Bluesky is a new social media platform that was released publicly in February of 2024. It was originally a project of Jack Dorsey, former CEO of Twitter, but it has since moved into a new set of hands. Since the 2024 election, the platform has grown to 20+ million users in recent weeks, still dwarfed by Thread’s 275 million users and X’s (formerly known as Twitter) 600 million estimated users. Still, it is growing in popularity due to its decentralized method of social media features. These include customized feeds to personalize user experience without invasive data collection, “nuclear block,” a feature that allows people to fully block users and content they despise, and the open-source “AT Protocol,” which lets users further customize their feeds beyond standard social media and a lesser amount of extremely biased politics. Celebrities, such as A.O.C., Lizzo, and Mark Cuban, have moved to the platform alongside standard X users who dislike Elon Musk’s redirection of Twitter with less moderation and posts training AI models. Bluesky is still developing, but it is a great place for people who detest other social media sites. Features, like “nuclear block,” can stop harassment dead in its tracks, and the customization of feeds can lead to a more realistic social media environment focused on what the end-user wants (e.g. accurate news and cat photos). Bluesky is still brand new and has many paths it can take. It could lead to a social media utopia where people never have to see another extremist troll or it could go the way of X where users took advantage of the lack of moderation and “free speech” to turn Twitter from a viable platform to another social media platform that many are addicted to or resent.
Chat GPT 2 Year Anniversary (11/30/2022-11/30/2024):
Chat GPT, released in late 2022, is an AI LLM (large language model) owned by Open AI that has changed technology tremendously. It allows users to create prompts that the software completes in the form of a response, like asking for a list of war battles and getting that list with descriptions of each, or create an image, such as asking it to create an image of a wizard cat and it gives an image of a cat with a wizard attire and a wand. The LLM is being targeted for concerns about copyright and art ownership since AI is trained on art to make art, hallucinations and incorrect information, and scholarly plagiarism infringement, mainly involving cheating and generating essays. However, there are some positives, such as having the ability to make complicated information digestible, assisting in writing (non-plagiarism), proper adoption of AI in workflows, and answering specific questions that search engines (e.g. Google Search and DuckDuckGo) have trouble with. Chat GPT has given the power of AI to general people through being free, with paid options for better models, and being easy to use for the end-user. Artificial Intelligence software will continue to change how humanity uses technology, but it is important to remember it is not magic. AI is not entirely reliable and even the computer makes mistakes.
Notre Dame Cathedral Rebuilt After 2019 Fire:
In April 2019, a fire burnt down the Notre Dame Cathedral, but over the last five years, it was cleaned and rebuilt. They removed centuries of ash and lead particles whilst protecting its originality by using any existing parts from before the fire, such as the surviving bells. Roughly $900 million went into construction alongside 2,000 artisans and 250 companies. The cathedral was built to make it look like what it would have been in the 12th-13th centuries, so it was not modernized and is not a fake copy of its former glory. The cathedral opened to the general public on Sunday, December 9th, and entry will remain free of charge as this building is owned by the Roman Catholic Church. Several notable people attended its opening, such as President-elect Donald Trump, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, President Macron of France, and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. The Notre Dame exterior renovations are still continuing due to damage over time on parts, like the flying buttresses that had wear and tear decades before the fire, but the public once again has a chance to see its beauty.
Australia’s Social Media Ban for Those Under 16:
Australia will ban people under 16 years of age from accessing social media platforms in late 2025 to help mitigate the damage to underage people from addictive algorithms. The platforms Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, X, TikTok, and Snapchat would pay fines of up to USD 33 million for not protecting children. The platforms will have roughly a year to create an age verification system that does not misuse provided information to comply with Australian law. Social media has been known to cause or contribute to mental health issues among minors and show them content that is not suitable for their age. This idea of a law could spread to other countries that wish to reform children’s unfiltered access to online content. This social media ban is only for Australia, but the United States could take some ideas from it as the country has plans to ban TikTok, popular among people under 16, in the stated reasoning to protect U.S. citizens from data collection in China. United States free speech laws might prevent a blanket ban on social media for those under 16, but it is too early to tell anything regarding nations outside of Australia.
References
Breeden, A. (2024, December 6). Notre-Dame reopens: Here’s what to know. New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2024, from https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/world/europe/notre-dame-cathedral-paris-opening.html
McGuirk, R. (2024, November 21). Australia’s parliament considers legislation banning social media for under 16s. Associated Press. Retrieved December 15, 2024, from https://apnews.com/article/australia-social-media-children-ban-e02305486cb44aa07dcaf2964bec4e3d
Nicloud, A. (2024, November 26). ChatGPT turns two: How it started, and how it’s going. IBM News. Retrieved December 15, 2024, from https://www.ibm.com/think/news/chatgpt-turns-2
Roose, K. (2024, November 22). Bluesky, smiling at me. New York Times. Retrieved December 14, 2024, from https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/22/technology/bluesky-x-alternative.html?searchResultPosition=1