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Unknown Circovirus in Immunosuppressed Patient with Hepatitis … – CDC

Disclaimer: Early release articles are not considered as final versions. Any changes will be reflected in the online version in the month the article is officially released.

Author affiliations: Hpital Henri Mondor, AP-HP, Universit Paris-Est, Crteil, France (C. Rodriguez, L. Boizeau, A. Soulier, M. NDebi, V. Demontant, E. Trawinski, S. Seng, P.-L. Woerther, S. Marchand, S. Fourati, S. Chevaliez, P. Cappy, J.-M. Pawlotsky); LInstitut Mondor de Recherche BiomdicaleINSERM U955, Crteil (C. Rodriguez, L. Boizeau, A. Soulier, S. Fourati, S. Chevaliez, P. Cappy, J.-M. Pawlotsky); Hpital Cochin, AP-HP, Universit Paris-Cit, Paris, France (H. Fontaine, S. Pol)

The world is regularly exposed to the emergence or re-emergence of known or unknown infectious agents. The COVID-19 pandemic illustrates the massive impact of such emergence on human lives, national economies, and social organizations. Infections of undetermined origin must be diagnosed early so that adapted measures are put in place to prevent the spread of potentially harmful pathogens. New diagnostic technologies such as shotgun metagenomics (SMg), which requires no prior knowledge of the agents sought, have greatly simplified diagnosis of novel pathogens. SMg has become a key tool for surveillance of viral emergence (1). It is regularly used in diagnosing patients with syndromes of suspected viral origin, such as encephalitis, meningitis, pneumopathies, or hepatitis. The Henri Mondor Hospital NGS Plateform laboratory has developed an original SMg technique and has used it for the past 5 years to explore complex infections not diagnosed by classical methods (24). We report detection of a new, yet unknown virus from the family Circoviridae in an immunosuppressed patient with acute hepatitis of unknown origin.

A 61-year-old woman who had undergone heart and lung transplantation for Eisenmenger syndrome 18 years earlier was hospitalized in March 2022 for acute hepatitis of unknown origin. As a result of her immunodepression, she had several infections develop in the preceding 6 months, including ganciclovir-resistant cytomegalovirus (CMV) colitis, parvovirus B19 bicytopenia, and aspergillus bronchitis. At admission, she was receiving multiple therapies, including immunosuppressive and anti-infectious drugs. Serum aminotransferase levels had progressively increased from December 2021 and peaked in April 2022 (alanine aminotransferase, 23 upper limit of normal [ULN]; aspartate aminotransferase, 47 ULN; gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, 17 ULN; alkaline phosphatase, 1.5 ULN; bilirubin, 54 mol/L) (Appendix Figure 1).

Results of a liver biopsy showed signs of acute hepatitis, without suggestions of a given etiology. The following markers of infection were absent: hepatitis A virus IgM, hepatitis B virus DNA, hepatitis C virus RNA, hepatitis D virus RNA, hepatitis E virus RNA, HIV RNA, herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 DNA, varicella zoster virus DNA, CMV DNA, Epstein-Barr virus DNA, human herpes virus 6 DNA, adenovirus DNA, enterovirus RNA, parvovirus B19 DNA, and markers of leptospirosis. CMV and Epstein-Barr virus DNAs were undetectable at admission but became detectable at the time of the aminotransferase peak; viral levels were 2.9 log IU/mL for CMV and 4.4 log IU/mL for Epstein-Barr virus. There were no markers of autoimmune hepatitis, and withdrawal or diminution of potentially hepatotoxic treatments had no effect on cytolysis. Aminotransferase levels started to decrease spontaneously 7 weeks after admission. SMg testing was prescribed to identify a potential treatable cause of this acute hepatitis. The patient expressed no opposition to the use of her data and samples for this purpose.

The SMg technique has already been described (24). We performed preextraction mechanical, enzymatic, and chemical actions before extracting both DNAs and RNAs using a DSP DNA Midi Kit on a QiaSymphony device (both QIAGEN, https://www.qiagen.com/us). We generated DNA libraries using a Nextera XT kit nd generated RNA libraries using a TruSeq Total RNA kit (both Illumina, https://www.illumina.com). We sequenced these libraries using NextSeq 500/550 High Output Kit v2.5 300 Cycles (Illumina). We performed metagenomics data analysis using MetaMIC software (https://gitlab.com/mndebi/metamic). The software filters out poor-quality data, identifies sequences by comparison with an nucleotide-based database, reduces background noise by comparison with environmental controls, and establishes a report on the presence or absence of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.

