A CrowdStrike software update on July 19th caused millions of Windows-powered devices to go offline. The outage reanimated anti-work sentiments, as people joked about wishing the issue had affected their workplace or implored whoever was responsible to knock out other Microsoft tools, too.

Microsoft outage memes rekindle anti-work sentiment

Dyson’s On Trac headphones are the brand’s first audio-only product with premium sound and a personalised outlook. People are increasingly drawn to audio-based content, allowing brands to leverage their growing desires for new modes of storytelling with innovative solutions.

Dyson extends audio range with personalised headphones

Monzo is launching a new account for children aged under 16, which will let them set savings goals and organise money. With British parents increasingly looking for ways to safeguard their children's financial futures, the move looks to help Gen Alphas find their financial footing.

Monzo announces new bank accounts for Gen Alphas

Liu Yexi is your favourite AI influencer’s favourite AI influencer. With her trademark blend of traditional Chinese elements and modern design sensibilities, the country’s most popular avatar might pave the way for virtual influencers to take over Singles Day, Asia’s biggest online shopping event.

How Liu Yexi humanises AI influencers for social shoppers

Gen Z don't want to work in tech, resonating with broader shift amongst this cohort towards more values-led employment. As young people reassess their career aspirations, brands have the opportunity to showcase their commitment to sustainability, social impact, and employee wellbeing.

Tech jobs lose lustre for values focussed Gen Z

Balenciaga is immersing fashion lovers in futuristic mixed reality with an app for the Apple Vision Pro. With this move, the brand is seeking to cement its status as a visionary pioneer while giving the world a taste of what a new era of so-called ‘spatial commerce’ might be like.

Balenciaga presents spatial commerce on Apple Vision Pro

Eton has joined a growing number of UK schools in banning smartphones for incoming students. The move aims to mitigate the negative impacts of smartphones, such as sleep deprivation, cyberbullying, low self-esteem, and anxiety, while also safeguarding adolescents and supporting focus in class.

Eton bans smartphones in a bid to protect students

As fashion becomes increasingly important to people’s identity, young shoppers are turning to tech to ‘hack’ their personal style. From social media to AI tools, technology is revolutionizing how Gen Zers dress. What does this mean for fashion's future, and how should brands respond?

Why Gen Zers are using tech to hack their personal style

Despite being seen as high-tech, Japan has been slow to adopt fintech solutions. The country ranks among the top in APAC that are slow to embrace cashless payments. However, this situation may soon change as Olive tailors its app and all-in-one card to promote cashless living in Japan.

How Olive manages Japanese people’s cashless confidence

Gen Z values online privacy, preferring ephemeral and anonymous posting options that minimize their digital footprint. Yet while they don’t trust companies with their data, their cybersecurity issues are often caused by their own online habits. How is this cohort’s approach to web safety evolving?

How are Gen Zers safeguarding themselves online?

South Korean self-photo studio Life4Cuts is snapping its way to Australian shores. Despite the global cost-of-living crisis, customers are branding the four-cut photo strip craze as a necessity – ‘a small but guaranteed happiness’ tapping various age groups and subcultures.

How Life4Cuts imprints visual memory amid a global crisis

The sustainable travel platform Byway is using AI software to streamline flight-free journeys. Heightened eco-awareness has piqued interest in slow travel, and as people seek to remove the friction from sustainable options, brands can help support these values through solutions-based tech.

Byway is leveraging AI to help travellers go green

Educational inclusivity is struggling to keep up with language shifts in a globalized world. Targeting language barriers, Timekettle rolled out AI-powered earbuds that translate taught content live for Texan school children whose levels of English proficiency prevent them from understanding it.

Timekettle leverages AI to push for school inclusivity 

In partnership with Snapchat, Selfridges has launched an augmented reality locker room in its Oxford Street store. As consumers' expectations around experiential shopping continue to grow, brands have the opportunity to merge fandom and technology to enhance storytelling and community engagement.

