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For those whove been in the situation where we unlock our phone and start futzing around on our home screen, only to find ourselves looking up at the clock an hour later with a sense of shame and regret, fear not: science has your back, according to research published and presented at the human-computer interaction conference CHI. Researchers at the University of Washington, Columbia University, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan followed 17 U.S. Android users for seven days. They captured a screenshot every five seconds, then paired those 34,000-plus images with real-time intention surveys, daily regret ratings, and follow-up interviews. An AI model automatically labeled each screenshot and categorized them into seven activity types, including direct messaging, search, or browsing an algorithmic feed. This data allowed researchers to map user reactions and their levels of regret for each type of phone activity. There are all of these products that people say they value and choose to use every day, and yet they also talk about how frustrated they feel by some of their own usage habits, says Alexis Hiniker, an academic at the University of Washington and one of the coauthors of the paper. Theyll talk about deleting things or trying to quitwe were trying to dig into what’s going on there. The findings suggested were a pretty regretful bunch. Inside social apps, viewing algorithm-recommended posts and reading comment threads topped the regret rankings, even beating subscription-feed browsing. In contrast, direct communication and active search were the activities users regretted the least. Time played a role too. Longer sessions, and those that drifted from initial intentions (often from send a message to just scrolling), pushed regret scores higher, though still lower than sessions that began as pure browsing. Habit-driven social media checking was pretty regrettable for a lot of people, says Hiniker. They didnt necessarily mind if they were using social media to do something totally unproductive, just to help them relax or just enjoy themselves. But they felt a lot better when that was an intentional choice and they chose to go there for some entertainment, as opposed to not really thinking about what theyre doing and just picking up their phone out of habit. The findings reflect poorly on big tech companies, which have made fortunes by shifting people from purposeful engagement with one another to mindless scrolling, pushing users toward algorithmically dictated feedsthe type most disliked by users. But Hiniker believes theres hope for platforms that take a different path. We desperately need social platforms that really are trying to support people in engaging with others, rather than extracting as much of their attention as possible and directing them to this recommended and sponsored content that they never chose to follow, she says.
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E-Commerce
Warner Bros. Discovery is saying That’s all, folks. On Monday, the media and entertainment conglomerate announced that it would break into two separate companies, one for its cable TV networks and the other for its streaming services and studio business. The split is expected to complete sometime next year, and each company will be publicly traded. In effect, the breakup will separate WBD’s flagship streaming service, HBO Max, along with its movie and television production operations, from its cable networks and news offerings, which include CNN, TNT, and many other networks. When its all said and done, the separation will more or less undo the merger between Warner and Discovery that occurred in 2022, when WarnerMedia was spun off from the mobile and wireless giant AT&T. Heres how itll all break down once the dust settles in 2026: Global Networks Global Networks, as company management refers to it, will include many of WBDs entertainment, news, and sports brands. That includes TV networks like CNN, Discovery, and TNT Sports in the United States. But there will be differences depending on international regions and countries, and depending on specific rights agreements. Global Networks will also house Bleacher Report and certain digital products, like the Discovery+ streaming service. Gunnar Wiedenfels, WBDs current CFO, will become the president and CEO of Global Networks. Streaming and Studios “Streaming and Studios” will become the home of the companys development and production assets, and more. It will include Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, HBO, HBO Max, and their respective film and television libraries. David Zaslav, WBDs current CEO, will remain CEO of WBD Streaming & Studios. What have WBD’s executives said about this split? During a conference call on Monday morning, Zaslav said were focusing on the next stage of transformation of WBD, and that the separation will allow each of these strong companies to achieve their maximum potential. Each company will have its own dedicated management team and board, Zaslav said, with unique objectives and priorities. He added that we expect all the factors to come together to unlock valuethese companies will be better aligned with shareholders. Wiedenfels, joining Zaslav on the call, said that the whole concept of the separation is to create two strong and well positioned companieswe feel very confident about the compelling nature about both portfolios, adding that he saw the separation as a natural progression of WBD. What does this mean for shareholders? Both companies will be publicly traded. Moreover, the global networks business will hold up to a 20% retained stake in the streaming business. In the short term, Warner Bros Discovery stock (Nasdaq: WBD) was up about 7.59% in late-morning trading on Monday after the announcement. But the stock is flat year to date. Last week, shareholders voted to reject pay packages for top executives including Zaslav, although the vote was largely symbolic. WBD, since its merger a few years ago, has struggled with debt, rounds of layoffs and rebranding. (Notably, HBO Go became HBO Max, then Max, and is now back to HBO Max again). But Zaslav sounds upbeat about the future, and said the two companies coexisting should help each prosper. When we put these businesses together in the last three years, we built them out, and we paid down debt, Zaslav said. We believe [the separation] gives us a lot more flexibility in the future.