We performed data reanalysis for genome reconstruction and phylogenetic analysis. We assembled viral DNA sequences and RNA transcripts by using Metaspades 3.15.3 software (5). We assembled contigs by means of iterative in-house scripts, gradually replacing the closest reference viral sequences by the patients sequences. We checked the consensus sequence by realigning the reads with bwa-mem 0.7.17-r1188 software (https://github.com/lh3/bwa) and by manual checking using the IGV 2.9.4 tool (https://software.broadinstitute.org/software/igv/). We performed phylogenetic analysis using a library of the replicase region and full-length Circovividae genome sequences (6), supplemented by the sequences closest to the newly identified virus found using BLASTn (https://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi?PROGRAM=tblastn&PAGE_TYPE=BlastSearch&LINK_LOC=blasthome) and the nucleotide database from GenBank, and MUSCLE alignment (7) and a maximum-likelihood Kimura model phylogeny by using MEGA5 software (https://www.megasoftware.net).

SMg generated 31,431,784 DNA sequences and 78,933,526 RNA sequences. There were 579,324 DNA sequences and 191,574 RNA sequences related to the DNA genome and RNA transcripts of a yet unknown member of the Circoviridae family, distantly related to Porcine circovirus 3. We have provisionally called the new species Circovirus parisii.

Figure

Figure. Genomic and phylogenetic analysis of putative novel virus, Circovirus parisii, from an immunocompromise patient with hepatitis, France, 2022. A) Full-length genome of C. parisiireconstructed from shotgun...

The viral genome sequence of 2,021 nt could be reconstructed (GenBank accession no. ON526744) (Figure, panel A). The origin of replication located in the AGTATTAC sequence had 1 nucleotide deletion compared with other circoviruses (Figure, panel A). We identified the 2 major circovirus open reading frames (ORFs), starting at positions 140 (replicase, ORF1/rep, sense) and 2,013 (capsid protein, ORF2/cap, antisense), as well as sense ORF3, starting at position 82 (Figure, panel A). The 6 regions described as conserved within the rep region were present, identical to other species from the same genus (Figure, panel A).

By phylogenetic analysis, the new C. parisii clustered with other circoviruses, on the same branch as recently described wolverine circovirus (8), rodent circovirus (9), and Porcine circovirus 3. It was related to another branch containing bat circovirus (Figure, panel B). The genetic distances between C. parisii and other circoviruses were of the same order as those between different circovirus species.

The presence of the virus was confirmed by means of a specific PCR technique developed in our lab, which is based on SMg sequencing (Appendix). Sanger sequencing of PCR products yielded a sequence identical to that generated by SMg. No circovirus sequence was found in the environmental control.

Our shotgun metagenomics approach enabled us to identify a putative new member of the Circoviridae family, provisionally named C. parisii, in a profoundly immunosuppressed patient who had self-resolving acute hepatitis. Phylogenetic analysis showed clustering of the new virus with members of the Circovirus genus known to infect different animal species. As for other circoviruses, the viral genome displayed an origin of replication (lacking 1 nucleotide), a replicase gene spanning 6 conserved regions, a capsid protein gene, and an ORF3, the role of which remains unknown.

Circoviruses are single-stranded DNA viruses generally transmitted via the fecaloral route, with a potential pathogenic role in animals. Thus far, no human circovirus infections have been recorded (10), and serologic studies have not revealed any human contact (11). Nevertheless, culture of Porcine circovirus 2 on human cell lines, including liver cells, demonstrates the ability of this virus to replicate in human cells (12). Various pathologies have been observed in animals infected with circoviruses, including hepatitis (13,14). Porcine circovirus 3, the closest known circovirus, causes respiratory and neurologic diseases, cardiac and multisystemic inflammation, reproductive failure, and porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome (15). The presence of the novel virus at the time of the aminotransferase peak raises questions about the causal relationship. Other techniques, such as in situ hybridization on infected tissue, might have offered some insights but were not available in our case. The source of transmissionperhaps animal, perhaps humancould not be established based on this patients history.

