to % 4 percent and business tax cuts to create more jobs Proposal For a Wage increase of $ 22 dollars an hour Including : Fire safety directors Security guards Librarians Fed Ex workers UPS workers Ready Willing and able with free vocational grants from access vr programs they should hire vocational rehabilitation counselors and job developers finding permanent housing and permanent job placement after the clients training Stock Clerks and cashier's at major stores like Gristedes , C Town , met foods , Burlington coat factory wage increase for all warehousing and factory workers jack pallet and forklift training for people with no experience and a starting salary at $ 17 - 19 $ dollars an hour and it increase with more time on the job how about the first year at that base salary of $ 17 - 19 $ dollars and on the even of that year the employee gets an raise of $ 2 dollars more on their check and other financial incentives as cash allocation from their check for newly place employee mutual fund packages besides with other benefits that said company is offering this helps to place that company on the stock market grant their employees preferred stock options from their company that they work for at that current moment and because of the huge huge employee buy in it is like the employers are investing in their employees and their stores and company .

Educational requirements for jobs posted is less than a high school diploma but the job candidate has to be in a vocational program or GED preparation course half or full time hours .

Civil service jobs and exams posted weekly .

Sales professional salary plus commission on sales and stock options for mutual funds packages as bonuses with an wage increase to $ 19 dollars to $ 21 dollars an hour .

Newly added benefits to a job description benefits an employer on jobs posted give to their employees an employer get to hold back cash or take money out of an employees check to put towards a mutual funds stock fund option to help that client make more money as a second job the municipals funds and stock and funds and stock and then you gotta get hedge funds option packaged in to help the employees money make more money for them talk about overtime whew and at the same time that local market and store owner can put his company on the stock market and give out public shares thus in the end making it a good investment a regular place of shopping in a family like environment it is like getting to know your deli clerk , butcher , bakery attendant again only this time you are making money with the people you are spending money with Think about it that in turns build better communities better stores customer relationships safer neighborhoods and the beautifying of economically depressed environments more money for your kids college tuition school supplies newer roads being built leading to and from better neighborhoods and businesses and this is a future that we all as fellow New Yorkers can build together .

New Infrastructure plans

Widening sidewalks for more bikes and outdoor cafes - for the Harlem and Brooklyn New York City's 🏙️🌆 all over the world .

Reducing CO2 emissions

Clean up riverbank and riverside and create stores and entertainment on the water - using waste water management and sewage clean up and stopping illegal toxic poisons dumping in the water .

Repair tunnels , bridges and roads and rerouting towards businesses .

The waterside of any community is the gathering point for recreation .

Create projects to treat 100 % waste water and all illegal dumping and teach people how to care about their rivers - clean up the rivers and water in Brazil .

Conservation create more parks out of swamp lands did you know Central Park 🏞️ in New York City was once a swamp .

Emperor Dom Pedro abolished slavery in Brazil .

Brazil city inner city neighborhoods the slums a place of great fun and adventures - put in place street lamps , electricity , internet , sewage and running water .

Follow Tokyo model - Cleanliness of streets and cleanliness of public transportation , extensive railroads , largest economy , rich soil .

Japan leads in global transition to automation , electric cars and humanoids robots .

Create programmed robots as student tutors with programmed subjects in library centers in group discussion rooms .

Own Hydrogen stations like it is a gas station ⛽

Tokyo is a technology super power of inventions .

Research Tokyo bay aqueduct deal traffic eased and congestion eased by 11 billion dollars mega project that was 1/3 bridges and 2/3 tunnels created out of dry lands .

Japan runs on a seafood diet Urban rail network 40 million train riders a day everyday .

Former trash lands being converted to parks and will even host the Olympics .

Need trucks that drive by each community that sprays an air borne vaccine to help people's well being and longevity of their lives , cutting nicotine habits and controls appetite .

London and New York command center for global economy .

Hydrogen powered vehicles hydrogen oxygen electricity water .

Tokyo most advanced major city with automation and robots that help people regardless of age and nationality .

Need robots that teach Feng shu , tai chi , Kung Fu , Robot doctors , nurses for mental health and surgeons .

Running water and water pumps for Mexico city tap water for each house in Mexico city 🏙️ .

Funding for water fixes .

Study Croton aqueduct - water distribution system cures housing areas with poor sanitation and no running water also cures poor hygiene practices .

Women suffrage and worker's rights in those countries are important .

Water for Bangledash ( Dhaka ) water distribution systems water pumps and clean running water so that the people can cook clean and drink safe healthy water while also having water to wash their clothes

Cleaning the garbage islands in River bank estimated $ 10 - $ 20 million dollar job of cleaning up Riverside drive water from that stink smell and the debris and garbage Bottles

Straws

Plastic bags Pipes

Bandages

Toys

Pollution

And I propose The City of New York build the new ferry Riverboat for harbor crossing to New Jersey be placed on Riverside Drive it Save commuters time and money on transportation from and to New York City creation of Job opportunities , New architecture of communities in New York city restoration of environmentally depressed neighbors like the Grand Concourse neighborhood in the Bronx , New York City thus bringing more jobs to that neighborhood and creating economic vitality for all New Yorkers . New electric trains and platforms on the outside train on 149th street on Grand Concourse in Bronx , New York City .

Pimp my ride TV Show Car dealership on river bank

Environmental impact report : Production and manufacturing factories on Riverbank Harlem Riverside drive bring if not millions of Jobs back to New Yorkers but definitely thousands of jobs back to the city of New York Car museum

ESPN sports center Sports centurion museum celebrating 100 years and better of sports museum with pictures and memorabilia from baseball ⚾ 🏀 , basketball , soccer ⚽ , cricket , rugby , 🏈 football , NASCAR car racing , 🐴 Horse racing And maybe the Olympics on Riverbank Factory and car lot on Riverside Drive in Harlem

New York City Factory : Products in manufacturing ( making the products ) Warehouse 1_ Post cereal Honey bunches of oats , Kelloggs corn flakes cereal Warehouse 2_ Car manufacturing Car parts Warehouse 3_ Bread factory Warehouse 4_ Electronics appliances factory Warehouse 5_ Boat 🚢 manufacturing facility Warehouse 6_ 👟 Sneaker factory

Warehouse 7_ Railroad train track factory

This is for young mothers without any help in the house feed your babies good food 🥝 so they grow up and play sports and make their mom proud 🪴. It is never too late for your education learn with your kids use free daycare services and self learn any skills you need to increase your value in the employment market .

[infiniteglitterfall]

* more adept at exploitation

I want to know how much of that produce sounds cheap because it's picked by slave labor.

Victim testimonies, news media, and think tanks report that factories, including for tomato products, frequently engage in coercive recruitment; limit workers’ freedom of movement and communication; and subject workers to constant surveillance, retribution for religious beliefs, exclusion from community and social life, and isolation. More broadly, according to varied estimates, at least 100,000 to hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities are being subjected to forced labor in China following detention in re-education camps. In addition to this, poor workers in rural areas may also experience coercion without detention.

