It’s still hot and humid here in Florida, which is more of a bug than a feature of our autumn weather here in Orlando. The leaves don’t really change down this way, but we’ve got our fingers crossed that the weather will relent sooner than later.

On the topic of things not being as they should be, let’s discuss something insidious on the internet: deepfakes. We’ve discussed deepfakes on PR/PR’s blog before, highlighting one of the recent features of social media that seems certain to make its presence felt at your Thanksgiving table this holiday season. In short: They’re fairly high-quality videos where someone (likely of the political ilk) is seen saying something they definitely didn’t say.

They’ve been seen as a major threat on social media as we head into the 2020 election season, and now Twitter is being proactive about combating the predictably coming wave of deepfake videos—and it wants its users’ help.

They have not explicitly developed a policy regarding deepfakes, but the company is seeking feedback from those on the platform on how to best battle fake videos moving forward.

It’s not a solution, but it’s certainly a move in the right direction.

CEOs of social media platforms have been scrutinized and dragged in front of Congress for the role they played as a conduit for misinformation leading up to the 2016 election. It’s an area where the major players have dedicated time, effort, and money to shoring up as the calendar moves from autumn to winter, and winter into spring—election season.

We’ll see if it works to limit the digital deception that plagued the internet nearly four years ago.

Social media is an extremely valuable tool. It’s also an extremely potent weapon. It’s extremely unlikely that Twitter will be able to lock down its platform to deepfakes or other online propaganda, but it’s a positive sign that they’re working with their users to limit it.

We’ve all seen the rapidly changing pace of the tech industry, but we’re now hearing it, too. Yes, I’m talking about the market ever-competitive market for earbuds, which aren’t just about listening to your favorite playlist anymore. Always-listening smart assistants, email platform compatibility—these are just a couple of the features that are transforming the earbud landscape.

Apple’s AirPods changed the game when they were released in 2016, showing that wireless headphones utilizing Bluetooth technology were the future for the listening space. Since then there’s been an influx of new products to the marketplace, all of them competing for the opportunity to earn your eardrums.

There’s been no shortage of technology updates to common accessories. We’ve got smart watches, health-monitoring bracelets, and even smart glasses on the release docket for 2020. The tech space hasn’t been as much about reinventing the wheel as it was in previous decades, but honing in on improving the day-to-day objects that we keep on our person.

Headphones have come a long way since the veritable cans that used to cover our ears and the wire-framed, foam covered headsets of the past. We’re no longer constrained and tethered by wires if we don’t want to be, with most new smart devices shunning the headphone jack altogether.

That’s made the fight for earbud supremacy one of the more intriguing tech battles to come. In a space where we’ve become accustomed to upgrades to screens and operating systems and physical features, earbuds and headphones are catching eyes (and ears) with digital upgrades and integration with existing smart devices.

It’s the new frontier for tech, and it’s been an exciting one to watch.  

Want to head to Mars? Of course you do, you world traveler, you. What about the Moon? You’ve seen those fuzzy images and videos from the 1960’s and 1970’s, so how would it sound to have some high-definition shots?

If extra-Earth travel sounds like a swell idea to you, then you’re likely already aware of this week’s news: Elon Musk wants to send you on a trip to outer space. Yep, the inventor-genius-madman-do-gooder announced this week that SpaceX would begin launching private citizens into space, with potential stops at the Moon and Mars on the horizon.

That’s one giant leap for vacation.

The Starship Mk1 is Musk’s latest brainchild, standing at a towering 387 feet with the ability to carry as many as 100 people. Like SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, it will be completely reusable.

The company is ambitiously eyeing private space travel within the coming year, with anticipated flights to the Moon and Mars earmarked for the near future, as well.

Talk about some lofty goals.

The world needs more Elon Musks—as quirky and peculiar as he can be. He famously became fed up with Los Angeles traffic, so he decided he would create a company—The Boring Company—to drill deep underground and create a subterranean tunnel with the sole purpose of avoiding bumper-to-bumper backups that plague L.A. This type of ingenuity is extremely rare, and Musk is a prime example of harnessing crazy ideas, streamlining them, and making them happen.

SpaceX has revolutionized and revitalized the space program in the United States, and with its new Starship Mk1 prototype, Elon Musk is on the cusp of bringing space travel to the masses.

Welcome to the future, world.

IMC USA is one of our favorite events that we earmark on the calendar, and we’re nearing the date for 2019’s Consult-Con—three days of speakers, networking, information and career enrichment.

This year’s Institute of Management Consultants conference will be held in beautiful Dallas, Texas, at the Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum on Friday, October 4^th through Sunday, October 6^th. 2019’s theme, “Vrooom!! Accelerate Your Practice & Enjoy the Ride!” sums up nicely the benefits of attending an IMC USA event: You’ll dial in your existing expertise, have new opportunities and avenues illuminated by marquee keynote speakers, and spend three days networking with other consultants from around the globe.

And of course, Russell will be there with the PR/PR booth, his book, a bowl of candy, and some on-the-house publicity advice.

Registration is still open for IMC USA’s 2019 conference, and if you register prior to this Friday you can take advantage of discounted pricing. Rates will increase after that date.

So register, head down to Dallas, and join us for IMC USA 2019!

Both Twitter and Instagram have been toying with the idea of removing “likes” from posts on their main newsfeed, and it seems that Facebook may be following suit.

Facebook is looking into taking “likes” out of the equation, making them only visible to the user on their own profile. This would obviously mark a major shift in the way the platform operates, but also potentially make it a much friendlier (and healthier) place to be. Likes have turned into a dopamine fix of sorts for many users—even becoming the impetus to even post status updates or pictures in the first place.

When that photo or status update doesn’t achieve the desired number of likes, well, it kind of hurts. Suddenly the reaction (and number of reactions) has eclipsed the value of the original content itself, and become a primary driver to sharing on Facebook.

Facebook is seeking a return to when original content was posted for its own sake—not just to gauge the online echo chamber’s reactions. It also wants to remove the scenario where internal worth is received through one’s internet prowess.

Personally, I believe this move away from “likes” is a good one for social media platforms. With so many younger people practically living in the social media stratosphere, their self-esteem can be tethered to their popularity online. That’s obviously not a very healthy way to operate, and can mold one’s personality to constantly seek out validation from others.

By looking into removing the visibility of reactions, Facebook is on the cusp of radically changing its platform. But it might just be a move in the right direction: one that puts value and emphasis on simply sharing content, as opposed to a competition for engagement.