The Weekly Download – September 20, 2019

Happy Friday and welcome back to another edition of The Weekly Download! Were you too busy to keep up with what’s what in the world this week? Allow us to fill you in. 

Here’s what we’re chatting about this week:

What took over the Twitterverse at TIFF, Facebook’s new independent board, changes to Instagram’s content policy, what happens when influencers get caught faking it, and tons more.

Let’s go!

Millie Bobby Brown Faked Her Skincare Routine and People Were Upset

We’ve all seen influencers hop on social media and show us their “favourite products” in action, but Stranger Things’s Millie Bobby Brown recently came under fire for her inauthentic nighttime skin care routine.

The actress published a video on YouTube of her “using” the products from her new vegan skincare line, Florence by Mills, but people were quick to point out that no products were actually being applied and her makeup stayed intact.

Brown apologized to fans on Instagram but disabled comments on the post after asking for feedback and additional thoughts.

The fiasco is yet another example of the “inauthenticity” behind influencer culture, and consumers must keep in mind when they see their favourite celebrities and lifestyle bloggers sharing products and services online.

‘Joker’ Takes Over the Twitterverse During TIFF 2019

The Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 5-15, and Twitter Canada is sharing some interesting stats from this year’s big event.

According to Twitter Canada, chatter on the platform was dominated by Hollywood’s early award season contenders, with Todd Phillips’ Joker taking the top spot as the most-mentioned film of the festival.

Other top performers: Hustlers starring Jennifer Lopez and Cardi B, Kristen Stewart’s Seberg, and director Taika Waititi.

Facebook Forms an Independent Board to Oversee Content Decisions

Facebook announced on Tuesday that it will give an independent board the ability to review and potentially overturn content-moderation decisions. 

The board, which will be funded through an outside trust, will include 40 paid part-time members who will “seek to consider cases that have the greatest potential to guide future decisions and policies.”

Acting as an appellate court, board members will examine controversial content and Facebook’s efforts to enforce standards on hate speech, “fake news” and other prohibited posts. After hearing cases in five-person panels, the full board will make decisions on content and make broader policy recommendations that Facebook will be required to publicly address.

Instagram Will No Longer Promote Diet Products to Minors

As of yesterday, Instagram and Facebook will begin imposing age restrictions on the promotion of content related to diet products — like detox tea and hunger-suppressant lollipops — and cosmetic surgery services.

Posts promoting and making “miraculous” claims about these products and services that include a price tag or discount code will not be shown to users under the age of 18.

The policy was crafted in collaboration with “external experts” like Dr. Ysabel Gerrard, a social-media researched at the University of Sheffield. Also widely credited is actress Jameela Jamil, who met with the social network after launching a widely-circulated petition to “stop celebrities promoting toxic diet products on social media.”

SickKids Becomes an Eye-Opening as Part of New Partnership

A new partnership with Airbnb will allow SickKids to host eye-opening stays to demonstrate the urgent need for a new hospital.

The SickKids Airbnb is an accurate replica of a stay at the hospital’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), complete with the sights, sounds and all the emotions that come with them. The three-hour experience is valued at a total of $16,744, the cost for one night of operating a four-patient room in the PICU.

While widely known as a leading paediatric hospital, some hospital infrastructure is dated, and now presents a daily obstacle for doctors and staff. SickKids Airbnb will take place in an area of the hospital no longer used for clinical care to bring Canadians behind the curtain and demonstrate the difficult reality at this world-class hospital.

Friday Fun

What the Dread Pirate Roberts Has to Say About a ‘Princess Bride’ Remake

According to Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra, some “very famous people” are eager to remake a version of our very beloved 1987 film, The Princess Bride. 

To that, we say, INCONCEIVABLE! Why mess with perfection?! 

Thankfully, we weren’t the only ones who had strong feelings. Here’s what Cary Elwes, otherwise known as Westley/the Dread Pirate Roberts, had to say about the possibility of a remake:

There was no shortage of hilarious responses: