Emoji killing off Internet slang

In this edition of the Worldwide Wrap, emoji are rapidly replacing Internet slang words like 'lol' and 'omg' as the language of the Internet, say researchers at Instagram - and Spotify is believed to be planning an online video site to take on YouTube.

Emoji are rapidly replacing Internet slang words like 'lol' and 'omg' as the language of the Internet, according to researchers at Instagram.

Nearly half of all comments and captions on Instagram now contain emoji characters, according to software engineer Thomas Dimson - a dramatic increase since 2011, when the emoji keyboard was first introduced on iOS.

In some parts of the world, like Finland, Instagram users are using emoji characters in over 60% of text. Dimson suggests that, in the future, the majority of text on Instagram will contain emoji.
Via: Telegraph

Spotify is believed to be planning an online video site to take on YouTube.

It is believed the new service could be revealed at a special event in New York this month. The firm is also said to have already had discussions with many of YouTube's leading video makers in a bid to poach them.

"Spotify is hoping to get an advantage in producing video, based on the data it already has about consumers from their music-listening habits, the people familiar with the plans say," according to the Wall Street Journal.
Via: Daily Mail

Want to stop bullying from infiltrating your digital space? Now there's an app for that.

Hyper, a new social media platform launching on 5 May, aims to keep trolls at bay by creating digital audiences around genres of interest as opposed to personal profiles - a function that will reduce bullying behaviour, according to its creator.

The smartphone app allows users to share photos under specific topics by using hashtags - like #gamers, #secrets or #tattoos - and vote on photos within each genre (similarly to the "upvote" function on Reddit).
Via: Huffington Post

After a contentious year that temporarily splintered their business relationship, T-Mobile and BlackBerry are on solid ground once again. The Uncarrier plans to launch the BlackBerry Classic later this month; online sales begin 13 May, and it'll be in "participating" T-Mobile stores as of 15 May.

The renewed partnership between T-Mobile and BlackBerry repairs an awkward spat that began when T-Mobile sent out a promotional e-mail (with discount coupon) that urged BlackBerry customers to upgrade to an iPhone, essentially incentivising them to leave the platform.
Via: The Verge

Uber has submitted a bid for Here, the main competitor to Google Maps, for as much as $3 billion, according to three people with knowledge of the offer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Here is owned by Nokia, the Finnish telecom giant, which announced last month that it was considering selling the business.

Negotiations over the sale of Nokia's mapping business are continuing and the talks still may not lead to a deal, the people cautioned. Representatives for Uber, the German automakers and Nokia declined to comment on the deal rumours.
Via: BBC

Online shopping has arrived in North Korea, though it's as isolated from the rest of the world as the country itself, and the vast majority of North Koreans lack the technology to use it.

To keep it all hermetically sealed, the site works not on the World Wide Web but on North Korea's own Intranet, a self-contained version of the Web site set up and maintained strictly for domestic use. North Koreans call it the "domestic Web" and it's been around for years, but not used much, largely because few North Koreans have personal-use computers that can go online at all.
Via: NBC