There are over 10,000 workers on Chinese squid jiggers, and reports indicate that a high percentage of them are in forced labor. The crew typically spends over a year, and sometimes up to 3 years, at sea without stopping at a port of call and have limited ability to communicate with the outside world. Employers take advantage of the vulnerability of the workers, many of whom are migrants from Southeast Asia. Many have been subjects of deceptive recruitment, identity documents are often confiscated, and reports indicate that workers are often prevented from leaving the vessel or ending their contracts. Workers are subjected to abusive working and living conditions, including inadequate nutrition and potable water. Some workers have died due to preventable and easily treated medical conditions, such as beriberi, a vitamin deficiency. Workers are subjected to excessive hours, physical violence, verbal abuse, threats and intimidation, and withheld wages. Some workers are subjected to debt bondage or are unable to leave due to large penalties for ending contracts early. Workers are also subjected to forced labor in squid processing facilities in mainland China as a result of state sponsored labor transfer programs. Since 2020, more than 1,000 Uyghurs and members of other persecuted ethnic minority groups from China’s Xinjiang Province have been transferred to work in squid processing facilities, primarily in Shandong Province. Furthermore, workers from North Korea have also been transferred to work at squid processing facilities. Squid processing companies and government entities frequently engage in coercive recruitment, limit workers’ freedom of movement and communication, and subjected workers to constant surveillance.

Research indicates that Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities are subjected to forced labor in jujube harvesting and processing while being held as prisoners and as a result of state-sponsored labor transfer programs. China is the world’s largest producer of jujubes, and more than 50% of production takes place in Xinjiang. Jujube producers work with the Chinese government to make use of ethnic minority groups for exploitative labor, often receiving financial incentives. Academic researchers, media, and think tanks report that companies and government entities frequently engage in coercive recruitment, limit workers’ freedom of movement and communication, and subjected workers to constant surveillance, exclusion from community and social life, physical violence, and threats to family members.

The majority of the crew on board China's fishing vessels are migrant workers from Indonesia and the Philippines, who are particularly vulnerable to forced labor. It is estimated that there are tens of thousands of workers who are sometimes recruited by agencies that deceive workers with false information regarding their wages and the terms of the contracts, and require the workers to pay recruitment fees and sign debt contracts. According to various sources, numerous incidents of forced labor have been reported on Chinese fishing vessels. While on board the vessels, workers’ identity documents are often confiscated, the crew spends months at sea without stopping at a port of call, and they are forced to work 18 to 22 hours a day with little rest. Workers face hunger and dehydration, live in degrading and unhygienic conditions, are subjected to physical violence and verbal abuse, are prevented from leaving the vessel or ending their contracts, and are frequently not paid their promised wages.

That's just the stuff that gets exported and has been investigated. How much more is there?

Apparently in mainland China there's also apples, grapes, pears, raisins, peppers, and walnuts, just for a start.

I FULLY AGREE WITH OP that there's no excuse for the American health insurance system. There's no excuse for what the United States has done to medication prices.

There are lots of fascinating studies and articles about how we pay more than any other country - and the things we fucked up along the way to that.

Also, it's illogical to compare prices without insurance to whatever they're paying. They have health insurance too. You have to compare the prices WITH insurance.

I know, it's more dramatic to highlight the fact that you can have no health insurance here and then you'd have to pay $400.

But you can also have no health insurance in China. So unless you have those numbers for China, it's not an equal comparison.

I also fully agree that 30 minutes for lunch is garbage, and so is having to work two jobs.

But I also think that the worst case scenarios in China are much worse than the ones here.

Hi I'm one of the Americans that transferred to Rednote as word of Tiktok shutdown got around. I just wanted to drop by and show everyone a comparison that is WILD to me.

These are all in Yuan, the local currency. A buck, two bucks, six bucks... that seems really nice.

And then you pop it in U.S dollars.

14 cents. 14 cents for food.

So seeing the difference there, I got curious and made a post asking the netizens how much they typically pay for things, and I asked for how much my meds would cost. These answers are eye opening.

Eleven Yuan.

A dollar and two quarters.

Without insurance, my meds are 400 bucks in U.S currency.

There's no excuses for this. No excuse for why anyone should have to live like this.

[vivekanand-business-school]

Why Vivekanand Business School is the Best PGDM College in Mumbai?

Best PGDM College in Mumbai?

In today's fast-paced business world, choosing the right postgraduate program can be a game-changer for your career. Students are currently rushing to take admissions to top PGDM colleges in Mumbai or elsewhere across the country. Those management aspirants who are still looking out for any good business college in Mumbai, you still have your chance of acquiring a top-notch management education with VBS Mumbai.

Vivekanand Business School (VBS), located in Chembur, Mumbai, has earned a reputation as one of the best PGDM colleges in Mumbai. In this blog, we take a closer look at what makes VBS stand out from other PGDM institutes in Mumbai, what courses they offer and the value of PGDM in today's Indian marketplace.

Vivekanand Business School: Best PGDM College in Mumbai

Vivekanand Business School (VBS), established in 2020 under the Vivekanand Education Society (VES), is a distinguished PGDM institute in Mumbai. Inspired by Swami Vivekanand's philosophy, VBS emphasizes education as a catalyst for societal progress. The institute offers a two-year, AICTE-approved PGDM program, focusing on today's business needs across various domains. VBS is recognized among the top PGDM colleges in Mumbai, with the 4th rank among Top B-Schools in GHRDC 2024.

The school maintains an excellent 93% placement rate, with top recruiters like Amazon, Google, Deloitte, Infosys, Wipro, JP Morgan, and KPMG. VBS's commitment to excellence and social responsibility makes it a leading choice for PGDM courses in Mumbai.

VBS Specializations: PGDM Course in Mumbai

VBS offers specialized PGDM courses in Mumbai, designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills required to excel in today's competitive business environment. Each specialization is carefully crafted to match current industry demands, giving students a significant advantage.

Marketing Management: Marketing is at the heart of any successful business strategy. At VBS, students are provided with a comprehensive understanding of marketing principles, digital marketing strategies, consumer behavior, and market research, preparing them to lead marketing initiatives in competitive environments.

Human Resource Management: HR plays a pivotal role in shaping organizational culture and driving business success. VBS's HRM specialization focuses on talent acquisition, employee development, and leadership strategies, providing students with the tools to manage human capital effectively.

Operations & Supply Chain Management: For those interested in optimizing business operations, the Operations & Supply Chain Management specialization at VBS focuses on the efficiency of production processes, logistics, and resource management. Students are trained to become experts in streamlining operations and reducing costs while enhancing service delivery.

Business Analytics: In today’s data-driven world, the ability to analyze and interpret data is crucial. The Business Analytics specialization equips students with the skills needed to make data-backed decisions, utilizing tools and techniques like data mining, predictive analytics, and business intelligence.