Dr. Rodriguez is a professor at Assitance Publique des Hopitaux de Paris, University Paris-Est Crteil, INSERM U955 Team 18. His research interests are infectious diseases, metagenomics, diagnostic, transcriptomics, virology, and emerging pathogens.

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Unknown Circovirus in Immunosuppressed Patient with Hepatitis ... - CDC

April 13th, 2023

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Artifact, the news aggregator from Instagrams co-founders, adds a social discussions feature – TechCrunch

Image Credits: Artifact

Artifact, the recently launched personalized news app from Instagrams founders, is today launching a key new feature: a social discussions component. Previously in private testing, the feature introduces a way for users to comment and engage in conversations around news articles theyre reading on the service. With todays update, all Artifact users will now see comments on articles, the company says.

To leave a comment of your own, Artifact users will have to first create a profile on the service a relatively simple process that requires you to add and verify your phone number. This initial step will help mitigate spam, the company notes.

These display names are not unique, which means no one has to fight over their name as they did on Instagram. While Artifact will encourage people to use their full names, it will allow pseudonyms.

The features addition makes Artifact more of a social network around news, rather than just the personalized news reading experience it offered at launch. It also makes Artifact more competitive with other places where people share news and information, including larger platforms like Facebook, Instagram and even Twitter. Already, Artifact had offered a way to see which articles were popular in your own personal network, though without identifying the users who were reading them, as Twitter does through its Twitter Blue subscription feature Top Articles.

Of course, entering into more of a social networking space raises a number of potential pitfalls for any company, as it could invite bad actors who engage in harassment, abuse or spam, among other things.

Artifact says it will address moderation in a couple of ways. For starters, it will give each new profile a reputation score thats based on community upvotes and downvotes on users comments. This is similar to Reddits voting mechanism, or even Twitters Community Notes fact-checking feature, but with the addition of an actual, visible score thats displayed to all users.

The app will show a users reputation score a numerical figure next to every commenters display name and on each community members profile, the company explains. Whats more, this score will also play a role in determining how comments are ranked. That is, Artifact will use an algorithm that weights the users reputation, the score of the particular comment and a variety of other signals.

In addition, Artifact says it will use AI models to detect problematic content. This flagged content will then be reviewed for compliance with Artifacts community guidelines and Terms of Service. If it doesnt meet those guidelines, it will be removed. The company said it will also ban profiles if necessary that is, in the most extreme violations of its policies.

Over time, this experience may evolve as Artifact learns more about whats most effective.

Were starting off simple here and will learn based on our experience in the first few weeks what works best, notes Artifact co-founder Kevin Systrom, in an email. My belief is that one of the most interesting things to do around news and written content is to discuss it with others this feature is the first step in a direction that will make Artifact more social and bring life to a community around news.

Artifact launched in January as something akin to a TikTok for news, or rather a U.S.-based alternative to other personalized news aggregators like ByteDances Toutiao in China or Japans SmartNews. The app combines a variety of trusted sources into one interface, where your engagement and reading behaviors inform recommendation algorithms that help you discover the news youre most interested in. However, unlike social media experiences, users wont necessarily become stuck in filter bubbles because the app offers a grouping of headlines from disparate sources across any topic as you dive in to read. Plus, you can browse the top stories in the app outside of your For You page recommendations through its news verticals.

For the time being, the app is free to use during early-stage development. It may eventually choose to monetize through revenue shares with publishers, though nothing yet has been decided. Since becoming broadly available to the public in late February, Artifact has seen nearly 200,000 installs, according to data from app intelligence firm data.ai.

Artifact is available across most English-speakingApp Storesand onAndroid.