Selfridges x Snapchat entices experiential shoppers

The AI Movement program aims to equip women in Africa with AI skills and leadership training. As AI becomes increasingly normalised in the global workforce, initiatives like this contribute to bridging the digital divide and improving women’s access to technology and digital skills.

UNESCO bridges digital gap with AI training 

Despite a data breach and disputes over its ownership, most of Japan’s population and millions around Asia continue to use LINE, the messaging platform-turned-super app that has become a must-have for everyday needs. How has it embedded itself in people’s lives and provided a safe space online?

How LINE connects Japan’s netizens to easy self-expression

Thanks in part to TikTok virality, Fujifilm is struggling to keep up with demand for their X100VI camera. The speed of digital innovation has influenced a renewed appreciation for tactile tech, and people are looking to add friction back into otherwise seamless processes.

Fujifilm sees surge in demand for physical cameras

South Koreans seek technology that boosts connectivity, increases workplace efficiency through AI, and provides innovative social and entertainment experiences. Their demands drive significant investments in digital infrastructure, allowing brands to focus on trendsetting and immersive experiences.

What do South Koreans want from their tech?

In a bid to protect user privacy, YouTube has launched a feature that allows users to request the removal of AI-generated content that simulates their face or voice. This move aims to ease growing fears over the misuse of AI to create deep fakes and other synthetic media.

YouTube enables users to report deepfakes

After declining in popularity for years, J-pop is catching up to K-pop on the world stage. By keeping their identities hidden, J-pop stars have allowed listeners to focus on their music rather than their personal lives. What does this say about how Gen Z feels about influencers and social media?

Anonymous J-pop stars connect with Gen Z’s desire to stay incognito

An online study has found that humans are unable to tell authentic restaurant reviews from those generated by AI. AI-generated reviews present a challenge for the restaurant industry, with the potential for shady practices artificially inflating, or tainting people’s view of certain businesses.

AI-generated restaurant reviews mislead customers

Monzo has introduced innovative app-based security features to protect their customers' savings from thieves and fraudsters. With increased phone theft and fraud rates among Britons, people are seeking reassurance, and banks are working to protect their best interests.

Monzo launches tools to protect customers from fraud

Philips bagged a Grand Prix at Cannes Lions for its 'Refurb Editions' campaign, allowing people to buy returned items at a discount. Designed to reduce e-waste and help people make easy eco-choices, the campaign helps bridge the intention-action gap, making the sustainable choice the easy choice.

Phillips curbs holiday e-waste with 'Refurb Editions'

Apple Diagnostics for Self Service Repair, a tool enabling users to troubleshoot issues and obtain repair diagnostics, is now available in 32 European countries, including the UK, France, and the Netherlands. This announcement coincides with Apple's increased focus on prioritising product longevity.

Apple expands self-service repair program to Europe

Research from Jigsaw has offered insight into how Gen Zers digest digital information. As faith in traditional sources of authority wanes, young people are outsourcing their trust to like-minded peers or trusted influencers and gauging the validity of claims through socially informed filters.

Gen Z rely on shared social networks to determine truth

Adore Me has launched an AI tool for shoppers to customise their own bralette sets. In addition to adding a personalised touch to their styles, the feature promotes more sustainable consumption habits, responding to eco-conscious shoppers looking for innovative green initiatives from brands.

Lingerie brand launches AI tool for slow consumption

The Sleep Company, India’s first SmartGRID-based mattress maker, disrupts the comfort sector by championing the transformative power of a good night’s sleep. Amid rising stress and hustle culture, how is this brand leading with innovation and catering to Indians’ newly formed wellness priorities?

How The Sleep Company cradles Indians and their need for rest

Target is launching an AI-enabled chatbot for employees, evidencing the ways AI is shifting customer service expectations. However, as technology continues to impact daily life, mixing artificial intelligence with human knowledge ensures that shoppers still have a human-centric experience.

