NewsBytes Briefing: YouTube's TikTok clone already doing well, and more
Silicon Valley's foundation is built on compelling ideas. But ideas can be stolen, which happens with clockwork precision in the world of social media platforms. For instance, YouTube's TikTok clone has been gradually phased out from testing to global roll-out now. In fact, YouTube Shorts commands a daily view count of 6.5 billion already. Not surprising since YouTube has pledged $100 million for creators.
Meanwhile, Instagram has made an even shorter addition to its list of feature updates. The platform is trying its hand at some good ol' fashioned progressive social justice policies by allowing people to use their preferred pronouns on their profiles. Now, you can break free from the patriarchal tyranny of gender binary dogma and use any pronoun your heart desires.
While the social justice folks score a win on Instagram, actual communists from China have a reason to celebrate. The Joe Biden administration has revoked Donald Trump's decision to blacklist Xiaomi as a "Communist Chinese military company". The mainstream media, however, expects Biden to "continue to build pressure on China". If you're wondering how, welcome to the club!
Speaking of news that is hard to swallow, Apple is rumored to be working on a handheld console that will rival the ever-elusive Nintendo Switch. If that wasn't hard to believe, the rumor heads straight to the twilight zone by claiming the handheld console will have ray tracing support. The last time we checked, one needed a power-hungry desktop PC to handle ray tracing.
Separately, Google Pay is serious about catching up with the likes of PayPal, Samsung Pay, and AliPay, which have long offered international remittances. Google's payments app has begun a pilot program allowing US citizens to send money to India and Singapore. That's a smart choice of regions, since workers from India and Singapore tend to send money back to their families.