April 13th, 2023

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NYCEDC Launches Social Capital Building Platform The Women … – New York City Economic Development Corporation

The Women.NYC Network Strives to Connect Women with Opportunities in New York Citys Emerging Industries and Growing Sectors

A Hub Where Women Learn How to Succeed in High-Growth Sectors by Meeting Industry Leaders, Joining One-On-One Office Hours, Events, and Small Group Sessions Among Other Programs

NEW YORK, NYNew York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) today announced the next phase of the Women.NYC initiative, The Women.NYC Network. The Network, is a social capital building platform designed to connect women in New York City with resources to help them excel and identify opportunities in emerging industries namely, offshore wind, life sciences, technology, and green economy. The Network will offer three types of programs to connect women to industry leaders and gain real world experience in new fields, including: virtual one-on-one office hours, small group discussions, and a shadowing experience, in addition to quarterly large-scale events.

To kick off the launch of The Network, NYCEDC and Women.NYC will hold a panel discussion and networking event open to the public. Todays event features welcome remarks from City officials and a panel discussion featuring four women, all of whom will be career advisors in The Network. The panelists are:

The Women.NYC Network is an innovative program that will break down traditional barriers in male-dominated industries and ensure that women are given an opportunity to not only join but excel in New York Citys emerging industries, said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. The Networks carefully tailored programming supported by a diverse group of industry leaders will offer women a unique opportunity to explore and connect with New Yorks future economy. I want to thank all the career advisors who are donating their time and expertise to make this program thrive and look forward to seeing an increase in diverse and female representation across all employment sectors.

Women account for more than half of the population and nearly half of the workforce but remain underrepresented in the high-wage, high-growth sectors of today and tomorrow, including technology, life sciences, the green economy, and offshore wind, said NYCEDC President and CEO Andrew Kimball. The Women.NYC Network will offer innovative programs linking women with industry leaders, helping them gain real-world experiences. NYCEDC is proud of its work with Women.NYC to empower and expand access to emerging industries for women throughout the five boroughs.

Not just as a member of this historic first majority-woman City Council, but especially in my capacity as the Chair of the Council's Committee on Women and Gender Equity, I am excited for the launch of this platform, said Council Member Tiffany Cabn. For too long, emerging industries have been dominated by men. Initiatives like The Women.NYC Network are just what we need to bring some gender equity to these vital sectors.

Resources like those provided by The Network initiative are a game changer for entrepreneurs, and in turn will help our local economies citywide continue to thrive. While women make up a large portion of our emerging workforces, our industrys leadership positions are still lacking in representation. As the Co-Chair of the City Councils Womens Caucus, I know the work that Women.nyc and the NYCEDC are doing is making an impact for women citywide. By setting up a model for long-term mentorship and support, women across this city will be given the tools for success while also inspiring the next generation. Thank you, President Andrew Kimball, for funding this crucial initiative and to the Women.NYC team for executing this project, said Council Member Amanda Faras.

Networking can be hardespecially when youre taking your career in a new direction, said Faye Penn, Executive Director for Women.NYC and Executive Vice President of Initiatives, NYCEDC. The highly accomplished volunteer advisors in The Women.NYC Network are offering their time and expert insights because they believe in the mission of helping diverse NYC women navigate industries offering high-wage jobs and growth opportunities. Our pilot for this program showed that even one strategic career contact can make a huge difference, and were excited to unlock powerful connections for women across New York City.

The Network is designed as an entry point for women into high-growth sectors including offshore wind, life sciences, technology, and green economy. These are sectors that New York City has identified for growth and investment, but where gender disparities emerge in a variety of ways. Globally, women account for just 21 percent of the offshore wind industry and 8 percent of senior managers. In New York City, women account for 34 percent of the tech workforce, and just 24 percent of senior managers. Women account for 48 percent of the life sciences workforce overall, but only 10 percent of board members and 20 percent of leaders. The Network aims to close gender gaps in these sectors not only by introducing more women to these industries but also by helping them navigate their careers through coaching and strategic network building activities.

Registration for virtual office hours and small group discussions is currently available on the Women.NYC website, and shadowing opportunities are expected to become available in Fall 2023. Virtual office hours offer 30-minute sessions, available on a first-come-first-served basis, with each of our advisors, who hold a wide range of expertise. These sessions are designed to help participants build their strategic network and help them identify new opportunities in emerging sectors. Small group discussions will be held on a regular basis and will bring together one or two mentors and ten to fifteen attendees to discuss a set topic through a keynote presentation and Q&A session. These sessions will be available virtually and in-person. Shadowing opportunities provide the chance for participants to shadow a participating advisor in their workplace. These opportunities will be designed to allow participants to experience what it would be like to work at each respective company in a leadership position and gain firsthand knowledge of day-to-day operations in unique sectors and businesses.

The primary programming and mentoring sessions will also be complemented by continual on-going events, such as panel discussions and larger-scale networking events aimed to continue attracting new participants and new advisors to the program and allowing all of those involved to continue building their strategic networks. Women.NYCs goal is to connect with over 1,000 women in the first year across all The Networks programming channels. This ambitious goal will continue to grow as The Network is able to expand its list of advisors, offerings, and services.

The inaugural cohort of advisors to join The Network and lead office hours and small group discussions includes:

I mentor future professionals in technology because its important to give back what those before me freely gave me. My virtual one-on-one office hour sessions aim to understand individual circumstances to better guide mentees in the right direction, find their niche, and discover how to add value in the ever-changing tech industry, said Fabianna Rodrguez-Mercado, Chief of Staff, Cyber Security at Citi.

Mentorship with operators and company builders that have built companies from scratch is so critical for simply preventing the same costly and time-intensive mistakes they once had. Unfortunately, access to these persons is hard and few. That's why it's so important to create a captive community that can engage in trust conversations with company builders. I'm happy to help try to save others money and time and appreciate women.nyc and WOCSTAR's efforts and cultivating this community for us, said Tinia Pina, CEO, Re-Nuble.

When I was in the New York City government, we had one goal in mind: get more money and power into the hands of women. We've launched several initiatives since 2016 and over 17,000 women have benefited from financing, mentorship, and more to help them succeed in their careers. Life has a way of coming full circle, and now I am thrilled to be a part of the Women.NYC Advisory Network to make sure the next 17,000 women are set up for success. Here's to disrupting the patriarchy, creating wildly successful companies, and building the world we want to live in! said Sonam Velani, Founder and Managing Partner at Streetlife Ventures.

Women helping women is quintessential New York and what makes New York City the ideal place for the growth of future industries, said Gayle Jennings-O'Byrne, CEO, Wocstar Capital. I am honored that I and the women at Wocstar Capital are able to join a diverse group of dynamic career women who are growing the City's economy.

The Women.NYC Network is a unique opportunity to expand your knowledge, your connections and your horizons, said Ruth Ann Harnisch, President of the Harnisch Foundation, a funder of The Women.NYC Network.

Women have been relying on others to validate and value us for centuries. Its about time we see ourselves as the brilliant, capable, powerhouses that we truly are! Thank you to the Women.NYC network for reminding us of the power we yield when women support women, said Cathleen Trigg-Jones, Founder and CEO, iWomanTV.

While each of the mentors are donating their time, funding comes from NYCEDC and The Harnisch Foundation. The Network partners with Wocstar for operational support, programming, and in-person events.

The Network builds off previous programming and infrastructure from the Women.NYC initiative which piloted a successful virtual office hours program in 2021-2022 to help connect women with mentors across all industries during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Women.NYC is a City initiative, launched in 2018, created to help women of all backgrounds succeed in their businesses and careers. Currently, Women.NYC is focused on implementing tools and strategies to help connect women with careers in New York Citys future economy and emerging industries.

More information on Women.NYC and The Women.NYC Network can be found on our website. While offerings are geared towards women, people of all genders and identities are welcome to utilize Women.NYC and The Women.NYC Networks programming and resources.

About NYCEDCNew York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that creates shared prosperity across New York City by strengthening neighborhoods and creating good jobs. We work with and for communities to bring emerging industries to New York City; develop spaces and facilities for businesses; empower New Yorkers through training and skill-building; and invest in sustainable and innovative projects that make the city a great place to live and work. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

About Women.NYCWomen.NYCpart of the New York City Economic Development Corporationis an ambitious program created to make sure the city remains the best place in the world for women of all backgrounds to thrive in their careers, run businesses and launch startups. Women.NYC advances gender equality and fosters economic mobility by creating strategic partnerships with public and private sector partners, by launching tailored programming, and by amplifying all of the citys economic empowerment programs.