Entrepreneurship Management: For aspiring entrepreneurs, VBS offers a comprehensive curriculum in Entrepreneurship Management. Students gain insights into the challenges of starting and managing a business, from ideation and funding to scaling and leadership. Banking and Finance: With the growing demand for financial experts, VBS's Banking and Finance specialization prepares students to navigate the complexities of the global financial landscape. Topics include financial markets, investment management, risk assessment, and regulatory frameworks.

To further enhance career prospects, VBS offers additional certifications in each specialization, providing industry-recognized credentials that give graduates success in their fields.

Banking & Finance: NISM Certification or IIBF (students can choose either)

Business Analytics: Gen AI Certification

Marketing: Digital Marketing Certificate

HR: Payroll & Training Certification

Operations & Supply Chain: Lean Six Sigma Certification

Indian Students Eligibility for PGDM Program at VBS - Top Rated PGDM College in Mumbai

To secure admission to PGDM College in Mumbai, candidates must meet specific eligibility criteria:

A person who has graduated from any recognized Indian university with a minimum 50% marks.

Final year graduating students can apply, but their admission will be withheld until they clear the qualifying exam with 50% marks.

Entrance Exam test scores of CAT /XAT /MAT/ MAH-CET/ CMAT/ GMAT/ ATMA will be accepted.

Aspirants registered in any of the above Entrance exams can also apply for the course & admission will be on Provisional Basis.

International Students Eligibility for PGDM Program at VBS

Passed any bachelor’s degree of minimum 3 years duration. Obtained at least 50% marks (45% marks in case of candidates belonging to reserved category) in the qualifying examination. Any recognized university as per the country of origin.

The candidates should be furnishing the latest GMAT, CMAT, CAT, MAT etc., entrance examinations score card.

Value of PGDM in Today’s Indian Market

The value of a PGDM program in India cannot be overstated. As companies prioritize innovation and adaptability, they seek professionals who can bring fresh perspectives and solutions. PGDM courses bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, making graduates highly employable. Top PGDM colleges in Mumbai, such as VBS, provide students with the exposure and skills they need to succeed in their careers.

If you're researching which institute is best for pursuing a PGDM in Mumbai, Vivekanand Business School (VBS) should be at the top of your list.

Here’s why VBS is the Best PGDM College in Mumbai?

Global Collaboration for a Broader Perspective: At VBS, education goes beyond the classroom, reaching global heights through exceptional international partnerships. These collaborations provide students with unparalleled global exposure, cultural exchange opportunities, and access to innovative initiatives. VBS’s strong network of partner institutions allows students to participate in international exchanges, engage with esteemed global faculty, and take part in study treks. This international exposure not only broadens students’ worldviews but also prepares them to navigate complex global business challenges, making VBS a top choice among colleges for PGDM in Mumbai.

Unique International Immersion Program: The International Immersion Program at VBS is a standout feature, designed to shape students into global business leaders. Each admitted student gets the opportunity to travel abroad, experience cross-cultural interactions, and gain insights into international economies—all at no additional cost. The program includes visits to foreign companies, cultural exchanges, and interactions with local economies, complemented by a curriculum infused with fun and engaging learning experiences. This distinctive initiative positions VBS as a leader among PGDM courses in Mumbai by equipping students with global business acumen.

International Scholarship: VES Business School offers a generous scholarship to motivate students in their pursuit of quality education. The scholarship, worth Rs 50,00,000, covers all expenses, including travel, accommodation, food, and course fees, enabling students to fully focus on their studies and growth.

Dynamic and Industry-Relevant Curriculum: VBS’s flagship PGDM program combines academic rigor with flexibility, reflecting global best practices and an international perspective. Regularly reviewed by a Board of Studies comprising industry experts and distinguished alumni, the curriculum ensures students are well-prepared for the demands of the modern business landscape. By offering a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application, the program guarantees exceptional career opportunities, making VBS a frontrunner among PGDM Mumbai colleges.

Accreditations That Reflect Excellence: Quality education is a hallmark of Vivekanand Business School. As a proud member of AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business—VBS maintains high academic standards. Its PGDM program is accredited by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and is recognized as equivalent to an MBA by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). Additionally, the institute is approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), reinforcing its position as one of the best colleges for PGDM in Mumbai.

Outstanding Faculty: The faculty at VBS are not just educators but mentors, bringing extensive industry experience and academic expertise to the classroom. Their dedication to teaching, impactful mentorship, and commitment to shaping future business leaders ensure students receive a well-rounded education. This faculty excellence is a cornerstone of VBS’s reputation as a leading PGDM college in Mumbai.

Focus on Research and Innovation: Research is a key pillar at VBS, driving academic excellence and contributing to management practices. Faculty members are engaged in cutting-edge research across interdisciplinary fields, focusing on creating practical and impactful knowledge. This emphasis on research not only enhances the learning environment but also ensures students are exposed to innovative ideas and solutions, further solidifying VBS’s standing among top PGDM colleges in Mumbai.

A Vibrant and Supportive Alumni Network: The VBS alumni network is a testament to the institute’s success. With graduates excelling in finance, technology, consulting, healthcare, and e-commerce, the network provides a wealth of opportunities for mentorship and professional growth. Over 10% of alumni manage family businesses or startups, while 60% thrive in diverse industries. This vibrant community fosters job opportunities, essential guidance, and long-lasting relationships, making VBS a preferred choice for students exploring PGDM institutes in Mumbai.

World-Class Infrastructure: VBS offers state-of-the-art infrastructure designed to foster collaboration, innovation, and growth. With interactive smart panels, advanced learning spaces, and comprehensive hostel facilities, students are equipped with the tools they need for a seamless educational experience. The focus on creating a supportive environment underscores VBS’s commitment to holistic development, cementing its place among the best MBA/PGDM colleges in Mumbai.

Choosing Vivekanand Business School for your PGDM ensures a blend of academic excellence, industry exposure, and career opportunities. As one of the best PGDM colleges in Mumbai, VBS is committed to nurturing the next generation of business leaders. Whether you’re a fresh graduate, a working professional, or an aspiring entrepreneur, VBS offers the perfect platform to achieve your career aspirations. Apply now and take the first step towards a successful future in the business world!

[industrynewsupdates]

Future of U.S. Rooftop Tent Market: Insights from Industry Experts

The U.S. rooftop tent market size is estimated to reach USD 286.71 million by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 8.0% over the forecast period, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. The internet is essential in increasing the demand for camping equipment in the U.S. The e-commerce sector is growing, which makes it easier for customers to choose and purchase rooftop tents from online sites or applications like Amazon, E-bay, etc. This saves customers' time and enables them to take advantage of numerous discounts to reduce costs. The majority of online shopping outlets rely on social media networks to spread the word about campgrounds. To inform users of new camping areas, numerous smartphone applications, including POCKET, CampFone, Woodall's, iCamp, and MapMyHike, were released. In addition, social media enables customers to learn enough facts about a product's capabilities before making a purchase.

