Did Kylie Jenner’s Tweet Cost Snapchat $1.3 Billion? Snapchat’s user-experience has always been a mess, but this latest update spurned more than a million people to sign a Change.org petition to reverse the update. But nobody saw this coming: Reality star Kylie Jenner — Snapchat’s most viewed user by a longshot — tweeted that she doesn’t open the app anymore. And the following day Snap’s shares dropped by as much as 7.2% ($1.3 BILLION LOSS). Whether directly tied to her tweet or the overall decline in active users, Snap is certainly feeling the heat of an influencer scorned today. (LINK)
The Legal Case Against Archiving Video Games in Museums: Whether you grew up on Bubble Bobble, Super Mario or Wolfenstein, there’s a nostalgic place in our collective history for our first video game experiences and being able to re-play them decades later. As technology evolves and the sheer amount of games increase exponentially, there is disagreement about how to preserve old online games. The Entertainment Software Association (including Electronic Arts, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo) is petitioning the US Copyright Office to not make DMCA exemptions for abandoned online multiplayer games. They are afraid video game museums will emerge as competitors! We’re not confident their objection will pass, however, which means we’ll most likely see World of Warcraft, Dota 2 and even Angry Birds Classic preserved in museums for centuries to come. Score! (LINK)
#SideProfileSelfies: This week #SideProfileSelfies went viral thanks to one woman on a mission to change the way people look at themselves by breaking down “one of the last beauty taboos” — the nose. Radhika Sanghani hates her nose and the lack of larger-nosed ladies with stereotypically ‘hot’ roles in movies or ad campaigns, tweeting “Let’s stop hating our noses for not being tiny, little snubs and learn to love them by sharing a #sideprofileselfie.” The result has been a news cycle on the more positive side of “selfitis,” which had its own news cycle this week about the obsessive taking of selfies. After all, selfies are nothing to sniff at. (LINK)
Listening to Metal Music is Good for Your Health: A new study published in the Journal of Community Psychology showed that metal music is good for your brain, your emotional health and can be a positive outlet for people ages 18-24 who may spend some quality time in the mosh pit. “Despite experiences of intense family situations, ostracism, bullying and loneliness, these participants all got through this period of life with little or no explicit mental health issues.” Another study from Humboldt State University found that metalheads generally lived happier lives than non-metal music listeners. So crank up some Slayer and Metallica this weekend and let it all out. For your health. (LINK)
Kids Meet a 101-Year-Old: In more wholesome social news this week, the latest edition of HiHo’s “Kids Meet” series features a group of curious kids interviewing a friendly centenarian woman named Alice. She talks about the days before radio and cars, listens attentively to the kids, and pretty much makes you want to call your Grandma and remind her how much you love her. If you dig this, check out Kids Meet a Guide Dog for the Blind. (LINK)
GREG SWAN 