About Wocstar CapitalEarly-stage investment fund focused on tech innovation being brought to market by inclusive teams and women of color, WOCSTARS. WOCSTAR Fund is changing the trajectory for investors and businesses building, innovating and thriving in a digital, borderless world. We are actively investing in companies and technology that are redefining how we will consume content and resources, work, learn, build wealth and create a sustainable world.

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NYCEDC Launches Social Capital Building Platform The Women ... - New York City Economic Development Corporation

April 13th, 2023

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How big is the Internet, and how are we using it now? – ICEF Monitor

Short on time? Here are the highlights:

The annual report on global digital trends from marketing agency We Are Social is always a must-read around here. This years edition, produced in collaboration with tech tool provider Meltwater and sector intelligence specialists DataReportal, is no exception.

Digital 2023: Global Overview Report provides an insightful, high-level view of many of the important trends that inform how we find and share information, communicate, entertain ourselves, and otherwise connect online.

The report points out that the worlds population passed the 8 billion-person mark as of November 2022 and was roughly 8.01 billion at the start of this year. Nearly two in three of that total (or about 5.16 billion people in total) are now using the Internet. That represents about 3% year-over-year growth in the global user base between 2022 and 2023.

While that total number of users continues to grow, the data also shows that average time online per user actually declined year-over-year (down about -5% from 2022). It is important to stress that this decline doesnt indicate that the Internet is becoming less important in our lives, however, writes DataReportal Chief Analyst Simon Kemp. Rather, it suggests that people are becoming more purposeful in their use of digital technologies, and are prioritising the quality of their connected experiences over the quantity.

The gradual winding up of pandemic restrictions throughout 2022 has also played a part in that decline. Tellingly, this latest figure is very close to the daily average for Q3 2019 shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic delivered its profound impact on the worlds digital behaviours, adds Mr Kemp.

The report reminds us that a relatively small share of the worlds Internet users are found in North America or Europe, with much larger user populations found throughout Asia. Asian users therefore have a correspondingly greater impact on global trends.

Internet use is increasingly fluid across desktop and mobile devices. Just over nine in ten (91%) users now access the Internet via their smartphones (roughly equivalent to those that access via desktop machines at home or at work).

As we see in the summary below, however, mobile use accounts for just over five hours of the global daily average time of six hours, 37 minutes that users spent online each day as of January 2023.

Most users (58%) say that finding information is their main reason for using the Internet, following by staying in touch with friends and family (54%), and keeping up to date with news and events (51%). Research products and brands is the main reason cited by 43% of users whereas education and study-related purposes comes in 10th overall at 38%.

Those priorities are reflected in the following breakdown of the main types of websites that users visit as of January 2023.

As that summary might suggest, this years analysis also finds that even with the global decline in average time online users are spending more time than ever on social media. The global social media user total has increased by close to 30% since the start of the pandemic, equating to more than 1 billion new users over the past three years, says Mr Kemp.

We can also distinguish, however, between user counts on those various social channels and actual usage, as measured by average time per user. TikTok, for example, is the sixth-largest platform by user population but leads all social channels in terms of average time used per month at 23 hours and 28 minutes (this compares to 19 hours, 43 minutes for Facebook and 12 hours for Instagram).

If, as noted above, finding information remains the number one reason that people use the Internet, what are the most important channels for doing so?

The data says that about 31% of users (aged 16 to 64) still say that they rely on search to find new products and services. Social channels clearly play an important role as well, especially for users between 16 and 24 years old.

As a related report notes, Finding information doesnt quite mean the same thing it used to. Social media algorithms can surface it before we even know what were looking for.

We can see this reflected as well in how digital advertising spend is distributed across search and social channels, as illustrated in the following summary for 2022.

Mr Kemp adds that, [As of 2022], only internet users aged 16 to 24 were more likely to turn to social networks than search engines when researching products and services.

But [the latest data] confirms that this is now also true of younger Millennials, with 25 to 34 year-olds also more likely to prefer social networks when researching brands online.

The overall picture provided by those data points is that the balance is shifting over time, with a greater and greater emphasis on discovery-via-social media as opposed to discovery-via-search.

Mr Kemp expands: This suggests that younger internet users are looking for more serendipitous discovery, in addition to looking for more conventional answers to predefined questions.

One way for marketers to approach these shifting expectations is to rethink the somewhat didactic paradigm of conventional online search.