The rising popularity of adventure tourism and the simplicity of setup are driving the market for rooftop tents in the U.S. The demand for the product has benefited from the recent rapid growth of adventure tourism, particularly in the U.S. The market for U.S. rooftop tent is driven by rising interest in outdoor activities and is anticipated to grow over the course of the forecast period. The need for comfortable and luxurious rooftop tents is growing because camping is typically done outside of cities where access to essential utilities like internet, electricity, and other amenities is limited. Rooftop tents are convenient, secure, cozy, and dry.

Governments worldwide promote tourism involving extreme sports, like camping, which assists in the growth of the global market for camping tents. Adventure tourism has recently increased, especially in Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific, which is helping boost demand for camping tents. A survey conducted by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) revealed that in 2020, more people chose adventure travel programs, which fueled the growth of the camping tent business. People across the U.S. realize the advantages of engaging in outdoor and leisure activities; hence, they spend more time camping each year. Such individuals' propensity for outdoor recreation fuels the development of rooftop tents.

Gather more insights about the market drivers, restrains and growth of the U.S. Rooftop Tent Market

U.S. Rooftop Tent Market Report Highlights

• Automotive rooftop tents have grown in popularity as a low-cost alternative to recreational vehicles and a slightly more elegant way to camp. The most appealing aspects of rooftop tents are their ease of erecting and the way they support the inhabitants off the ground.

• The commercial rooftop tent market is influenced by several factors, including the growth of the outdoor recreation industry and the increasing popularity of adventure tourism.

• The rise in e-commerce makes it easier for customers to purchase these products online, fostering market growth.

• The 2-person and 3-person tents are usually hard-shell tents. With the growing demand for hard-shell tents, the demand for smaller tents is also expected to expand significantly.

• Customizing product offerings to cater to specific regional preferences, climates, and outdoor landscapes helps capitalize on local market opportunities and drive market penetration.

U.S. Rooftop Tent Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the U.S. rooftop tent market based on tent type, capacity, and application:

U.S. Rooftop Tent Type Outlook (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

• Hard-shell

• Soft-shell

U.S. Rooftop Tent Capacity Outlook (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

• 2 Person

• 3 Person

• 4 Person

• 5 Person

U.S. Rooftop Tent Application Outlook (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

• Personal

• Commercial

Order a free sample PDF of the U.S. Rooftop Tent Market Intelligence Study, published by Grand View Research.

[industryforecastnews]

Generative AI Market Size, Share, And Industry Outlook Report, 2030

Generative AI Market Growth & Trends

The global generative AI market size is anticipated to reach USD 109.37 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., registering a CAGR of 37.6% from 2025 to 2030. Growing demand to modernize workflow across industries is expected to drive the demand for generative AI applications among industries. Other factors that propel the market growth include the evolution of AI and deep learning, a rise of creative applications & content creation, and innovation of cloud storage, allowing easy data access. Moreover, the introduction of AI-powered gaming that provides more high-level visuals and graphics, interactivity, and a more realistic feel is projected to boost market growth in the coming years.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on the market. Many organizations adopted AI & Machine Learning (ML) as a response to the pandemic. Many key players, such as Microsoft, IBM, Google LLC, and Amazon Web Services, Inc., witnessed a growth in sales of AI-based technology during the pandemic. Moreover, the accelerated advancement of digital platforms empowered the adoption of generative AI applications. For instance, in June 2020, Amazon Web Services, Inc. announced the addition of a new generative AI algorithm, Autoregressive Convolutional Neural Network (AR-CNN), to its AWS DeepComposer suite of products, allowing developers to create excellent music digitally.

AWS DeepComposer also provides learning capsules to developers to learn the basics of algorithms. Many generative AI market players offer solutions for numerous applications, such as text-to-image, image-to-image, and super-resolution. For instance, in March 2023, Microsoft Corporation, a software company in the U.S., launched Microsoft 365 Copilot, an AI assistant feature for Microsoft 365 services and applications. Microsoft 365 Copilot can benefit businesses by saving time, streamlining and automating their IT processes, and increasing productivity. Moreover, these industry players are researching generative AI technology for advanced image resolution, face aging, and video resolution technologies.

For instance, U.S.-based Tesla is developing autonomous algorithms using data from car sensors. Also, the neural networks are further trained to perform object detection and semantic segmentation. Investment in the AI and ML sectors to support the market will drive the North America regional market. The presence of tech players in the U.S. and Canada provides lucrative growth opportunities for the regional market. For instance, big tech companies like Microsoft Corporation, Google LLC, and Amazon Web Service are investing in generative AI startups and technology. Asia Pacific is expected to grow at a considerable CAGR from 2024 to 2030 owing to the expansion of end-user industries in countries, such as China and Japan.

Request a free sample copy or view report summary: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/generative-ai-market-report

Generative AI Market Report Highlights

The software segment accounted for the dominant share of 64.2% in 2024. The growth of the software segment in generative AI is driven by factors such as the rise in fraudulent activities, overestimation of capabilities, unexpected outcomes, and increasing concerns about data privacy.

The transformers segment accounted for the dominant share in 2024, largely due to its capacity to handle vast amounts of data efficiently.

The media and entertainment industry accounted for the dominant share in 2024. The media and entertainment industry remains dominant in the generative AI market, as this sector extensively integrates AI for content creation, personalized recommendations, and audience engagement

Natural language processing (NLP) holds a dominant position in the generative AI market, driven by its widespread applications in chatbots, virtual assistants, and content creation.

Large language models (LLMs) continue to dominate the market, primarily due to their impressive capabilities in text-based tasks such as content generation, customer service automation, and data analysis.

App builders stand as the dominant customer segment within the market, driven by their need to integrate AI capabilities into applications across industries.

Generative AI Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global generative AI market on the basis of component, technology, end-use, application, model, customers and region:

Generative AI Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Software

Service

Generative AI Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs)

Transformers

Variational Auto-encoders

Diffusion Networks

Generative AI End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Media & Entertainment

BFSI

IT & Telecommunication

Healthcare

Automotive & Transportation

Gaming

Others

Generative AI Application (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Computer Vision

NLP

Robotics & Automation

Content Generation

Chatbots & Intelligent Virtual Assistants

Predictive Analytics

Others

Generative AI Model (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Large Language Models

Image & Video Generative Models

Multi-modal Generative Models

Others

Generative AI Customers (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Model Builders

App Builders

Generative AI Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa (MEA)

List of Key Players of Generative AI Market

Adobe

Amazon Web Services, Inc.

D-ID

Genie AI Ltd.

