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Mia Sato

Mia Sato

Features Writer, The Verge

Features Writer, The Verge

    More From Mia Sato

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    Another independent site says Google killed its business.

    Entertainment outlet Giant Freakin Robot will stop publishing new content to its site and instead focus on YouTube, citing plummeting Google traffic.

    It’s not the first small publisher who’s been vocal about how changes to Google’s search algorithm has made it all but impossible to keep the lights on. And Google has said it “can’t guarantee” traffic to independent sites will ever recover.

    The End Of Independent Publishing And Giant Freakin Robot

    [GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT]

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    Get your DMs under control.

    Instagram is adding more filters for the inbox so creators can sort through endless DM requests. The update includes a way to filter by account type (verified accounts, businesses, etc.) and to sort by recency or the number of followers the sender has.

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    The whitewashing of the National Archives.

    Top US archivist Colleen Shogan has quietly been changing educational material and exhibits at the Archives museum — including removing references to dark periods in US history, The Wall Street Journal reports.

    Current and former staff say Shogan engaged in censorship by removing mention of events like Japanese American incarceration, displacement of indigenous peoples, and the Civil Rights Movement.

    Exclusive | America’s Top Archivist Puts a Rosy Spin on U.S. History—Pruning the Thorny Parts

    [WSJ]

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    Clusters of nerds are talking about this story.

    Sorry, I had to. Anyway, please look at these pictures of how Nerds Gummy Clusters are made — and keep your eyes peeled for them this Halloween because they are scary good.

    Inside the Colorful and Cultish World of Nerds Gummy Clusters

    [The New York Times]

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    Meta is profiting from election conspiracy theories.

    Forbes reports that advertisers have paid Meta more than $1 million to place hundreds of ads promoting lies about the upcoming presidential election. The ads are running despite Meta’s own rules against election misinformation, including posts that “call into question the legitimacy of an upcoming or ongoing election.”

    Facebook Took More Than $1 Million For Ads Sowing Election Lies

    [Forbes]

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    MrBeast’s pitch decks are quite ugly.

    Court documents from the MrBeast Burger lawsuit revealed pitch decks prepared by his team for potential brand partners, and Business Insider went through them.

    You get the sense that his team didn’t try very hard when putting decks together: slides have weird layouts, overlapping text, and are borderline unreadable. And maybe that’s the biggest takeaway here — the MrBeast brand sells itself.

    MrBeast slide deck showing his follower count, views, and other audience metrics.
    A MrBeast slide prepared for GM. He’s standing next to cars with a plain, hard-to-read font saying, “Partner with MRBEAST and win over Gen Z & Gen Alpha... or your competition will.”
    A slide for EVs with strange layout and overlapping text bubbles.
    1/3
    Why you’re seeing those gross political ads during the World SeriesWhy you’re seeing those gross political ads during the World Series
    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    Temu is under a microscope in the EU.

    Bloomberg reports the ultra-cheap online retailer will face an investigation over whether it’s doing enough to stop the sale of illegal products.

    Temu is considered a Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act, meaning it must comply with strict rules to avoid hefty fines. The EU had previously requested information from Temu about how it mitigates the risk of illegal products.

    Temu to Face EU Probe Over Handling of Illegal Product Sales

    [Bloomberg]

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    A new generation is discovering Trump’s Access Hollywood tape.

    Young people who were kids when Trump was caught bragging about groping women are hearing the recording for the first time via TikTok. Teen Vogue compiled some videos and comments:

    i was in 7th grade in 2016 and i don’t [remember] much from it, but now i’m 20, educated, and ready to vote for the first time.”

    Gen Z Is Listening to Trump’s Access Hollywood Tape on TikTok for the First Time

    [Teen Vogue]

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    The big business of Halloween music.

    If you’re someone who loves to play Christmas music a full month before the actual holiday, great news: the music industry is trying to make Halloween music A Thing.

    My friend group’s Music League theme for this week was Halloween-ish songs (among the submissions: The Specials, David Bowie, Death from Above 1979). What’s on your playlist?

    The Music Industry Is Hoping Halloween Can Be the New Christmas

    [The New York Times]

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