Rather than trying to deliver a single, all-encompassing answer, brands may have greater success if they help people to learn and discover answers for themselves.

For example, in contrast to the hierarchical ranking of search engine results pages (SERPs), search results on social media tend to be a lot more messy, offering searchers a variety of different kinds of answers and perspectives.

Moreover, on platforms like TikTok, users can quickly and easily identify whether a search result reflects or is at least relevant to people like me.

Thats in quite stark contrast to the relatively anonymous nature of the results we see in SERPs, where searchers need to open various different links before they can identify whether the results are really what theyre looking for.

For additional background, please see:

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How big is the Internet, and how are we using it now? - ICEF Monitor

April 13th, 2023

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Market Grappling the Emergence of Social Media Based Financial Products and Services – Finance Magnates

One of the mostsignificant innovations in the financial industry in recent years has been thegrowth of social media-based financial products and services. Social mediaplatforms have become an essential part of our everyday lives, and manybusinesses are now using them to offer innovative financial products andservices.

This articlewill look at the rise of social media-based financial goods and services, thebenefits and drawbacks of this trend, and the future of this quickly evolvingindustry.

Financialproducts and services delivered through social media platforms are referred toas social media-based financial products and services. Investment platforms,peer-to-peer lending services, and digital wallets are examples of theseproducts and services.

Many of theseproducts and services are designed to be user-friendly and accessible, allowingusers to manage their finances more easily through their preferred socialnetworking channels.

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The rise ofsocial media-based financial goods and services can be linked to a variety ofcauses, including the growing popularity of social media platforms,technological improvements, and changes in consumer behavior.

The growingpopularity of social media platforms is one of the primary drivers of thistrend. Social media platforms have become a vital part of our daily lives, withbillions of users worldwide. Many businesses are increasingly utilizing theseplatforms to reach a larger audience and provide innovative financial goods andservices.

Technologicaladvancements have also played an important influence in the growth of socialmedia-based financial goods and services. People may now access financialservices and products from anywhere, at any time, thanks to the widespreadusage of smartphones and other mobile devices.

This has madeit easier for businesses to offer financial products and services via socialmedia platforms, as well as for customers to manage their accounts on the go.

Changes inconsumer behavior have contributed to the emergence of financial productsand services based on social media. Many people are becoming more familiar withutilizing digital tools and platforms to handle their finances, and they aresearching for more convenient and user-friendly solutions.

People maymanage their finances utilizing the channels they currently use on a dailybasis with social media-based financial goods and services.

There arenumerous advantages to using financial goods and services based on socialmedia. One of the primary advantages is the convenience and accessibility theyprovide.

Companies mayreach a larger audience and make it easier for customers to manage theirfinances by selling financial products and services through social mediaplatforms. This is especially advantageous for persons who do not have accessto standard financial products and services, such as the unbanked orunderbanked.

Anotheradvantage of social media-based financial products and services is that many ofthese platforms are user-friendly and intuitive. Many financial products andservices based on social media are designed to be simple to use and comprehend,making it easier for people to manage their finances without substantialfinancial understanding.

While there arenumerous advantages to using social media-based financial products andservices, there are certain problems and hazards to be aware of. One of themost significant challenges is the possibility of data privacy and securityvulnerabilities. Cybercriminals frequently target social media platforms, andthere is a risk that financial data will be exposed if sufficient securitymeasures are not in place.

Another issueis the possibility of bias in the algorithms used to evaluate creditworthinessand risk. Many social media-based financial products and services rely on algorithmsto assess creditworthiness and risk, and there is a concern that thesealgorithms may contain biases that harm particular groups of individuals.

Finally, thereis the potential of fraud and fraud associated with financial goods andservices based on social media. Because these platforms are frequently lessregulated than traditional financial institutions, there is a risk of fraud.

There is apossibility of fraudulent activity. There have been reports of peer-to-peerlending platforms that turned out to be Ponzi scams, causing investors to loselarge sums of money.

Despite thehurdles and hazards, the future of financial products and services based onsocial media appears bright. We should expect to see even more innovativefinancial goods and services offered through social media platforms as moreindividuals become comfortable managing their finances online and as socialmedia platforms continue to expand in popularity.