Google LLC

IBM

Microsoft

MOSTLY AI Inc.

ai

Synthesia

Browse Full Report: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/generative-ai-market-report

[cleverhottubmiracle]

If you were to use TikTok’s own vernacular to describe its current state, you might say the vibes are unsettled. A law banning the app in the US is set to go into effect on Jan. 19, though it’s anyone’s guess whether it actually will. Legal experts have generally described TikTok’s path to salvation as narrow — lower courts have sided with the Biden administration, and President-elect Donald Trump cannot himself squash the ban he first proposed in 2020 once he takes office. But the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the app’s appeal, and Trump has asked the court to delay the ban’s implementation until after he takes office in hopes of brokering a deal with its parent company, ByteDance Ltd. ByteDance, too, could head off the ban by selling its US business, but the Chinese company has said it has no intention of doing so.What hangs in the balance is a platform that, for better or worse, has emerged as a vast engine for cultural production. The app says it has more than 170 million active users in the US, and according to a Pew Research survey almost two-thirds of adults under 30 use it regularly. In early 2024, Bloomberg reported that ByteDance was aiming for more than $17 billion in US sales for the year via TikTok Shop, which allows users to buy products they encounter directly on the app. From this milieu, trends emerge constantly and ceaselessly. “So much happens there first,” says Casey Lewis, a consultant and the author of After School, a newsletter documenting consumer behaviour among young people.But what happens on TikTok doesn’t stay there. Instead the app has become something of an assignment editor for the internet at large, pushing the ideas of TikTok creators— girl dinner, everything shower, quiet luxury — out into traditional media and onto other platforms, as well as into the marketing plans for all kinds of products. The app’s memes and trends can spout seemingly at random — do we all remember “very demure, very mindful”? — and saturate the internet in a matter of days, influencing an enormous amount of economic activity, both on and off the app. The most successful TikTok creators are able to quit their day job in favour of reviewing Amazon products or producing recipe tutorials, and brands that catch on among users, such as e.l.f Beauty and Duolingo, have seen their revenue soar. Sometimes that’s thanks to sales directly through TikTok Shop, but more often through the force of the app’s influence on all kinds of spending.TikTok’s speed and scale have forced many sectors of the US consumer economy — beauty, fashion, health and wellness, hospitality, food and fitness among them — to remake themselves in its image to a degree that couldn’t have been predicted even five years ago. According to a report by MediaRadar, brands spent an estimated $4 billion on TikTok ads in 2023. That figure doesn’t include all the more oblique ways brands spend money to get their products in front of social media users. Nikita Walia, the strategy director at the branding agency U.N.N.A.M.E.D. called the platform’s influence “dynamic and unpredictable.” Anybody can theoretically have millions of eyes on them overnight.Now there’s a very real chance that all of that will vanish.If TikTok falls, where will the trends sprout from? The most obvious place would be Instagram, which was itself the dominant social media driver of consumer trends before TikTok surpassed it in the past few years. James Nord, the founder of the influencer marketing company Fohr, says that’s where he sees the bulk of social marketing and advertising dollars moving if TikTok is no longer viable, with YouTube a somewhat distant second. Fohr’s clients are still signing deals (unsurprisingly, shorter ones) with influencers on TikTok, which will still function for existing users in the US as a sort of zombie app: usable but cut off from technical updates and no longer available for download.Most of the people who make money on social media don’t bother with the grind of growing multiple followings across platforms. “A lot of big TikTok creators who are doing this for a living, they don’t have a commercially viable following anywhere else,” Nord says. More sophisticated creators have been trying to build their audiences on other platforms since plans for a possible ban were first floated during the last Trump administration, but doing so takes time and persistence, and even then the number of fans willing to move with a creator might not be large enough to sustain their livelihood. Nord also sees many influencers on the platform who are doing nothing at all to hedge their bets, assuming that something—Trump, the Supreme Court, an unpredictable third thing—will head off catastrophe at the pass. The ban, should it go into effect, “will be an extinction-level event for them,” he says.Even if the marketing money hose simply redirects its spray at Instagram, what results will likely be different, for creators, for brands and for the public at large. TikTok’s trump card has always been its algorithm, which does an unusually good job at homing in on what particular users are compelled by and surfacing videos from smaller and more niche creators, which can give someone using the app the feeling that they’re in a conversation with peers. “There’s just a candidness or, like, an unpolishedness that the algorithm rewards on TikTok that feels very different than Instagram,” says After School’s Lewis. Instagram, which developed its short-form video feature, Reels, as an answer to TikTok’s popularity, tends to overindex on aspirational wealth spectatorship, Lewis says. When the app tries to tone that down, it often overcorrects its recommendations into unsettling or low-quality viral slop — or, in many cases, videos that were already popular on TikTok weeks or months ago. Instagram is an app that can help Dior sell handbags, but it’s not clear that it can turn an undiscovered song into a hit.The internet will continue spitting out an endless and baffling series of trends even if TikTok’s ban goes into effect — it did before the app existed, after all. So the question isn’t whether the internet trend-industrial complex will endure, but to what extent it will be diminished, and what the nature of its output will be. At least at first, the means of trend production will almost certainly slow down because nothing so far has been able to match TikTok’s frenetic pace. Weakening that trend cycle probably wouldn’t be a terrible thing. Brands and journalists trying to keep up with every idea that generates any interest on the app can end up led around by the nose by relatively small groups of adolescents. “TikTok ‘trends’ are easy marketing fodder,” Walia notes. “Need to send out a marketing email on a Wednesday? Why not tap into the latest emerging ‘aesthetic’?”While that in itself certainly wouldn’t justify a federal ban, anything that might force companies to be a little more thoughtful about the pitches they make to the public — or writers to slow down before they declare something a legitimate trend — would, on some level, be a welcome challenge to the passive acceptance of whatever TikTok serves up. By Amanda Mull Source link

[norajworld]