Target launches AI tool to help workers on the job

Yuriko Koike, governor of Tokyo, has enlisted the help of an AI version of herself to communicate policy decisions and news updates more effectively to constituents. The innovation is undoubtedly practical, but it may seed Japanese people's mistrust of AI and the government’s handling of it.

Tokyo governor speaks to constituents with AI avatar

Rebind is partnering with a team of literary experts to power AI-driven, interactive reading experiences. Amid a growing sense of unease about the role of emerging technology within the arts, the app is positioning AI as a tool that can enhance – not replace – human creativity.

Rebind is bringing literary texts to life with AI

As the application of generative AI expands across entertainment and culture, people continue to feel conflicted about automated creative expression. Canvas8 spoke to seven Americans to understand their feelings about AI’s place in art, writing, music, and generating new ideas.

Are Americans ready for AI creativity?

Though people have grown increasingly comfortable with AI's presence in their lives, they remain uneasy about outsourcing their creative pursuits. With generative art seeping into the mainstream, Canvas8 spoke to nine Britons to find out what they really think about the creative use of AI.

Are Britons ready for AI creativity?

The Japanese government is turning to gamified initiatives in an attempt to boost sustainable behaviour with the Green Carb0n Club app. However, these initiatives have been critiqued for putting the responsibility for climate action on individuals rather than governments and companies.

Japan turns to gamification tools to boost eco efforts

Integral Ad Science has introduced a tool intended to help marketers avoid placing advertisements alongside deepfakes. With the US 2024 Presidential election poised to prompt a surge of deepfakes online, marketers and consumers alike are looking for tools to help them parse reality from fantasy.

Marketers look to avoid advertising alongside deepfakes

Chinese livestream platform Tencent has banned AI hosts, citing concerns around deepfakes as the technology becomes more easily available. As low-quality AI content floods the internet, retailers and entertainment platforms alike are taking steps to regulate the technology.

Tencent bans AI hosts from livestreaming 

Data has revealed that people see generative AI as a huge value-add for their online shopping experiences. In a competitive online retail marketplace, they're increasingly looking for AI to provide guidance in the discovery phase of shopping to better brick-and-mortar experiences.

Online shoppers are looking for more gen AI

How is the value of human creativity changing in the era of generative AI? Are people officially over dating apps in favour of in-person connection? How is technology offering solutions to the climate crisis? Is Gen Alpha heralding the future of digital platforms which run on instant gratification?

Technology Sector Snapshot: June 2024

The Offline Club's members leave their phones behind and gather for board games, dinners, and other activities. Although it’s increasingly tricky to eliminate the digital components of life, the Offline Club's growing popularity signals a desire for offline-online balance. 

The Offline Club offers reprieve for digital detoxers

Apple has announced plans to drop its buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) option in the US, partnering with banks and lenders to offer flexible payments instead. As many Americans continue to struggle with BNPL debt, brands are looking for ways to keep them safe amid increasing rates of short-term debt.

Apple drops BNPL option from mobile wallets in the US

India's PM Narendra Modi won a third term, but his party lost an outright majority. Luxury spending rises, but the class divide grows. Tech innovations loom but also spread misinformation. Why? This Cultural Snapshot uses local stats to explore behavioural norms shared by people in India in 2024.

A Cultural Snapshot of India: 2024

In the ever-evolving K-pop music landscape, innovation has emerged as a critical factor driving the rise of new groups. This is embodied by the virtual concept of the boy group PLAVE. They offer a unique blend of music and technology to attract listeners looking for new and exciting experiences.

How PLAVE’s virtual K-idols upgrade fandom relationships

China has enthusiastically embraced AI, leading to an explosion of new tech. Specifically, it has strengthened the Chinese economy and enhanced e-commerce platforms. AI-generated personal shoppers regularly engage with customers, showing how the latest tech can boost communication and trust.

How is AI changing personal shopping in China?

While online dating is now a well-established way of finding partners, heterosexual men are struggling with the gamified nature of apps and the narrow vision of masculinity they perpetuate. Canvas8 spoke to Dr. Treena Orchard about how brands can champion more beneficial dating experiences for men.

