There's no rhyme or reason to these things. They show up on different social media platforms, start in different parts of the world, but don’t always take off in regions where they started. There are cultural aspects to what makes them go viral but also universal ones: They "excite children's and teens’ imaginations, increase careless media outlets' appetite and opportunities for bigger audiences, … [Read more...] about About ‘Momo’ & dealing with viral media scares
Messaging apps rule: What’s interesting about that for parents
This statement stopped me in my tracks when I was reading about how messaging apps now reign supreme in social media: "'Ask and you shall receive' has become the new customer experience." I'll tell you why that gave me pause in a moment. First a look at what's being reported about mobile messaging. "The top four messaging apps—WhatsApp and Messenger (both owned by Facebook), WeChat and … [Read more...] about Messaging apps rule: What’s interesting about that for parents
Millennials’ top 10 apps at the turn of the year
Youth digital research firm YPULSE's "most clicked article of 2015" didn't hold a lot of surprises, but it might be useful to note teens' and millennials' top picks here at the turn of the year. Facebook owns three of the Top 10 apps: Instagram (No. 1), the Facebook app (2nd) and Whatsapp, which appears to tie with YouTube and the Weather app for 7th place, and Google two of them (its search app … [Read more...] about Millennials’ top 10 apps at the turn of the year
The universe in an app: Will youth create a trend within the trend?
The days of simple, single-use apps may be over. Or not, depending on the user, his or her context and a whole lot of other factors. But there is a bit of a trend among messaging apps. Not all apps – particularly the No. 1 messaging app, Facebook's WhatsApp with 600+ million users – are part of it, though, so where you are in the world has been a driver of this trend so far. The trend, … [Read more...] about The universe in an app: Will youth create a trend within the trend?
Texting options multiplying like rabbits (even more now)
Everybody's, including kids', texting and talking options continue to multiply like rabbits. First there was texting from your mobile carrier, then phone-based texting like Apple's iMessage and voice via computers (later adding in phones) as with Google Voice and Skype. Along came texting apps too, such as the simple and spare WhatsApp now owned by Facebook and the something-for-everybody, … [Read more...] about Texting options multiplying like rabbits (even more now)