I’m coming to stay experiencing all aspects of family life to find out what really makes them tick. I’m spending the weekend with the Sacconejolys, the UK’s most popular online family. Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over s1e2: The Family Who Live Online, W 2019
With an estimated net worth of over a million pounds from their U-Tube channel alone. ibid.
They filmed the birth of their child. ibid.
In our fast-moving world young people are being tempted with new ways to better their lives … LA is home to a growing number of social media stars. We now live in the era of the influencer, young creatives uploading videos on everything from shopping to make-up tips or just sharing their lives on-line. These influencers promote their perfect lifestyles and flawless looks uploading their content daily to millions of followers around the world … Why are so many young people prepared to go under the knife? Reggie Yates Meets World s1e4: Influencers, MTV 2019
In the gulf, women employed as domestic workers are being sold on apps provided by Apple and Google. It’s been called an online slave market. Our World: Silicon Valley’s Online Slave Market, BBC 2019
There are more than 700,000 domestic workers in Kuwait. ibid.
The seller sends us the passport of the 16-year-old girl. ibid.
For some people the line between the life you log on to and reality are increasingly blurred. One couple in Korea live their virtual lives at the cost of their real lives … Love Child, television news, 2014
The only crime of its nature in which a child [Sarang] had died as an indirect result of internet gaming. ibid. Andrew Salmon re South Korean case
The genius of online gaming is that you can connect to thousands of players at the same time in the same internet space. ibid.
Just before the turn of the millennium, [South] Korea to the astonishment of the world found itself with probably the finest internet infrastructure on the planet. ibid.
The couple sold their virtual money to those who wanted to buy game items without investing the time it takes to earn them. Some call it Gold Farming, and as far as I could tell, this was the only way the couple earned income. (Internet & Computer Games & South Korea & Addiction & Law & Family & Baby) ibid. reporter
Korea’s MMORPG games today enable users to decorate their avatars by charging the game cash, so called ‘game avatars’. ibid. young player
They would come in [Internet Bang] after dinner and play all night. They were so happy lost in this game together. ibid. reporter
They [parents of baby] had clearly fallen through the cracks of society. Rather a sad couple. They were unaware of what they had been doing. They had no information about raising children. ibid. Andrew Salmon
For some people who suffer from boredom, lose vigour, become depressed, video games provide the only comfort. They play games because they have nothing else to do. They barely eat and barely go out. They become like a hermit. ibid. psychiatrist
There is still controversy around whether the [South Korean] Law should include ‘online addiction’ in the category of mentally and physically ill. ibid. defence dude
She secretly gave birth to a baby in the PC Bang toilet stall and suffocated the baby with the plastic bag. She was addicted to online gaming and roamed around the PC bang homeless. She started having contractions and went to the public restroom to give birth to a child. ibid. captions
The judge in the case accepted a psychological evaluation alleging they were addicted to online gaming. ibid. defence dude
It’s a basic responsibility as a human to feed a baby. It’s not something to be taught. ibid. rozzer
In a final twist to this story, the wife of the couple is now pregnant with a second child. ibid. Andrew Salmon in court
Sarang’s father was sentenced to one year in prison. Sarang’s mother served no time. ibid. captions
The parents are deeply sorry for their actions and are seeking redemption. ibid. defence dude
The Myth of Wi-Fi: to Accept. Obey. Move on. Here’s a signifier Barthes would never have seen but he might have recognised its mythic power to enchant the masses. Wi-Fi, a myth symbolised everywhere by a fan of black bars. The internet has come to signify our empowerment, how quickly we can reach information – the latest slug of news, create a meme or social media rumour. Yet there’s a deeper meaning: this connectivity runs two ways … Your emails and apps are tracking you … The myth of the internet is meshed with the myth of money. 21st Century Mythologies with Richard Clay, BBC 2020
When I was there I always felt like fundamentally it was a force for good. I don’t know if I feel that way any more. The Social Dilemma, Netflix 2020
Is social media making your child depressed? ibid. news
Plastic surgeons have coined a new term for it – Snapshot Dysmorphia – when you patients want surgery so they can look more like they do in filtered selfies. ibid.
Today I want to talk about a new agenda for technology. And why we want to do that is because if you ask people what’s wrong in the tech industry right now, there’s a cacophony of grievances, and scandals, and they stole our data, and there’s tech addiction, and there’s fake news and there’s polarization and there’s some elections getting hacked – but is there something beneath all these problems? ibid. Tristan Harris
Jaron Lanier: Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now. ibid.
‘How much of your life can we get you to give to us?’ ibid. Tim Kendall
‘We now have markets that trade in human futures at scale. And those markets have produced the trillions of dollars that have made the internet companies the richest companies in the history of humanity.’ ibid. Professor Zuboff
‘We’ve created a world in which online connection has become primary … We’ve put deceit and sneakiness at the centre of everything we do.’ ibid. Jaron Lanier
You are being programmed at a deeper level. And you don’t even realise it. ibid.
‘Even knowing how these tricks work, I’m still susceptible to them.’ ibid. expert
‘Everyone in your news feed sounds just like you.’ ibid. Roger McNamee
It’s a disinformation for money business model. ibid.
These things have become digital Frankensteins. ibid.
These markets undermine democracy and they undermine freedom and they should be outlawed. ibid. President Zuboff
In 2020 when much of the world slumped, Amazon is booming. Sales are up by 40%. It’s making an astonishing £1.6 billion in profits every month. Amazon has not only benefited from lockdown it plans to become even bigger. The Truth About Amazon: How to Shop Smart, Channel 4 2020
Nearly 90% of us use Amazon and it’s the first place 70% of us go when searching for products online. ibid.
What’s recommended will not always be the best price … Click pass the Buy box. ibid.
The high street is opening up shop on Amazon and it’s sometimes undercutting itself. ibid.
It’s not just about plastic packaging or delivery miles either. What to do with returned items is a colossal problem too. ibid.
Multiple examples of second-hand goods sold at more expensive prices than the original version. ibid.
How Amazon became the biggest online retailer on the planet by cleverly copying its rivals, ruthlessly poaching sellers, trying to dominate our internet search and ultimate dominate all our shopping. The Truth About Amazon II: How it Took Over the World
Amazon has made almost £263 billion in sales this past year. ibid.
Amazon beat ebay with a very simple strategy: reliable delivery to your door first. ibid.
Which home brands to launch and at what price … whether they use data from their sellers to create own-brand products. ibid.
Even Amazon found its way on to Tik Tok. ibid.
Millions of us have defaulted to Amazon. Its sales reached £72 billion in the autumn as many of us turn to what we believe is a reliable, trustworthy retailer. The Truth About Amazon III: Can You Trust It This Christmas?
Some toys aren’t just poorly manufactured, they can be downright dangerous … Amazon has let so far too many unsafe products slip through its net. ibid.
Warehouse: In this little corner of the Amazon universe the savings are worth the hunt. ibid.
The Vouchers page: this button is the gateway to a world of deals … you can arrange these deals in order of best deal first by clicking the Discount Percentage tab. ibid.