Social media may be future of entertainment: Should it be regulated?

Social media entertainment is certainly part of the gig economy. It's inherently unstable, with huge growth over a ten year period

Until 2010, the pathway to success in the screen industry depended on convincing broadcasters and film producers to give to you airtime or production resources. These days, all you need is an internet connection and a laptop or smartphone.

A new creative industry has been born in the last decade called “ Social Media Entertainment ”. It’s peopled by young entertainers and activists who you may never have heard of: Hank Green, Casey Neistadt, PewDiePie and Tyler Oakley.

These creators started out as amateurs, but have evolved into media professionals who make money from the content they publish on social media platforms. They are incubating their own media brands, building global fan communities, and enhancing Australia’s profile among young people around the world.

The Australian government is currently conducting separate inquiries into the future of film and television content in this country, and the market effects of digital platforms. Any decisions we make in these domains could affect social media entertainment, so it’s critically important we understand the industry lest we inadvertently strangle it as it’s just getting started.

The Australian market is growing

Social media entertainment emerged soon after Google acquired YouTube in 2006 – around the same time as the launch of Twitter, and their counterparts in China, Youku and Weibo.

It can be a lucrative profession. More than three million YouTube creators globally make money from the content they upload. Then there’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Twitch, among others. The larger the audiences, the more money to be made. In 2016, content creators earned more than US$5.9 billion across nine digital and social media platforms in the United States alone.

ALSO READ: How borderless nature of internet makes social media regulation complicated

The majority of the highest paid creators are based in the US, but popular Australian creators include the Van Vuuren brothers, Wengie, and the SketchShe group. Estimates suggest the number of content creators in Australia has more than doubled in the last 15 years. That increase is almost entirely driven by an extra 230,000 creators of online video content entering the industry. (more)

Comedian Kapil Sharma questions PM Modi's 'acche din', alleges he had to pay bribe

Comedian Kapil Sharma questions PM Modi's 'acche din', alleges he had to pay bribe

Comedian and actor Kapil Sharma on Friday morning hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘acche din’ slogan, after he alleged that he had to pay a bribe to a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official.

Sharma, of 'Comedy Nights With Kapil' fame, took to twitter to vent his ire. Shooting off two tweets, the comedian alleged that despite paying Rs 15 crore in income tax for the last five years, he had to pay Rs 5 lakh as a bribe to a BMC official to set up his office.

• KAPIL ✔@KapilSharmaK9

I am paying 15 cr income tax from last 5 year n still i have to pay 5 lacs bribe to BMC office for making my office@narendramodi

5:53 AM - 9 Sep 2016

• 5,2605,260 Retweets
• 7,0737,073 likes

• KAPIL ✔@KapilSharmaK9

Yeh hain aapke achhe din ? @narendramodi

6:14 AM - 9 Sep 2016

• 2,6732,673 Retweets
• 3,7313,731 likes

Business Standard could not independently verify whether or not Sharma actually did pay the bribe.

Sharma did not name the BMC official either.

However, the extent of Sharma's frustration was clear as he tagged the prime minister in both his tweets.

His second tweet asked the prime minister whether this was what he had meant when he had promised the people ‘acche din’ (good days) — which was the 2014 General Elections slogan of the Bharatiya Janata Party. (more)

Ways to use 4G data while paying 3G rates

Ways to use 4G data while paying 3G rates

With mobile companies offering faster 4G data service at 3G rates, many customers are shifting to the newer technology. After all, who does not want more speed at the same price? But here’s a catch — faster speed means quicker usage of data packs.

However, just because 4G consumes more data, one does not have to stick with 3G to save on data consumption. Checking emails, sending and receiving messages over WhatsApp, checking Facebook and Twitter doesn’t eat much of your data. Usually, streaming media services like videos and games dries up a large chunk of data.

If you can change settings of your apps and proactively manage their data consumption, you can reduce your 4G bill. For example, if you go to YouTube app’s settings, you can choose to stream HD videos only when the phone is connected to Wi-Fi. Similarly, in video conference apps such as Skype, you can opt for lower quality video.Read more.

Rishi Kapoor attacks Congress for naming country assets after Gandhi family

In a series of tweets, actor Rishi Kapoor has attacked the practice of naming all the major assets of the country after the Gandhi family members during the Congress rule.

The 63-year-old veteran actor, who had in the recent past, been critical of the Saffron forces on issues like intolerance, picked up the Congress for his blast this time.

Kapoor said the names of the prominent places should be changed after those who worked for the welfare of the country.

"Change Gandhi family assets named by Congress. Bandra/Worli Sea Link to Lata Mangeshkar or JRD Tata link road. Baap ka maal samjh rakha tha? (Did they consider it family property?).

"If roads in Delhi can be changed why not Congress assets/property ke naam? Was in Chandigarh wahan bhi Rajeev Gandhi assets? Socho? Why? (sic)," the actor tweeted.Read more.

Now, an app for celebrities to connect with fans

If you are a fan of Virat Kohli, India's hottest cricketing star, you may soon be able to meet and greet him, chat with him online, receive exclusive pictures, videos or content from him or get discounts on select brands, like Wrogn and Chissel, which he endorses or part-owns.

This is provided you buy the Virat FanBox — a special edition MotoG Turbophone that comes with an in-built app for Rs 16,999, which includes the membership fees to the Virat fan club for 365 days.

Of course, the FanBox also comes with a mini-bat signed by Virat, a hand-written (printed) letter from Virat, and a unique membership number which is linked to the IMEI no of the phone — all in a well decorated box. The phone will also serve as a key to a lot of entry points, like the post-match fan booth the club would organise.