If you were to use TikTok’s own vernacular to describe its current state, you might say the vibes are unsettled. A law banning the app in the US is set to go into effect on Jan. 19, though it’s anyone’s guess whether it actually will. Legal experts have generally described TikTok’s path to salvation as narrow — lower courts have sided with the Biden administration, and President-elect Donald Trump cannot himself squash the ban he first proposed in 2020 once he takes office. But the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the app’s appeal, and Trump has asked the court to delay the ban’s implementation until after he takes office in hopes of brokering a deal with its parent company, ByteDance Ltd. ByteDance, too, could head off the ban by selling its US business, but the Chinese company has said it has no intention of doing so.What hangs in the balance is a platform that, for better or worse, has emerged as a vast engine for cultural production. The app says it has more than 170 million active users in the US, and according to a Pew Research survey almost two-thirds of adults under 30 use it regularly. In early 2024, Bloomberg reported that ByteDance was aiming for more than $17 billion in US sales for the year via TikTok Shop, which allows users to buy products they encounter directly on the app. From this milieu, trends emerge constantly and ceaselessly. “So much happens there first,” says Casey Lewis, a consultant and the author of After School, a newsletter documenting consumer behaviour among young people.But what happens on TikTok doesn’t stay there. Instead the app has become something of an assignment editor for the internet at large, pushing the ideas of TikTok creators— girl dinner, everything shower, quiet luxury — out into traditional media and onto other platforms, as well as into the marketing plans for all kinds of products. The app’s memes and trends can spout seemingly at random — do we all remember “very demure, very mindful”? — and saturate the internet in a matter of days, influencing an enormous amount of economic activity, both on and off the app. The most successful TikTok creators are able to quit their day job in favour of reviewing Amazon products or producing recipe tutorials, and brands that catch on among users, such as e.l.f Beauty and Duolingo, have seen their revenue soar. Sometimes that’s thanks to sales directly through TikTok Shop, but more often through the force of the app’s influence on all kinds of spending.TikTok’s speed and scale have forced many sectors of the US consumer economy — beauty, fashion, health and wellness, hospitality, food and fitness among them — to remake themselves in its image to a degree that couldn’t have been predicted even five years ago. According to a report by MediaRadar, brands spent an estimated $4 billion on TikTok ads in 2023. That figure doesn’t include all the more oblique ways brands spend money to get their products in front of social media users. Nikita Walia, the strategy director at the branding agency U.N.N.A.M.E.D. called the platform’s influence “dynamic and unpredictable.” Anybody can theoretically have millions of eyes on them overnight.Now there’s a very real chance that all of that will vanish.If TikTok falls, where will the trends sprout from? The most obvious place would be Instagram, which was itself the dominant social media driver of consumer trends before TikTok surpassed it in the past few years. James Nord, the founder of the influencer marketing company Fohr, says that’s where he sees the bulk of social marketing and advertising dollars moving if TikTok is no longer viable, with YouTube a somewhat distant second. Fohr’s clients are still signing deals (unsurprisingly, shorter ones) with influencers on TikTok, which will still function for existing users in the US as a sort of zombie app: usable but cut off from technical updates and no longer available for download.Most of the people who make money on social media don’t bother with the grind of growing multiple followings across platforms. “A lot of big TikTok creators who are doing this for a living, they don’t have a commercially viable following anywhere else,” Nord says. More sophisticated creators have been trying to build their audiences on other platforms since plans for a possible ban were first floated during the last Trump administration, but doing so takes time and persistence, and even then the number of fans willing to move with a creator might not be large enough to sustain their livelihood. Nord also sees many influencers on the platform who are doing nothing at all to hedge their bets, assuming that something—Trump, the Supreme Court, an unpredictable third thing—will head off catastrophe at the pass. The ban, should it go into effect, “will be an extinction-level event for them,” he says.Even if the marketing money hose simply redirects its spray at Instagram, what results will likely be different, for creators, for brands and for the public at large. TikTok’s trump card has always been its algorithm, which does an unusually good job at homing in on what particular users are compelled by and surfacing videos from smaller and more niche creators, which can give someone using the app the feeling that they’re in a conversation with peers. “There’s just a candidness or, like, an unpolishedness that the algorithm rewards on TikTok that feels very different than Instagram,” says After School’s Lewis. Instagram, which developed its short-form video feature, Reels, as an answer to TikTok’s popularity, tends to overindex on aspirational wealth spectatorship, Lewis says. When the app tries to tone that down, it often overcorrects its recommendations into unsettling or low-quality viral slop — or, in many cases, videos that were already popular on TikTok weeks or months ago. Instagram is an app that can help Dior sell handbags, but it’s not clear that it can turn an undiscovered song into a hit.The internet will continue spitting out an endless and baffling series of trends even if TikTok’s ban goes into effect — it did before the app existed, after all. So the question isn’t whether the internet trend-industrial complex will endure, but to what extent it will be diminished, and what the nature of its output will be. At least at first, the means of trend production will almost certainly slow down because nothing so far has been able to match TikTok’s frenetic pace. Weakening that trend cycle probably wouldn’t be a terrible thing. Brands and journalists trying to keep up with every idea that generates any interest on the app can end up led around by the nose by relatively small groups of adolescents. “TikTok ‘trends’ are easy marketing fodder,” Walia notes. “Need to send out a marketing email on a Wednesday? Why not tap into the latest emerging ‘aesthetic’?”While that in itself certainly wouldn’t justify a federal ban, anything that might force companies to be a little more thoughtful about the pitches they make to the public — or writers to slow down before they declare something a legitimate trend — would, on some level, be a welcome challenge to the passive acceptance of whatever TikTok serves up. By Amanda Mull Source link

[ellajme0]

If you were to use TikTok’s own vernacular to describe its current state, you might say the vibes are unsettled. A law banning the app in the US is set to go into effect on Jan. 19, though it’s anyone’s guess whether it actually will. Legal experts have generally described TikTok’s path to salvation as narrow — lower courts have sided with the Biden administration, and President-elect Donald Trump cannot himself squash the ban he first proposed in 2020 once he takes office. But the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the app’s appeal, and Trump has asked the court to delay the ban’s implementation until after he takes office in hopes of brokering a deal with its parent company, ByteDance Ltd. ByteDance, too, could head off the ban by selling its US business, but the Chinese company has said it has no intention of doing so.What hangs in the balance is a platform that, for better or worse, has emerged as a vast engine for cultural production. The app says it has more than 170 million active users in the US, and according to a Pew Research survey almost two-thirds of adults under 30 use it regularly. In early 2024, Bloomberg reported that ByteDance was aiming for more than $17 billion in US sales for the year via TikTok Shop, which allows users to buy products they encounter directly on the app. From this milieu, trends emerge constantly and ceaselessly. “So much happens there first,” says Casey Lewis, a consultant and the author of After School, a newsletter documenting consumer behaviour among young people.But what happens on TikTok doesn’t stay there. Instead the app has become something of an assignment editor for the internet at large, pushing the ideas of TikTok creators— girl dinner, everything shower, quiet luxury — out into traditional media and onto other platforms, as well as into the marketing plans for all kinds of products. The app’s memes and trends can spout seemingly at random — do we all remember “very demure, very mindful”? — and saturate the internet in a matter of days, influencing an enormous amount of economic activity, both on and off the app. The most successful TikTok creators are able to quit their day job in favour of reviewing Amazon products or producing recipe tutorials, and brands that catch on among users, such as e.l.f Beauty and Duolingo, have seen their revenue soar. Sometimes that’s thanks to sales directly through TikTok Shop, but more often through the force of the app’s influence on all kinds of spending.TikTok’s speed and scale have forced many sectors of the US consumer economy — beauty, fashion, health and wellness, hospitality, food and fitness among them — to remake themselves in its image to a degree that couldn’t have been predicted even five years ago. According to a report by MediaRadar, brands spent an estimated $4 billion on TikTok ads in 2023. That figure doesn’t include all the more oblique ways brands spend money to get their products in front of social media users. Nikita Walia, the strategy director at the branding agency U.N.N.A.M.E.D. called the platform’s influence “dynamic and unpredictable.” Anybody can theoretically have millions of eyes on them overnight.Now there’s a very real chance that all of that will vanish.If TikTok falls, where will the trends sprout from? The most obvious place would be Instagram, which was itself the dominant social media driver of consumer trends before TikTok surpassed it in the past few years. James Nord, the founder of the influencer marketing company Fohr, says that’s where he sees the bulk of social marketing and advertising dollars moving if TikTok is no longer viable, with YouTube a somewhat distant second. Fohr’s clients are still signing deals (unsurprisingly, shorter ones) with influencers on TikTok, which will still function for existing users in the US as a sort of zombie app: usable but cut off from technical updates and no longer available for download.Most of the people who make money on social media don’t bother with the grind of growing multiple followings across platforms. “A lot of big TikTok creators who are doing this for a living, they don’t have a commercially viable following anywhere else,” Nord says. More sophisticated creators have been trying to build their audiences on other platforms since plans for a possible ban were first floated during the last Trump administration, but doing so takes time and persistence, and even then the number of fans willing to move with a creator might not be large enough to sustain their livelihood. Nord also sees many influencers on the platform who are doing nothing at all to hedge their bets, assuming that something—Trump, the Supreme Court, an unpredictable third thing—will head off catastrophe at the pass. The ban, should it go into effect, “will be an extinction-level event for them,” he says.Even if the marketing money hose simply redirects its spray at Instagram, what results will likely be different, for creators, for brands and for the public at large. TikTok’s trump card has always been its algorithm, which does an unusually good job at homing in on what particular users are compelled by and surfacing videos from smaller and more niche creators, which can give someone using the app the feeling that they’re in a conversation with peers. “There’s just a candidness or, like, an unpolishedness that the algorithm rewards on TikTok that feels very different than Instagram,” says After School’s Lewis. Instagram, which developed its short-form video feature, Reels, as an answer to TikTok’s popularity, tends to overindex on aspirational wealth spectatorship, Lewis says. When the app tries to tone that down, it often overcorrects its recommendations into unsettling or low-quality viral slop — or, in many cases, videos that were already popular on TikTok weeks or months ago. Instagram is an app that can help Dior sell handbags, but it’s not clear that it can turn an undiscovered song into a hit.The internet will continue spitting out an endless and baffling series of trends even if TikTok’s ban goes into effect — it did before the app existed, after all. So the question isn’t whether the internet trend-industrial complex will endure, but to what extent it will be diminished, and what the nature of its output will be. At least at first, the means of trend production will almost certainly slow down because nothing so far has been able to match TikTok’s frenetic pace. Weakening that trend cycle probably wouldn’t be a terrible thing. Brands and journalists trying to keep up with every idea that generates any interest on the app can end up led around by the nose by relatively small groups of adolescents. “TikTok ‘trends’ are easy marketing fodder,” Walia notes. “Need to send out a marketing email on a Wednesday? Why not tap into the latest emerging ‘aesthetic’?”While that in itself certainly wouldn’t justify a federal ban, anything that might force companies to be a little more thoughtful about the pitches they make to the public — or writers to slow down before they declare something a legitimate trend — would, on some level, be a welcome challenge to the passive acceptance of whatever TikTok serves up. By Amanda Mull Source link

