Global freedom faces greater pressures, US teens have mixed views on mobile devices, and are you the next AI-game developer?

Caught my Eye...

• Global freedom receded for an 18th consecutive year in 2023, according to an annual report from watchdog group Freedom House. The report found that political rights and civil liberties deteriorated in 52 countries, accounting for one-fifth of the global population. Only 20% of the world's population lives in countries considered "free," while a majority of people live in "partly free" (42%) or "not free" (38%) countries. Regressions in freedom affected around 22% of the world's population, while only around 7% experienced improvements. Freedom around the world will be greatly tested in 2024, as countries containing around half of the world's population have held or are expected to hold elections this year.
• Today’s teenagers are more digitally connected than ever. Most have access to smartphones and use social media, and nearly half say they are online almost constantly. 72% of U.S. teens say they often or sometimes feel peaceful when they don’t have their smartphone; 44% say it makes them feel anxious. 69% of teens say smartphones make it easier for youth to pursue hobbies and interests; fewer (30%) say it helps people their age learn good social skills. Half of parents say they have looked through their teen’s phone. Nearly half of teens (46%) say their parents are at least sometimes distracted by their phone when they’re trying to talk to them.
• Now that 3.2 billion players are spending $180 billion per year, the global video game sector is the largest entertainment market in the world. Historically, developing video games has been difficult and costly, requiring software engineering, graphic design, production, distribution, and marketing. Now, thanks to technology, consumers have become creators in other entertainment media, pointing the way for games. With minimal upfront costs, online platforms in audio (Spotify), text (Twitter), photo (Instagram), and video (YouTube) have enabled anyone with an internet connection and a smartphone to create songs, podcasts, blog posts, photos, and videos. Moreover, the cost to produce videos and video games is likely to collapse. According to estimates, thanks to generative AI, the time to produce UGC should decline at a rate similar to that between professional films and YouTube videos. Recent advances in text-to-3D generative AI should be gaming’s next inflection point, merging the roles of user and developer to accelerate adoption dramatically.

Other Reading...

• Instagram overtakes TikTok in app downloads in race for new users (FT)
• UTA buys Gen Z Focused Marketing Firm JUV Consulting (Hollywood Reporter)
• Your brain needs a really good lawyer (Vox)
• SEC Drops Scope 3 Emissions Disclosures (AdWeek)
• X’s long-form videos will soon be available on Smart TVs (Reuters)
• Barbenheimer and an Early Start Boost Oscar Ratings to 4-year High (NYTimes)

Against the Grain:

• A Call to End Gambling Ads as Athletes and Celebrities Are Shut Out of Them (NYT)
• Surge Pricing Is Coming to More Menus Near You (WSJ)
• Here come the AI Worms (Wired)
• VR headsets can be hacked with an Inception style attack (MIT Tech Review)

Chart of the week: The average AI Engineer thinks there is around a 40% chance that AI can destroy the world. (Yikes)