The Weekly Download – December 7, 2018

It’s Friday! You know what that means – another installment of The Weekly Download. What’s new in the digital world this week? Instagram focusses on Close Friends—while Netflix focusses  on Friends of another kind! Burger King’s launched a Whopper of a campaign (expertly trolling McDonald’s, if I dare say so myself!), Quora’s been hacked, Amazon brings back Billy Bass and some Friday Fun.

Buckle up!

Instagram Introduces Close Friends Feature

Last Friday, Instagram introduced their newest feature targeted towards exclusivity. “Close Friends” allows users to select a private group of individuals to view stories.

“Instagram Stories has become the place to express yourself and share everyday moments, but our community has grown and sometimes what you want to share isn’t for everyone. With Close Friends, you have the flexibility to share more personal moments with a smaller group that you choose.”

Followers cannot request to be part of your close friends group – who you choose is totally up to you. We hope you’re ready for your Instagram inner circle to get a lot more personal!

N.E.T.F.L.I.X. Was There For You

This week, Netflix announced that they would be removing one of North America’s favourite 90’s sitcom series from their 2019 roaster. The internet on the other hand, decided they wouldn’t allow it.

Online petitions, twitter battles, subscription cancellation threats and Instagram outcries broke out across the web.

An angry group of Friends aficionados and *cough*$100 million dollars, is all it took to keep the beloved show around for another year! Yes, you’re reading that dollar amount right.

It’s Reigning Whoppers!

Attention foodies! Ok, maybe not foodies. Foodies probably don’t eat at BK, but anyhow, we’ve some juicy news for you! For a limited time, Burger King is offering their signature Whooper for ONE PENNY in the U.S. Of course, there’s a catch, and it’s pretty hilarious. You have to order it at McDonald’s.

Not IN McDonald’s. AT McDonald’s. In an epic brand to brand troll, Burger King has married mobile marketing with a little competitive jabbing. Using the BK app on your mobile device, place your order within 600 feet of some golden arches. Once your order is placed, the app will then direct you to your closest Burger King where you can pick up your one cent Whopper.

Talk about a campaign worth every penny!

 

Alexa Drops a New Line

Remember that rubber fish eyesore that hung on the wall of seemingly every rec room, den or cottage? That would sing “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” every time you passed it? Well, Big Mouth Billy Bass has made his return…but this time he’s your voice assistant!

For only $40.00 on Amazon.com, you can have Alexa dish you the deets on weather, news or sing your favourite songs through Billy’s fishy lip-synched lips. We’re not really sure who came up with this so-fish-ticated idea, but it’s Amazon certified, and I bet it’s pretty funny – “Billy Bass, what’s the weather like outside…?” LOL

Quora Suffers Data Breach 

“Quora, what do I do if my private information gets hacked…?” That was the question for the popular Q&A platform recently, after they announced that at least 100 million users had their data hacked by a third party back in November.

This was no minor hack, in fact the hacker stole a wealth of information: names, email addresses, passwords, data from other linked social networks, content (questions, answers, comments), and direct messages. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the kind of information leaked.

All users who have been affected have been logged out of their accounts, and will be officially notified by Quora via email.

Friday Fun

Check out this clever holiday spoof of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” performed by the Jewish acapella group Six13. With over a million views, “Bohemian Chanukah” will definitely make your day!