Tug Tug

That’s pretty interesting that Instagram/facebook is trying to establish itself as an e-commerce company. It makes sense that instagram would implement this feature since there are millions of users on instagram that both market, model, and purchase fashion items from various brands. Eventually, I am sure technology companies will start to allow customers to purchase their products this way (Dell, Apple).
This move to commerce shadows a Chinese company called Tencent. Tencent developed an application called “WeChat” that is a mashup of various features – social media, commerce, booking appointments, etc. So it looks like Facebook is trying to develop a similar solution with its applications.

I think adding this component in the Instagram app is a great idea! One click checkout is very convenient and I think adding this feature will make shopping much more easier and convenient. I think it would be cool if some influencer and department store pages gave the customer direct links to the piece of clothing or jewelry that was being advertised. That way the customer could see the price and buy it right away if it was available. In terms of privacy, I do see some concerns here. Keeping credit card numbers stored on a social media app does have risks, especially because they are not as protected and previous instances have shown that social media sites are not the most secure.

I think this is a great strategy for Instagram. They already have a platform with tons of influencers promoting products and actual ads promoting products so it makes sense to make purchases easier. The only issue I can see is that if Instagram eventually becomes too commercialized and rather than a social media platform it becomes a market place for big companies and also individuals. I think its still a good strategic move for Instagram and will prove to create more ad revenue. I think Instagram is looking at its platform with the idea of systems thinking in mind and starting to make its platform more seamless and making one big system rather than just taking you to a third party site to buy the goods.

I think this is an interesting move for Instagram. As they are part of the same company, they have recently mastered the e-commerce aspect of tech with the FB Marketplace. I think this is a good move considering Instagram’s main audience is young adults, and many fashion related pages are very popular on the site. This could be great for the sellers to be able to post products and have customers be able to purchase so easily. Young adults are also the most likely to adopt a newer technology like this, so that is their bests chance for success.

Wow! I loved watching this video! I have never heard of Google Duplex before, but that video was really amazing. When I read the title of this, I assumed it was going to be similar to Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa. The Google Duplex differs from Siri or Alexa because it is much closer to a real personal assistant since it can make actual phone calls on someone’s behalf. Even when the call doesn’t go as expected, such as in the second demonstration, Google Duplex was able to handle the unexpected responses and maintain a graceful manner. People would rather talk to a real human than a robot, so it is great that the way the Google Duplex speaks sounds like a real human. The person on the other end of the line will not even feel like they are talking to a robot! Google is doing something revolutionary here with this AI.

As much as I like Duplex and the intentions, I think it would be better if there was an on screen service like an online booking system. I tested the duplex feature on my google pixel, it works quite well, i get a few spam calls which i just let the duplex system reply on its own, you can also select what the system will say to the caller as well. I’d love this feature for those calls /places that routinely put me on hold or for when I’m working and I’m too busy to make the call myself.

What really caught my eye in this post is the question about the “always watching” narrative. I previously covered something similar on this blog. This post had to do with Google “always listening” and a device that keeps your Google Home from constantly listening to you. My point is that everything is already listening to you, and it is probably not the FBI. It’s companies like Google that want to sell you things. These solar powered cameras could be the next step. They can see what you wear and what you do, and figure out even more things to sell you. I feel like years ago I would sound crazy saying this, but it’s becoming more and more accepted.

I was kind of surprised that TFL didn’t make more out of the Oyster Card system like Suica and Octopus in Tokyo and Hong Kong respectively… UK is strong a banking nation. Also using Apple Pay is a mess… if you don’t tap in and out on the same device you are charged a penalty fare and you’re charged twice… not sure why that didn’t create an Oyster charge card and allowed users to add that to Apple Pay so it would simplify multidevice support, this will interm allow commuters to buy yearly discounted tickets and use any money on the account to purchase items in convenience stores or vending machines.

You mention a good point of dock-less bikes and electric scooters becoming compatible with this app. When I went to Washington D.C. a couple weeks ago, I was able to see tourists riding more electronic scooters than bikes, including my own self. I do like the idea of aggregating all of my subway or transit cards into one application or card where it is centrally located. I wonder if this will extend internationally, such as airplanes or transcontinental trains?

This is such a great application of blockchain technology! Often times this word is thrown around by people who don’t really understand what it means. I think this has caused people to think that you can use blockchain to do almost everything. While this of course isn’t the case, healthcare is a really great practical application. If any doctor would be able to access a patients records from their whole life, they would be able to offer more full and complete care.

One question I do have is in regards to privacy. With regulations such as HIPAA, I wonder if the public nature of a blockchain would become an issue. Since anyone can make changes or additions to the ledger, this could be raised as a concern.

Blockchain is revolutionizing the healthcare industry, especially in the pharmaceutical distribution industry. In my previous internship at AmerisourceBergen, I was tasked with researching how blockchain could benefit the company. I found out that it is a great source of tracking legal drugs and can effectively eliminate the black market for illegal drugs. Using blockchain technology, every single drug transported is accounted for and can not be tampered with, so it is an effective way to securely track drugs.