Piracy doesn’t pay… Unless you work for Meta
Hits in the headlines #88
Once upon a time, piracy was confined to the seven seas. In the modern day, it’s far more common and takes place at home, over the internet. That is, unless you work for Meta. Internet piracy is often a grey area: in the eyes of the law, it’s definitely illegal; in the eyes of users, it’s not always worthy of being labelled a crime. One area that many people feel strongly about is research and access to education. There are some well-known websites for this exact kind of thing, providing access and downloads for hundreds of thousands of research papers – platforms that won’t be shared here. Meta is accused of using such platforms, downloading 80 terabytes of text, from articles and research papers, to books. You may already be guessing the reason for this enormous amount of information. It was used to train their AI. When it is an internet giant such as Meta using these systems, many people feel differently about the legality. So, should this be allowed? What could happen to the company?
Secondly, a story of a video game that lets people play out their everyday lives – or live their ideal one. As the article shared phrases it, the game lets you experience “the daily grind”, which might not seem like the most appealing topic to some of you. However, the game is incredibly successful and is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The Sims is a long running series that has let players control the lives of their characters, build houses, decorate, create relationships, find jobs, and more. No doubt, for some, this sounds like a nightmare. But, clearly, the game has remained successful over a long period that has not only seen many games come and go, but even competitors to The Sims. What is it exactly that keeps people playing? And, why would someone want to go to work, in a video game?
The video shared this week is about hidden inflation. You’ve probably noticed some products that you buy have been shrinking over the years. You may have even questioned yourself: Has it really changed or have I just gotten bigger? The reality is that companies do this all the time. Often, the goal is to make a change that is unnoticeable, or at least minimises the impact on their sales. There are famous brands that have done this over the years, and no doubt you will be able to think of some. The special name given to this process of change is “shrinkflation”, where products get smaller as the price stays the same – or in some cases, increases. There are lots of other sneaky ways that companies try to cut costs. However, the video mentions some interesting parts of our purchasing habits. Is there anything that can be done about it? Or, will the products continue to get smaller and smaller?
Why not use this as a chance to learn some new language?
Try to note some new language that you see or hear in the articles or video and bring it to the class.
Remember, I always encourage you to send in your interesting articles, videos, or podcasts. You can message me directly, or email me here.
Have a great week.
See you in class!