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(10/10/19 2:30pm)
by Christopher Hutton
In a week filled with content bans and pro-Hong Kong protests, the gaming giant Blizzard-Activision set themselves up in the cross hairs of China and its fans due to their response to the actions of a particular Chinese eSports star.
Blizzard, known for games like Overwatch and World of Warcraft, suspended Hearthstone player Chung Ng Wai AKA Blitzchung from playing in tournaments due to his expression of pro-Hong Kong support. Said ideas were expressed in an interview after a tournament when Chung told the interviewers that Liberate Hong Kong was the ‘revolution of our times.’ Chung was suspended for a year from playing in the Grandmasters, one of the highest levels of competitive play that is available to Hearthstone pros. Chung also had any winnings he had received due to said win rescinded, estimated to be over $10,000 in total.
The two broadcasters who interviewed Chung were also fired by Blizzard for unstated reasons.
These actions led to a massive uproar from fans, calling their efforts against the player unfair and corporately interested, as well as an activity that gives into the interests of China, who has been suppressing the ongoing riots and resistance efforts in Hong Kong for over 17 weeks now. Many fans are now planning to boycott the company over their pro-Chinese policies, with a select number even going as far as to remove all data and profiles from Blizzard products.
Several employees also staged a walkout, where they protested the decision by collecting around the orc statue in front of the company’s headquarters in Anaheim.
“The action Blizzard took against the player was pretty appalling, but not surprising,” a longtime Blizzard employee told The Daily Beast. “Blizzard makes a lot of money in China, but now the company is in this awkward position where we can’t abide by our values.”
“I’m disappointed,” another current Blizzard employee said. “We want people all over the world to play our games, but no action like this can be made with political neutrality.”
When the New York Times approached Blizzard for comment, they were told that “Mr. Chung had run afoul of a rule barring players from any act that ‘brings you into public disrepute, offends a portion or group of the public, or otherwise damages’ the company’s image.” A spokesman told Engadget that they are considering their options about how to handle the matter, but has said nothing since.
Chung has not hosted any interviews since his suspension. However, in a Twitch stream on Tuesday, he told his followers that “Today, what I have lost in Hearthstone is four years of time... But if Hong Kong loses, it would be the matter of a lifetime.”
Activision-Blizzard has a significant presence in China and other Asian countries. China supplied 12% of the 7.5 billion dollars Activision-Blizzard made last year. In addition, Tencent, the Chinese internet giant, holds a 5% stake in the company.
Said actions come days after the NBA entered its own controversy after Daryl Morey, General Manager of the Houston Rockets, tweeted his own solidarity for the ongoing efforts in Hong Kong. Said tweet eventually lead to several Chinese companies cutting ties with his team. A day later, the Chinese partners of the NBA cut ties with the American League after the NBA commissioner stated that they would not censor their players or employees. Despite this, Morey deleted the tweet and offered an apology.
(10/05/19 4:00am)
An independent study of YouTube algorithms recently came out, claiming that YouTube algorithms were acting in a ‘bigoted’ manner, targeting videos with the word ‘Gay’ or “Lesbian’ in the title and demonetizing them.
(10/04/19 4:40pm)
by Chris Hutton
For the average Ball State University student, income is essential. While the university does provide flexible job opportunities that work with your schedule, they rarely pay more than minimum wage and are capped at 20 hours per week. It’s hardly enough to make a living wage. Some students may seek out ways to make money without signing a contract or being restricted to the work schedule of another. Often, this leads to students seeking out side gigs to make extra cash. In our technologically-advanced world, companies like Uber, Postmates, and Lyft are providing that side gig, where they deliver food or people to their preferred destinations.
This is what economists now call ‘the Gig Economy,’ where individuals are treated more as contractors who perform select tasks, rather than employees who work some hours and get benefits. If you’ve ever heard or seen an ad from Postmates, Uber Eats, Instacart, or Grubhub, then you are seeing the gig economy in action. In fact, we’ve even seen it go solely online with Amazon Mechanical Turk, a service that will pay you low rates to perform menial tasks online.
These companies often advertise that you can make thousands of dollars a month with the right amount of work and a bit of luck. A recent ad from Instacart claims that you can make 2,000+ dollars if you only do 400 "batches” of orders. That sounds reasonable, right? Not exactly. These companies are often misleading in their sales pitches, not offering anywhere near the income that you hope they will.
(09/23/19 2:45pm)
by Christopher Hutton
Instagram users with a penchant for weight loss or cosmetic surgery may find it challenging to get access to the material surrounding this due to a recent ban.
The image-sharing social media platform recently announced an update to its advertising and posting policy that would limit the ability for users to see ads or sponsored posts if they are less than 18 years old. The policy is one of several changes that the company recently made in hopes of making Instagram "a positive place for everyone," according to a representative from Instagram.
The policy will affect users primarily by limiting how and what one will see in their feed. For example, if a Kardashian posts a sponsored ad about a weight loss product, then the ad would not appear on the feed of a follower who is younger than eighteen. This policy will be particularly important when a post includes an incentive to buy, or a listed price.
This program change is a massive shift for Instagram, considering how it has, in recent years, become an enormous platform for influencer culture since many companies and infamous individuals began to receive excess payments for when they promoted the content on said platform.
This practice has been a significant point of contention for several celebrities. Most notably, Jameela Jamil (The Good Place, former BBC presenter) voiced her concern with such practice earlier this year in a series of posts critiquing individuals like the Kardashians and their promotion of weight loss products. Jamil eventually went on to create a petition advocating for social media companies to put a clamp on the development of such products, due to the potential harm these products may have on younger women who may suffer from anorexia or other food-based issues.
When asked about this policy change, Jamil told Elle UK that:
(09/23/19 2:45pm)
(09/16/19 7:49pm)
Youtube channel Ryan’s Toyreviews was recently struck with a Federal Trade Commission complaint, claiming that their content was misleading children regarding any and all sponsored content.