We know your Facebook and Twitter feeds are constantly being flooded with stuff that you probably don’t really care about seeing. So, we put together a list of some of some pretty cool/ridiculous/unfortunate/nonsensical things that happened in the creative and pop-culture worlds last month that you might have missed that we think you should know about.
1. The Best (and Worst) Super Bowl 2016 Commercials
The biggest day of the year for advertising keeps getting bigger. Thanks to social media, great Super Bowl ads turn into memes, while bad Super Bowl ads get mocked mercilessly and, well, turned into memes. Either way, it’s the one time of year people inside and outside the industry look forward to commercials and a chance for smaller brands to become talking points long after the ad airs (here we are a month later still discussing them). In case you forgot, here’s a rundown of the most memorable ads from 2016’s big game.
2. Esurance Completely Dominated the Twitter Super Bowl
Interestingly, the Super Bowl’s most talked about brand on Twitter didn’t actually run a commercial during the game. Esurance continued its tradition of running ads announcing sweepstakes outside of the allotted game time, thus saving money and passing it on to consumers. The ad averaged 9,000 tweets per minute with an estimated 1.5 billion impressions. But how those tweets become loyal customers of the insurance company remains to be seen. I mean, have you thought about switching to Esurance since the Super Bowl?
3. Apple Was Ordered to Help the FBI Hack San Bernardino Shooter’s iPhone
Last month’s feud between Apple and the FBI rages on. The tech company refused the government agency’s request to retrieve encrypted information from San Bernadino shooter Syed Farook’s iPhone. The conflict has sparked a debate over private versus national security. But things started to look up for Apple when a New York judge ruled the government can’t force Apple to hack an iPhone. But, we have a feeling the FBI won’t go down without a fight.
4. Facebook’s Reactions Feature Is the Latest Sign It’s an Emoji World
Finally! A way to express our opinions on Facebook. The social media giant unveiled its new “reactions” feature last month, which is a series of emoji buttons to choose from beyond just the “like” button. The new buttons are “love,” “haha,” “wow,” “sad” and “angry.” The company chose the expressions through marketing research that included focus groups, surveys and made the decision to add the buttons based on the amount of mobile users. But we’re still waiting for that “dislike” button, Facebook.
5. Target Halts the Sale of Hoverboards on its Website
Is this the end of hoverboards (we kinda hope so)? After the Consumer Product Safety Comission declared the inaccurately-named electric scooters unsafe, Target and other major retailers pulled them from their website and stores, and the products mysteriously went missing from Amazon’s inventory. It’s probably time to start looking for another product you can buy your niece or nephew to be considered the cool aunt or uncle without your sibling freaking out.
6. Leo Finally Won an Oscar…and the Internet Went Crazy
After six nominations and five losses, Leonardo DiCaprio took home his first Oscar at the 88th Academy Awards (about damn time!). Many people (including us) felt it was long, long overdue, and the win quickly took over the Internet in a big way. Enjoy some of the reactions people had to Leo’s moment in the spotlight. Do you think his win was well deserved for The Revenant, or was it just his time to get the award?
7. ‘Fuller House’ is ‘Everywhere You Look’ on Facebook
Ah, the power of nostalgia. Netflix’s highly anticipated reboot of Full House, Fuller House, appears to be a smash hit. Although the streaming company doesn’t release ratings, the show was the second-most talked about series on Facebook while the theme song garnered 3.2 million views. Even though Fuller House was just barely released a week ago, it’s already been renewed for a second season. Have mercy!
8. Everything LG’s Newest Phone Can Do That the iPhone Can’t
LG is trying to step up its smartphone game by releasing the G5 phone, which comes with some pretty cool new features. You can take the phone apart to replace the battery, it has a quick-glance screen that saves pixels, the camera lens has a 135-degree field and there’s plenty more it can do that it iPhone can’t. Your move, Apple. May the odds be ever in your favor.
9. Trump Is Suddenly a Hit on Reddit
Love him or hate him, you’re talking about him. You’ve probably noticed the 2016 Presidential Election taking over social media, with GOP hopeful Donald Trump becoming a major talking point. On Reddit, Trump has the fastest growing subreddit (basically a place to go to talk about a subject) and is rapidly gaining subscribers. Bernie Sanders still has the most subscribers, but Trump is hot on his heels. With the amount of media attention these politician have gained, it’s hard to believe the election is still more than six months away.
10. For the First Time, Google Driverless Car at Fault in Crash
So there might still be some more kinks to work out. Google has been testing autonomous automobiles for a while now, and they have been in a few accidents. But this incident is the first time the driverless car appears to be at fault. Although no one was hurt, Google probably needs to tweak its programming slightly, which means we’re just that much further away from a Jetsons’-style future.