The FanBox has been developed by Privyplex, a start-up founded by two alumni of Insead Business School — Ahmed Arab, the CEO, and Upmanyu Misra (chairman of its board), who also heads Elyseum, a Dubai-based private equity firm which has invested $1.5 million in the firm.

“As a cricketer, I feel blessed with all the love and support I get from my fans. TheVirat FanBox is my personal endeavour to get closer to my fans than ever before; to connect and chat with them online and meet them in real life. I am excited and looking forward to engaging and interacting with the club members via the app,” Virat said in a statement.

"In India, celebrities enjoy a lot of following. FanBox is a high-degree engagement platform, which is unique. We are happy to partner with them," says Amit Boni, country head, Motorola. The potential is huge as Virat has 10.5 million followers on Twitter. While the start-up is shy of discussing targets, Boni will be disappointed if it doesn't do 1 million.

Typically, fans-celebrity interactions are one-way. Fans want to have access to celebrities, and celebrities want a better understanding of their fans. "We have created a platform which enables that between the celebrity and the fans," says Ahmed, CEO of Privyplex and a telecom engineer, who has worked with Microsoft, Nokia, Alcatel; co-founded a start-up in Singapore, which was sold to Rocket Internet.

Virat is the first celebrity the firm has signed up, but it’s also in talks with five others globally. These include a football player from South America, a basketball star from USA, a Formula 1 star from Europe, and entertainment and Bollywood stars from South Korea and India, respectively. What’s common is that they are among the most popular in their respective arenas. They all liked the idea and talks with them are currently at various stages; the FanBox will be customised for each.Read more about this article.

BCCI's plan for IPL matches: Use treated sewage water for ground maintenance

With the Bombay High Court raising questions, the BCCI today said that it will procure treated sewage water for ground maintenance for IPL matches in drought-hit Maharashtra.

"We have tied-up with Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) to procure treated sewage water for the IPL matches to be played in Pune and Mumbai," Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) counsel Rafiq Dada submitted.

The high court bench of Justices V M Kanade and M S Karnik was hearing a PIL filed by NGO Loksatta Movement, challenging the use of large quantities of water in stadiums despite the state being drought-hit.

Nine Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches would be played in Pune and eight in Mumbai. Of the eight in Mumbai, one has already been held, the BCCI's counsel told the court.

Three matches are slated to be held in Nagpur, and IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab has agreed to shift matches to Mohali or elsewhere if the HC tells it, he said.

Everyday, 7-8 tankers of treated sewage water would be supplied to the stadiums, Dada said.

The concept of using treated sewage water should be encouraged because after treating the sewage water, it is released into the sea and goes waste, he said.

"In this case, instead of discharging treated sewage water into the sea, we are using it in the stadiums," the BCCI counsel said.

The high court had pulled up the BCCI during the last hearing on the use of large quantities of water for ground maintenance.

The BCCI has taken very seriously the issue of using water in stadiums in view of the drought situation in Maharashtra, he said.

The matter has been adjourned after lunch as government pleader Abhinandan Vagyani sought time to file an affidavit on the stand of the state administration on the issue.

BCCI sacks Harsha Bhogle from IPL commentary, leaves fans enraged

The ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament has lost its most authoritative voice. An Indian Express report on Monday noted that Harsha Bhogle, one of cricket’s best known commentators worldwide, has been unceremoniously dropped by the Board for the Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) for the ongoing edition of the IPL.

According to The Indian Express, Bhogle, 54, was informed about the termination of his contract with IPLonly a week ago.

Bhogle tweeted on April 9 that it "would have been nice to be part of @IPL again".

Bhogle, who is known as the voice of Indian cricket, has 3.66 million followers on Twitter where, predictably, his ouster, for which no official reason has been given yet, elicited howls of outrage and protest.

Speaking to the Sunday Express, Bhogle said, “No one told me anything. I have not been formally told of the reason even now. All I have been told is ‘it is a BCCI management decision’.”

What’s more, BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur and IPL 2016 Chairman Rajeev Shukla refused to comment on the sudden move.

However, the report adds that some board members have referred to an incident which occurred last month during India’s opening World T20 game at Nagpur.

According to the report. Bhogle had a heated exchange with a Vidharbha Cricket Association official over locking a door to the VIP box that separated the commentary boxes for English and Hindi; this meant that bilingual commentators, such as Bhogle, had to climb flights of stairs up and down to get around the VIP box each time they needed to switch from one language commentary to the other. Some BCCI officials hinted that that incident could have caused the sudden termination of contract. BCCI president Shashank Manohar is a native of Nagpur, which is in the Vidarbha region.

Earlier last month, after India's nail-biting victory over Bangladesh in the World Cup T20 quarter-finals, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan had tweeted his displeasure with a cricket commentator, who he didn’t name, saying Indian commentators talk more about foreign players than Indian ones. 

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A Sri Lankan man posted a selfie on his Facebook account, taken next to his dead uncle.

From hijacking to funerals to Obama & world leaders: Selfies have a universal appeal
As British national's picture with EgyptAir hijacker catches everyone's eye, here's a look at a few other bizarre selfies



British national Ben Innes' selfie with the hijacker onboard an EgyptAir flight took the internet by storm on Tuesday. What Innes described as the "best selfie ever" divided social media opinion, with some calling it an act of stupidity, while others hailed it as bravery on his part.
Regardless, the selfie proves that people never lose a chance to click themselves at the most opportune moments.
Innes, 26, was one of the last four passengers who were held hostage by hijacker Seif Eldin Mustafa at Larnaca airport in Cyprus. Justifying his move, he claimed that he wanted to take a closer look at the explosives belt to identify whether it was real.
social media has often shown us multiple examples of a 'selfie-crazy' To Click Here.