Treena Orchard on masculinity and online dating

The Aira app enhances accessibility for blind and low-vision visitors in Colorado's state parks by connecting them with online live agents. Tech is ushering in a new era of autonomy for disabled individuals, allowing them to explore new spaces and hobbies that were previously inaccessible.



Colorado state parks boost autonomy for blind hikers

In Africa, there’s a desire to adopt digital literacy and improve technical skills to keep up with the rising demand for tech jobs. By offering innovative educational solutions, platforms such as AltSchool Africa are closing the digital skills gap and equipping Africa’s workforce for the future.

How AltSchool impacts digital education in Africa

Genealogy site Ancestry has released a collection of more than 38,000 newspaper articles that shed light on the lives of formerly enslaved people in the US. The records, previously hard to search, are now searchable thanks to AI and showcase the ways that tech can be used to foster inclusivity.

Ancestry.com releases archives powered by AI

An omnichannel ad campaign from Spotify centres around the app’s data-driven personalisation features. Despite a growing sense of unease around data privacy, people remain drawn to hyper-personalised digital services, revealing a tension between caution and convenience.

Spotify’s campaign taps desires for personalised UX

A few months after updating its terms of service in February 2024, Adobe received significant backlash from customers, fearful that their data would be used to train the company’s Gen AI model, Firefly. The backlash highlights a need for clarity and transparency on AI innovation among consumers.

Adobe backlash highlights Big Tech distrust

As part of its offering for China’s 618 shopping festival, the Chinese e-commerce giant is encouraging CEOs to appear on its livestreams. As people demand greater transparency and authenticity from brands, they’ll increasingly expect business leaders to establish a direct line with their customers.

Alibaba drives 618 shopping with CEO livestreams

As the US education system strains under the weight of stretched educators, stressed parents and struggling kids, ed-tech companies are launching more bespoke learning resources. Can PowerSchool’s new AI assistant really help ease the pressure on everyone involved?

How PowerSchool uses AI for stress-free online learning

Microsoft’s B2C campaign for its AI chatbot, Copilot, features F1 racer Pierre Gasly using Copilot to find a gift. The light-hearted ad underscores Microsoft’s goal of making Copilot an everyday consumer product, addressing the gap between AI hype and real-world user adoption.

Microsoft launches B2C campaign to promote Copilot

LG’s ‘Optimism Your Feed’ campaign leverages algorithmic social feeds to make people’s social media experiences more positive. With social media being an intrinsic part of life for most and a source of anxiety for many, pragmatic solutions to online challenges may resonate with consumers.

LG optimises social media feeds for positivity

The nature tech industry, dedicated to addressing the challenges of climate change and nature loss, has seen exponential growth in recent years. As confidence in these technologies to drive meaningful environmental change increases, what does the future of this growing sector hold?

What does the future of nature tech look like?

Lenovo has powered a thought-provoking social experiment seeking to bridge the gap between Gen Z’s digital and physical identities. Amid deepening concerns around youth mental health, the project outlines the value of exploring smart technologies as tools for advancing emotional wellbeing.

Lenovo uses AI to connect Gen Z to their digital selves

Luckin’s rapid rise has overshadowed giants like Starbucks. The coffee chain’s reign was cemented in 2023 when it opened 8,000 new stores. Its popularity comes from its high-profile collaborations and social media chic, but will it hold its own against a neo-coffee culture in China?

How Luckin became a staple for China’s coffee lovers

As nationalistic pride soars in China, along with more disposable income, aspiration, and a need for novelty, people are hyper-tuned into traditional romantic festivals like 520 Day and the shopping that comes with it. International luxury brands want in, but can they compete with domestic ones?

What is 520 Day, and why do Chinese shoppers love to spend for it?

By partnering with Microsoft, Straker is leveraging generative AI to translate New Zealand news articles into te reo Māori – New Zealand’s Indigenous language. While a positive example of AI’s capabilities, capturing cultural context and nuance remains key to quelling consumer fears.

Straker uses AI to translate news into te reo Māori

Tumblr is launching its Communities platform that allows users to connect with each other on a range of mutual interests and topics. This coincides with a growing shift in social media behaviors where people are looking to community-focused spaces for close connection and companionship.

Tumblr community feature aims to enhance connection

Berlin-based start-up Faircado has developed a browser extension that allows users to find and buy pre-owned alternatives to products they're looking for online. As the climate emergency stays at the forefront of many people's minds, they're increasingly keen to engage with quality second-hand goods.

Faircado makes searching for pre-loved items easier

Duolingo India ventures into fashion by partnering with Digitas India on a creative campaign. Known as a leading language learning app, Duolingo aimed to reach a broader audience through collaboration, which showcases that language learning can be as trendy and exciting as the latest fashion styles.

How Duolingo debuts true localisation on the Indian runway

Walmart’s e-commerce platform takes online shopping to a whole new dimension, with a range of outlandish virtual ‘bazaars’ selling influencer-curated products. While some retailers have dialed back on the metaverse, Walmart is full steam ahead with its virtual storefronts.

Walmart Realm offers immersive virtual shopping worlds

A group of kids from Ireland have gone viral thanks to their energetic rap video. The reactions to the song have overwhelmingly mentioned the joyfulness it brings, highlighting a growing need for small moments of happiness as people try to traverse today’s challenging climate.

Young Irish rappers’ music video brings joy to many

The way that people are listening to music is changing. Gone are the days of tinny, low-quality sound – they want something better. British audio brand KEF has long stood at the higher end of innovation and price, but it’s shifting gears in an effort to democratise high-fidelity sound.

How KEF lowers barriers to high-fidelity sound in the UK

Bumble has acquired Geneva, an app focused on nurturing IRL communities and friendships. At a time when young people are experiencing increased loneliness, exacerbated by their dependence on social media, this acquisition highlights the diversifying role of digital platforms in relationships.

Bumble acquires Geneva to nurture IRL friendships

In a letter sent to over 700 global firms, Sony Music has prohibited the use of its content for AI training programs. The move comes amid an ongoing effort to mitigate the impact of generative AI within the creative industries and speaks to persistent concerns about the technology.

Sony Music takes a stand against unregulated AI

In partnership with Real Simple magazine, Pinterest has launched a shoppable issue featuring product recommendations and easy purchase options. This move highlights how brands are trying to bridge online inspiration with real-life shopping to make things more accessible to consumers.

Pinterest co-creates shoppable magazine

Longevity has become a buzzword within the fitness industry, with people spending increasing amounts on maintaining optimum wellness. While ‘health-hacking’ has previously been reserved for an elite clientele, how can brands capitalise on this interest and bring longevity to the masses?

What does longevity look like in 2024?

The 2024-2025 Generational Snapshot of Older Adults explores this cohort's growing need for innovative healthcare solutions, their refusal to succumb to age, their desire to connect socially and romantically, and how they’re defeating age assumptions by being online more than you might think.

2024-2025 Generational Snapshot of Older Adults

ADHD is in the spotlight globally, with a particular increase in adult diagnoses, which has sparked literature and a social media movement around the condition. What does InFlow’s highly personal approach to ADHD say about the state of the mental health market in the UK?

Why InFlow gives attention to alt ADHD treatment

In South Korea, where wealth (or at least the look of it) is a priority, looking stylish is a lifestyle staple. Offerings range from contemporary brands to street style, luxury shopping, and more. As working habits continue to adapt post-pandemic, what does the future of Korean fashion look like?

South Korean style is going global. What do locals think is cool?

The 2024 Generational Snapshot of Gen Alpha in the APAC region looks into how the youngest generation values accelerated satisfaction, the role of representation and corporate responsibility in technological innovations, and finding solace in virtual worlds through gaming.

2024 APAC Gen Alpha Snapshot

AT&T’s short film Route to Connection features the stories of three Americans who struggle with limited internet connectivity. The documentary is part of a bigger campaign to shed light on and address the rapidly widening digital divide in the US – and how damaging that divide can be.

AT&T spotlights the US digital divide in short film

With screen-based and sedentary lifestyles seeing many people lose touch with the natural world, the iNaturalist app hopes to plug the connection gap. It utilizes a gamified, social network-style format to encourage natural discovery and inspire a fresh generation of citizen scientists.

How iNaturalist provides a gateway to the natural world

A global survey found that the internet boosts wellbeing, with users reporting more life satisfaction, positive experiences, and social gratification. However, young women felt less satisfied than their counterparts, indicating that certain demographics need support in digital spaces. 

Study reveals internet boosts wellbeing, but not for all

Mental health disorders in young Australians have soared in the last 15 years, and the local health system is struggling to cope with the growing demand. Mello steps in offering real-time assistance and a user-friendly approach to a social app that makes Australian youths feel seen and heard.

How Mello reworks social media for anxious young Aussies

Anime-style gaming – what was once meant to appeal to a subculture of people during the pandemic has since exploded into the mainstream, redefining the whole gaming industry. With a myriad of companies already in line to ride this great wave – how significant will this shift be?

Inside the global phenomenon of anime-style gaming

SustainabilityTracker.com's app provides customers with sustainability information on the products they buy, helping them make more informed choices. The tracker also drives brand loyalty by giving businesses the tools to increase transparency around their eco-credentials.

Sustainability tracker facilitates eco transparency

KFC has launched an online campaign encouraging fans to create AI-generated images of six-fingered hands. The campaign has been met with negative feedback and resistance from fans, demonstrating how audiences have become sensitive to brands' overreliance on generative AI for creative campaigns.

KFC campaign highlights audiences' AI sensitivity

Maven is a social media platform that uses AI to synthesize content by user interest, shaping it by thematic topics instead of traditional likes. Developed to aid serendipitous discoveries, it hints at a way to make social networks more supportive and enlightening spaces.

Maven enables serendipitous social media discovery

Online Boomers are looking for speed, reliability, and customer service from their broadband providers, all at an affordable price. With switching providers due to become easier, what will help in their decision-making journey and how can businesses cater to this demographic?

What do British Boomers want from broadband providers?

Amid swipe fatigue and Bumble's fumble, Hinge is ushering in tools to facilitate mindful and intentional dating – nudging users to opt for quality over quantity. This match limit helps beat choice overload and reduces a lack of responsiveness from users who only use the app for an ego boost.

Hinge limits matches to encourage mindful online dating

Bumble faced backlash to a UK campaign, with many women feeling like the brand encroached on personal choice and bodily autonomy. While female empowerment has previously been at Bumble's core, the backlash shows how important it is for brands to reflect and respect women’s rights and values.

Bumble’s campaign challenges women’s right to celibacy

Chinese Gen Zers’ financial concerns are changing where and how they shop on social channels. From deal hunting to virtual influence, what do brands need to know about the new realities of social commerce in the country – and where do the biggest opportunities for innovation lie?

Gen Zers’ thrifty mindsets are changing social shopping in China

Nicotine patch company Zyn has launched a rewards program aimed firmly at Gen Z, a generation known for its enthusiasm for loyalty programs. However, ethical concerns are being raised about fostering loyalty among young people for brands that sell addictive and potentially harmful products.

Nicotine pouch reward scheme attracts Gen Zers

Otto, an AI-powered app, turns user memories into polished biographies by recording and transcribing stories through guided questions, requiring no writing. Otto reflects the romanticisation of life and nostalgia, enhancing self-awareness and mindfulness by preserving personal narratives.

AI biographer lets people document their own life story

Digital streaming in India is experiencing explosive growth, offering brands a golden ticket to navigating the country's ever-evolving landscape. Listeners are tuning in not only from cities but also from rural and semi-urban areas, and this broadening base is bringing autonomy to music consumption.

