On Tech: YouTube’s power of the purse

YouTube shows that some constructions of online spaces can help combat online nastiness.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story July 6, 2020 YouTube’s power of the purse Charlie Le Maignan By Shira Ovide Facebook is a place where people get attention — but not typically where they make much money. YouTube is both. The video site, owned by Google, shares the money it earns from its commercials with its video creators, making it a potentially lucrative place for people airing comedy shows, animal documentaries or beauty tutorials. Even though Facebook has a huge audience, it can be harder to make money there. This gives YouTube the ability to shut off the money for people who spew vitriol or harassment. Exercising its power of the purse can be a significant way to assert control over people who use and abuse the site. We’ve seen that deliberate designs of our internet spaces, such as rewarding posts that generate a high number of interactions, can help the most provocative and potentially harmful messages spread more widely. But YouTube shows that some constructions of online spaces can help combat the nastiness, too. Let me explain this big difference between YouTube and Facebook and most other social media sites: If you watch a lot of YouTube, you know that commercials appear in most videos. Typically, Google sells those ads and splits the money with the person or organization behind the video. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Facebook sells more than $70 billion worth of ads each year, but it doesn’t typically share that money with the creators of the posts. (The fairness of this arrangement between Facebook and the people who make the stuff that is read and watched on the site is a sensitive subject, including for news organizations. Facebook does in limited cases split ad money or let Facebook and Instagram users find other ways to make money from their posts.) YouTube’s widespread advertising revenue sharing gives it a form of punishment that Facebook doesn’t have. To get people to stop harassing others, inciting violence or spreading false information, Facebook can delete offensive posts, apply warning labels to them or limit how often its computer system circulates them. Or it can kick people off Facebook entirely. YouTube can do that, too — plus it has the power to turn off ads. Think of it like a middle ground between mild scolding (muting a post) and going nuclear (banning an account). This can be a powerful motivation for habitual offenders. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Two years ago, YouTube shut off commercials for one of its most popular stars, Logan Paul, after he made several tasteless videos, including one that showed a dead body hanging from a tree. Paul apologized. YouTube stopped allowing commercials on videos by Stefan Molyneux, a prominent far-right figure, before it banned him last week for repeatedly violating YouTube’s policies against hate speech. Having this power doesn’t make YouTube free from horribles. Far from it. Internet companies can have all the rules and punishments in the world, but they’re toothless if they can’t effectively enforce them. And it’s not always easy to draw a line between providing an open forum for ideas and giving a megaphone to divide and incite people. I do think, though, that banning ads is an effective middle ground. It’s also an argument for Facebook and online hangouts like it to start sharing more revenue with the people and organizations that are big draws there. It might be more fair, yes, and it would give Facebook another way to hold bad actors responsible for what they say and do. Charlie Le Maignan If you don’t already get this newsletter in your inbox, please sign up here. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Tip of the Week How to connect your air-conditioner to the internet It’s barely July, and I’m meltingggg. Brian X. Chen, a personal technology columnist at The New York Times, walks us through how to control our fans and home air-conditioners over the internet. It’s that time of year when, for many of us, our air-conditioners and fans are set to full blast. Smart home gadgets like the Nest Thermostat are useful for creating a schedule for an air-conditioner to turn on and off at certain times of the day to save energy and money. But what if you can’t or won’t use a smart thermostat at home? There is a way to turn a dumb home appliance into a smart one. It takes a few tools, and some imagination. I’ll walk you through this process using a fan and some gadgets as an example: You will need: An Amazon Echo product, such as the $25 Echo Flex. A smart plug such as TP-Link’s $17 Kasa. A plug-in fan with a physical power switch that can stay in the “on” position. An Apple or Android smartphone for setting up Alexa to talk to the smart plug. Here’s what to do: On your smartphone, download the Kasa app. Open the Kasa app and register for an account. Once logged in, tap the Smart Plug icon, then tap the + icon and then the Smart Plugs icon. Select your Smart Plug model. Plug the Kasa smart plug into a power outlet. Plug your electric fan into the smart plug. The light on the plug will turn amber. In the Kasa app, follow the instructions to connect the plug to your Wi-Fi network. In the Kasa app, select your Smart Plug. Then click the gear icon and click Name and Icon. Give the smart plug a friendly name like “Fan.” Open the Amazon Alexa app. Tap the menu icon and select Skills & Games. Search for the TP-Link Kasa skill and enable it. Standing near the Echo, say “Alexa, discover my devices.” Alexa should detect the device named Fan. Now test the fan. Make sure the fan’s power switch is in the “on” position. With your Echo nearby, say “Alexa, turn on the fan.” Then say, “Alexa, turn off the fan.” With this setup, you will have essentially created a remote-controlled smart fan. The Kasa app also includes the option to set a schedule for when the fan should turn on and off. Come winter, you can use this same setup with a space heater. Pretty neat, huh? Before we go … The great food delivery embiggening: Uber is combining with the food-delivery company Postmates, my Times colleagues reported Sunday and the companies confirmed Monday. Remember what I said last week: The food-delivery companies are merging to improve their dismal economics at the expense of restaurants, couriers, and diners like you and me. What to do about Hong Kong now? Civil-liberties experts worry that a new law will let China’s government crack down on political expression and dissent in Hong Kong. This is creating a dilemma for internet companies. Facebook, Facebook-owned WhatsApp and the Telegram messaging app said that they would pause law enforcement requests for data about online users from Hong Kong authorities until there was an assessment of the human-rights implications of what some critics say is China’s takeover of Hong Kong, my colleague Paul Mozur reported. Summer camp. Sort of. My colleague Nellie Bowles looks at the implications of summer camp conducted through computer screens because of the coronavirus. From mailing boxes of baking supplies to synchronized virtual soccer routines, camps have to be a lot more creative to keep kids’ attention. Hugs to this Make way for ducklings, the sequel: Mama duck and her babies — with the help of a few traffic-stopping humans — safely cross the street to New York City’s Central Park. We want to hear from you. Tell us what you think of this newsletter and what else you’d like us to explore. You can reach us at ontech@nytimes.com. If you don’t already get this newsletter in your inbox, please sign up here. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for On Tech with Shira Ovide from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