Digitalpayments are one area where we may expect to see tremendous increase. Socialmedia networks like Facebook and Instagram are already experimenting withdigital payment options, and more of this is anticipated in the future.

Another areawhere we might anticipate growth is the application of blockchain technology.Blockchain technology has the potential to transform the financial system byenabling secure and transparent transactions.

Financialproducts and services based on social media could use this technology toprovide even more innovative and safe financial products and services.

Web3, alsoknown as the decentralized web, is an emerging paradigm that aims torevolutionize the internet by enabling users to have greater control over theirdata and online interactions. With the rise of web3 technologies, traditionalsocial media platforms, which have long relied on centralized control andownership of user data, may face significant challenges. One area that could beparticularly impacted is financial products and services offered through socialmedia platforms.

Social mediaplatforms have increasingly ventured into the realm of financial services withfeatures, such as peer-to-peer payments, crowdfunding, and e-commerce, becomingcommon offerings. However, these financial products and services are stilllargely reliant on the centralized infrastructure of social mediaplatforms, which may pose risks to users' data privacy, security, and control.

Web3technologies, on the other hand, are built on decentralized networks that useblockchain, a distributed ledger technology, to enable transparency, security,and ownership of digital assets. This decentralized approach could potentiallydisrupt social media-based financial products and services in several ways:

One of the keyprinciples of web3 is user ownership and control of data. In a web3 ecosystem,users have the ability to own and control their data, including financial data,through cryptographic keys. This stands in contrast to social media platformswhere user data is typically owned and controlled by the platform itself. Withweb3, users can securely store their financial data and selectively share itwith service providers of their choosing, without relying on a centralizedplatform. This shift in data ownership and control could disrupt the currentbusiness model of social media-based financial products and services, as usersmay demand more control over their financial data and be hesitant to share itwith centralized platforms.

Web3technologies are designed to be transparent and trustless, as transactions andinteractions are recorded on a blockchain, which is immutable and verifiable.This can potentially provide greater trust and transparency in financialtransactions compared to social media-based financial products and services where trust is primarily placed on the platform's centralized infrastructure.With web3, users can have greater confidence in the security and integrity oftheir financial transactions, as they do not have to rely solely on the platform'ssecurity measures. This could raise concerns about the security andtrustworthiness of social media-based financial products and services,especially in light of recent data breaches and privacy scandals involvingsocial media platforms.

Web3technologies often involve decentralized governance models, where decisionsabout the development and governance of the network are made through consensusamong network participants. This stands in contrast to social media platforms wheredecisions about the platform's features, policies, and governance are typicallymade by a centralized entity. The decentralized governance model of web3 couldpotentially offer users more influence and control over the development anddirection of financial products and services, compared to social media-basedfinancial products and services where decisions are made by the platform. Thiscould disrupt the traditional top-down approach of social media-based financialproducts and services and give users a greater say in shaping the products andservices they use.

Web3technologies aim to promote the interoperability and portability of digital assetsacross different platforms and services. This means that users can easilytransfer their digital assets including financial assets, from one platform toanother without being locked into a particular platform. This could potentiallydisrupt social media-based financial products and services as users may demandgreater flexibility and portability of their financial assets. Users could alsobenefit from access to a wider range of financial products and services fromdifferent providers, which could foster competition and innovation in theindustry.

Web3technologies emphasize community-driven finance where communities of userscollectively participate in the development and governance of financialproducts and services. This could disrupt social media-based financial productsand services that rely on centralized decision-making and control. In a web3ecosystem, users can participate in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocolswhere they can lend, borrow, invest, and participate in other financialactivities without the need for intermediaries. This community-driven approachcould challenge the traditional financial services offered by social mediaplatforms as users may seek more decentralized and community-drivenalternatives that align with their values and interests.

The rise offinancial products and services based on social media is an exciting phenomenonthat has the potential to alter the way we manage our finances. Companies mayoffer efficient and user-friendly financial products and services to a largeraudience by utilizing the power of social media platforms.

While there areobviously obstacles and hazards associated with this trend, the future of thisfast-evolving business appears to be bright. As technology advances and socialmedia sites gain popularity, we should expect to see even more innovative andsafe financial products and services offered through these channels.