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E-Commerce
U.S.-China trade talks in London this week are expected to take up a series of fresh disputes that have buffeted relations, threatening a fragile truce over tariffs.Both sides agreed in Geneva last month to a 90-day suspension of most of the 100%-plus tariffs they had imposed on each other in an escalating trade war that had sparked fears of recession.Since then, the U.S. and China have exchanged angry words over advanced semiconductors that power artificial intelligence, “rare earths” that are vital to carmakers and other industries, and visas for Chinese students at American universities.President Donald Trump spoke at length with Chinese leader Xi Jinping by phone last Thursday in an attempt to put relations back on track. Trump announced on social media the next day that trade talks would be held on Monday in London. Technology is a major sticking point The latest frictions began just a day after the May 12 announcement of the Geneva agreement to “pause” tariffs for 90 days.The U.S. Commerce Department issued guidance saying the use of Ascend AI chips from Huawei, a leading Chinese tech company, could violate U.S. export controls. That’s because the chips were likely developed with American technology despite restrictions on its export to China, the guidance said.The Chinese government wasn’t pleased. One of its biggest beefs in recent years has been over U.S. moves to limit the access of Chinese companies to technology, and in particular to equipment and processes needed to produce the most advanced semiconductors.“The Chinese side urges the U.S. side to immediately correct its erroneous practices,” a Commerce Ministry spokesperson said.U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick wasn’t in Geneva but will join the talks in London. Analysts say that suggests at least a willingness on the U.S. side to hear out China’s concerns on export controls. China shows signs of easing up on rare earths One area where China holds the upper hand is in the mining and processing of rare earths. They are crucial for not only autos but also a range of other products from robots to military equipment.The Chinese government started requiring producers to obtain a license to export seven rare earth elements in April. Resulting shortages sent automakers worldwide into a tizzy. As stockpiles ran down, some worried they would have to halt production.Trump, without mentioning rare earths specifically, took to social media to attack China.“The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,” Trump posted on May 30.The Chinese government indicated Saturday that it is addressing the concerns, which have come from European companies as well. A Commerce Ministry statement said it had granted some approvals and “will continue to strengthen the approval of applications that comply with regulations.”The scramble to resolve the rare earth issue shows that China has a strong card to play if it wants to strike back against tariffs or other measures. Plan to revoke student visas adds to tensions Student visas don’t normally figure in trade talks, but a U.S. announcement that it would begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students has emerged as another thorn in the relationship.China’s Commerce Ministry raised the issue when asked last week about the accusation that it had violated the consensus reached in Geneva.It replied that the U.S. had undermined the agreement by issuing export control guidelines for AI chips, stopping the sale of chip design software to China and saying it would revoke Chinese student visas.“The United States has unilaterally provoked new economic and trade frictions,” the ministry said in a statement posted on its website.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a May 28 statement that the United States would “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”More than 270,000 Chinese students studied in the U.S. in the 2023-24 academic year. Ken Moritsugu, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
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