[chilimili212]

If you were to use TikTok’s own vernacular to describe its current state, you might say the vibes are unsettled. A law banning the app in the US is set to go into effect on Jan. 19, though it’s anyone’s guess whether it actually will. Legal experts have generally described TikTok’s path to salvation as narrow — lower courts have sided with the Biden administration, and President-elect Donald Trump cannot himself squash the ban he first proposed in 2020 once he takes office. But the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the app’s appeal, and Trump has asked the court to delay the ban’s implementation until after he takes office in hopes of brokering a deal with its parent company, ByteDance Ltd. ByteDance, too, could head off the ban by selling its US business, but the Chinese company has said it has no intention of doing so.What hangs in the balance is a platform that, for better or worse, has emerged as a vast engine for cultural production. The app says it has more than 170 million active users in the US, and according to a Pew Research survey almost two-thirds of adults under 30 use it regularly. In early 2024, Bloomberg reported that ByteDance was aiming for more than $17 billion in US sales for the year via TikTok Shop, which allows users to buy products they encounter directly on the app. From this milieu, trends emerge constantly and ceaselessly. “So much happens there first,” says Casey Lewis, a consultant and the author of After School, a newsletter documenting consumer behaviour among young people.But what happens on TikTok doesn’t stay there. Instead the app has become something of an assignment editor for the internet at large, pushing the ideas of TikTok creators— girl dinner, everything shower, quiet luxury — out into traditional media and onto other platforms, as well as into the marketing plans for all kinds of products. The app’s memes and trends can spout seemingly at random — do we all remember “very demure, very mindful”? — and saturate the internet in a matter of days, influencing an enormous amount of economic activity, both on and off the app. The most successful TikTok creators are able to quit their day job in favour of reviewing Amazon products or producing recipe tutorials, and brands that catch on among users, such as e.l.f Beauty and Duolingo, have seen their revenue soar. Sometimes that’s thanks to sales directly through TikTok Shop, but more often through the force of the app’s influence on all kinds of spending.TikTok’s speed and scale have forced many sectors of the US consumer economy — beauty, fashion, health and wellness, hospitality, food and fitness among them — to remake themselves in its image to a degree that couldn’t have been predicted even five years ago. According to a report by MediaRadar, brands spent an estimated $4 billion on TikTok ads in 2023. That figure doesn’t include all the more oblique ways brands spend money to get their products in front of social media users. Nikita Walia, the strategy director at the branding agency U.N.N.A.M.E.D. called the platform’s influence “dynamic and unpredictable.” Anybody can theoretically have millions of eyes on them overnight.Now there’s a very real chance that all of that will vanish.If TikTok falls, where will the trends sprout from? The most obvious place would be Instagram, which was itself the dominant social media driver of consumer trends before TikTok surpassed it in the past few years. James Nord, the founder of the influencer marketing company Fohr, says that’s where he sees the bulk of social marketing and advertising dollars moving if TikTok is no longer viable, with YouTube a somewhat distant second. Fohr’s clients are still signing deals (unsurprisingly, shorter ones) with influencers on TikTok, which will still function for existing users in the US as a sort of zombie app: usable but cut off from technical updates and no longer available for download.Most of the people who make money on social media don’t bother with the grind of growing multiple followings across platforms. “A lot of big TikTok creators who are doing this for a living, they don’t have a commercially viable following anywhere else,” Nord says. More sophisticated creators have been trying to build their audiences on other platforms since plans for a possible ban were first floated during the last Trump administration, but doing so takes time and persistence, and even then the number of fans willing to move with a creator might not be large enough to sustain their livelihood. Nord also sees many influencers on the platform who are doing nothing at all to hedge their bets, assuming that something—Trump, the Supreme Court, an unpredictable third thing—will head off catastrophe at the pass. The ban, should it go into effect, “will be an extinction-level event for them,” he says.Even if the marketing money hose simply redirects its spray at Instagram, what results will likely be different, for creators, for brands and for the public at large. TikTok’s trump card has always been its algorithm, which does an unusually good job at homing in on what particular users are compelled by and surfacing videos from smaller and more niche creators, which can give someone using the app the feeling that they’re in a conversation with peers. “There’s just a candidness or, like, an unpolishedness that the algorithm rewards on TikTok that feels very different than Instagram,” says After School’s Lewis. Instagram, which developed its short-form video feature, Reels, as an answer to TikTok’s popularity, tends to overindex on aspirational wealth spectatorship, Lewis says. When the app tries to tone that down, it often overcorrects its recommendations into unsettling or low-quality viral slop — or, in many cases, videos that were already popular on TikTok weeks or months ago. Instagram is an app that can help Dior sell handbags, but it’s not clear that it can turn an undiscovered song into a hit.The internet will continue spitting out an endless and baffling series of trends even if TikTok’s ban goes into effect — it did before the app existed, after all. So the question isn’t whether the internet trend-industrial complex will endure, but to what extent it will be diminished, and what the nature of its output will be. At least at first, the means of trend production will almost certainly slow down because nothing so far has been able to match TikTok’s frenetic pace. Weakening that trend cycle probably wouldn’t be a terrible thing. Brands and journalists trying to keep up with every idea that generates any interest on the app can end up led around by the nose by relatively small groups of adolescents. “TikTok ‘trends’ are easy marketing fodder,” Walia notes. “Need to send out a marketing email on a Wednesday? Why not tap into the latest emerging ‘aesthetic’?”While that in itself certainly wouldn’t justify a federal ban, anything that might force companies to be a little more thoughtful about the pitches they make to the public — or writers to slow down before they declare something a legitimate trend — would, on some level, be a welcome challenge to the passive acceptance of whatever TikTok serves up. By Amanda Mull Source link