What you need to know about India’s music streaming boom

As climate anxiety abounds, Berlin-based condom manufacturer Einhorn is encouraging people to install solar panels by bringing much-needed levity to its eco branding. With faith in governments waning, a more playful and collaborative approach to climate action could be the solution to eco-doom.

German condom brand Einhorn is making solar energy cool

Wales has become the first UK nation to launch in the metaverse, hoping to use immersive experiences to inspire future tourism. But as the metaverse hype fades and travellers seek breaks from technology, the efficacy of such virtual campaigns is more than up for debate.

Visit Wales creates UK-first metaverse experience

Apple's controversial iPad Pro ad, 'Crush!', overlooked the rising tensions between technology and creativity. Samsung has come back with its own 'Uncrush' campaign, speaking to the battle of technology brands to position themselves as cultural aides rather than inhibitors.

Samsung claps back at Apple’s culture crush

Remakes of old games and gaming consoles have become popular in Australia, leading local designers to embrace nostalgia in their advertising. But this proliferation of the past has uncovered further truths about Australians and gaming – their need for collective, meaningful experiences.

Why mini retro consoles are the future of Australian gaming

By creating a deeper pool of representative image content, Absolut aims to train AI to better represent diversity in fashion. This initiative demonstrates an authentic commitment to challenging negative stereotypes, strengthening the brand’s cultural leadership within the alcohol category.

Absolut challenges bias within AI fashion imagery

Young Australians are facing difficulties finding professional help for their mental health, so many are turning to online platforms and AI. But the youth mental health app Momentum is doing the opposite, limiting the use of AI to balance the efficiency of tech with the need for human touch.

Australian mental health app Momentum limits AI use

The startup focuses on creating a platform for private social networking driven by more personal reflections and wellness. As people's trust in social media platforms splinters, apps like this highlight how brands can engage with audiences on a more emotionally aware and personal level.

Gratitude Plus aims for wellness-driven social networking

Apple has received significant pushback for an ad that featured various artistic tools being destroyed and crushed together to form an iPad. People are gaining interest in analogue technology as a response to mass digitisation, creating an opportunity for brands to create single-purpose tools.

Dismay over Apple ad shows the depth of analog appeal

Amid the cost of living crisis hitting Aussies, Gen Zers are finding new ways to save up despite the difficult job market and rising costs of goods. Younger generations are taking control of their finances, holding themselves accountable, and relinquishing their fear of judgement around money.

Why are Aussie Gen Zers embracing loud budgeting?

The Tokyo-based start-up Orange has secured $19 million in investments to develop AI software that can translate manga titles into English. While the tech may broaden global readers’ access to Japanese media, it could also threaten the role of the fan translator in the proliferation of such content.

Orange uses AI to speed up manga translations in English

Meta AI's integration into Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram has received mixed reviews amid privacy concerns. Despite Big Tech's AI push, trust in the technology remains low; against this landscape, Apple's cautious strategy of prioritizing user privacy over rapid adoption could win people over.

Meta's AI risks backfiring amid privacy concerns

Japan is facing a population crisis, primarily stemming from challenges within its dating scene. With marriages and romance growing out of fashion locally, Pairs jumps in to reignite love’s flames by creating a safe space for serious relationships to develop and empowering women.

Why Pairs lets women reignite Japan's dating scene

Skittles has announced a raffle for a micro-apartment in New York City, offering one renter a year of free rent in a 353-square-foot apartment. As rent increases and many look for tiny homes, people are seeking maximalism even within their increasingly Spartan lifestyles.

Skittles tiny home points to constrained maximalism

Hallyu is not stopping anytime soon, and neither is K-beauty. By supporting and fostering the growth of local beauty brands while also catering to the rapidly growing foreign market interested in K-beauty, Olive Young has solidified its position as the leader of the Korean beauty market.

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