[oliviajoyice21]

If you were to use TikTok’s own vernacular to describe its current state, you might say the vibes are unsettled. A law banning the app in the US is set to go into effect on Jan. 19, though it’s anyone’s guess whether it actually will. Legal experts have generally described TikTok’s path to salvation as narrow — lower courts have sided with the Biden administration, and President-elect Donald Trump cannot himself squash the ban he first proposed in 2020 once he takes office. But the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the app’s appeal, and Trump has asked the court to delay the ban’s implementation until after he takes office in hopes of brokering a deal with its parent company, ByteDance Ltd. ByteDance, too, could head off the ban by selling its US business, but the Chinese company has said it has no intention of doing so.What hangs in the balance is a platform that, for better or worse, has emerged as a vast engine for cultural production. The app says it has more than 170 million active users in the US, and according to a Pew Research survey almost two-thirds of adults under 30 use it regularly. In early 2024, Bloomberg reported that ByteDance was aiming for more than $17 billion in US sales for the year via TikTok Shop, which allows users to buy products they encounter directly on the app. From this milieu, trends emerge constantly and ceaselessly. “So much happens there first,” says Casey Lewis, a consultant and the author of After School, a newsletter documenting consumer behaviour among young people.But what happens on TikTok doesn’t stay there. Instead the app has become something of an assignment editor for the internet at large, pushing the ideas of TikTok creators— girl dinner, everything shower, quiet luxury — out into traditional media and onto other platforms, as well as into the marketing plans for all kinds of products. The app’s memes and trends can spout seemingly at random — do we all remember “very demure, very mindful”? — and saturate the internet in a matter of days, influencing an enormous amount of economic activity, both on and off the app. The most successful TikTok creators are able to quit their day job in favour of reviewing Amazon products or producing recipe tutorials, and brands that catch on among users, such as e.l.f Beauty and Duolingo, have seen their revenue soar. Sometimes that’s thanks to sales directly through TikTok Shop, but more often through the force of the app’s influence on all kinds of spending.TikTok’s speed and scale have forced many sectors of the US consumer economy — beauty, fashion, health and wellness, hospitality, food and fitness among them — to remake themselves in its image to a degree that couldn’t have been predicted even five years ago. According to a report by MediaRadar, brands spent an estimated $4 billion on TikTok ads in 2023. That figure doesn’t include all the more oblique ways brands spend money to get their products in front of social media users. Nikita Walia, the strategy director at the branding agency U.N.N.A.M.E.D. called the platform’s influence “dynamic and unpredictable.” Anybody can theoretically have millions of eyes on them overnight.Now there’s a very real chance that all of that will vanish.If TikTok falls, where will the trends sprout from? The most obvious place would be Instagram, which was itself the dominant social media driver of consumer trends before TikTok surpassed it in the past few years. James Nord, the founder of the influencer marketing company Fohr, says that’s where he sees the bulk of social marketing and advertising dollars moving if TikTok is no longer viable, with YouTube a somewhat distant second. Fohr’s clients are still signing deals (unsurprisingly, shorter ones) with influencers on TikTok, which will still function for existing users in the US as a sort of zombie app: usable but cut off from technical updates and no longer available for download.Most of the people who make money on social media don’t bother with the grind of growing multiple followings across platforms. “A lot of big TikTok creators who are doing this for a living, they don’t have a commercially viable following anywhere else,” Nord says. More sophisticated creators have been trying to build their audiences on other platforms since plans for a possible ban were first floated during the last Trump administration, but doing so takes time and persistence, and even then the number of fans willing to move with a creator might not be large enough to sustain their livelihood. Nord also sees many influencers on the platform who are doing nothing at all to hedge their bets, assuming that something—Trump, the Supreme Court, an unpredictable third thing—will head off catastrophe at the pass. The ban, should it go into effect, “will be an extinction-level event for them,” he says.Even if the marketing money hose simply redirects its spray at Instagram, what results will likely be different, for creators, for brands and for the public at large. TikTok’s trump card has always been its algorithm, which does an unusually good job at homing in on what particular users are compelled by and surfacing videos from smaller and more niche creators, which can give someone using the app the feeling that they’re in a conversation with peers. “There’s just a candidness or, like, an unpolishedness that the algorithm rewards on TikTok that feels very different than Instagram,” says After School’s Lewis. Instagram, which developed its short-form video feature, Reels, as an answer to TikTok’s popularity, tends to overindex on aspirational wealth spectatorship, Lewis says. When the app tries to tone that down, it often overcorrects its recommendations into unsettling or low-quality viral slop — or, in many cases, videos that were already popular on TikTok weeks or months ago. Instagram is an app that can help Dior sell handbags, but it’s not clear that it can turn an undiscovered song into a hit.The internet will continue spitting out an endless and baffling series of trends even if TikTok’s ban goes into effect — it did before the app existed, after all. So the question isn’t whether the internet trend-industrial complex will endure, but to what extent it will be diminished, and what the nature of its output will be. At least at first, the means of trend production will almost certainly slow down because nothing so far has been able to match TikTok’s frenetic pace. Weakening that trend cycle probably wouldn’t be a terrible thing. Brands and journalists trying to keep up with every idea that generates any interest on the app can end up led around by the nose by relatively small groups of adolescents. “TikTok ‘trends’ are easy marketing fodder,” Walia notes. “Need to send out a marketing email on a Wednesday? Why not tap into the latest emerging ‘aesthetic’?”While that in itself certainly wouldn’t justify a federal ban, anything that might force companies to be a little more thoughtful about the pitches they make to the public — or writers to slow down before they declare something a legitimate trend — would, on some level, be a welcome challenge to the passive acceptance of whatever TikTok serves up. By Amanda Mull Source link