This July 4th, Consider Switching To Glow Sticks

Maybe don’t give a toddler a sparkler.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story July 4, 2020 A roundup of new guidance and stories from NYT Parenting. Last summer we were celebrating the Fourth of July with our closest friends. I’m sorry to report that this anecdote is going to get real gendered, so strap in. The moms were inside talking over the remnants of dessert, while the dads were outside with the kids lighting sparklers. A dad who will remain nameless handed my 2-year-old a sparkler. You know where this is going: Cue her running back inside the apartment crying because her tiny fingers were burned. Unsurprisingly, the pediatricians who Melinda Wenner Moyer spoke to for her piece about Fourth of July safety think that parents should not be setting off any at-home fireworks, not even sparklers, and suggest switching to glow sticks instead. However, they also realize that with many big celebrations canceled this year, a lot of families won’t be able to resist the siren song of explosions, so they have advice for best practices. Also this week, Kelly Glass takes a sobering look at the way Black families have been disproportionately harmed by the pandemic, and how the effects on Black children may be long-lasting. Christina Caron, our staff reporter, has a piece about how parents across the country are navigating often confusing and conflicting public health directives about the virus. “There are so many conflicting things coming out of everyone’s mouth that I don’t know what to believe,” said Gary Hubbard, 39, a father of two in Orlando. “All the information is so fluid.” Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT We have a piece by Emily Bobrow about how the pandemic has made life even more precarious for many nannies; a bittersweet essay from Danielle Campoamor about what it’s like when your journey to motherhood is tainted by the loss of a twin but enhanced by the birth of the other; a delightful musing from Stephanie Fairyington about how she’s enjoying full-time motherhood in ways she never expected; and advice from experts about how to deal with intrusive thoughts as a new parent. Finally, we have an open letter to parents of children with autism, written by Madeleine Ryan, an adult with autism. “I’d like to add some sparkle to the damaged narrative. There really is no need to cure children with autism, or to apologize on their behalf, or to change them. All you need to do is listen to them with your heart,” she writes. Thanks for reading! — Jessica Grose, lead editor, NYT Parenting P.S. Today’s One Thing comes from the At Home section, which features tips on how to create your own Olympic Games with your family. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THIS WEEK IN NYT PARENTING Getty Images   Planning Your Own Fireworks? Why Families Should Take Caution Many home fireworks are dangerous for kids and even illegal. By Melinda Wenner Moyer Jim Wilson/The New York Times   Black Families Were Hit Hard by the Pandemic. The Effects on Children May Be Lasting. Setbacks in household wealth and the toxic stress of racism can have long-term effects, experts said. By Kelly Glass Charlotte Kesl for The New York Times   As Coronavirus Cases Surge, Families Struggle to Draw Boundaries States are rushing to reopen and parents are left to decide for themselves what is safe. By Christina Caron Josefina Santos for The New York Times   I Never Expected to Love Full-Time Motherhood A queer woman who once shunned tradition discovers domestic calm in uncertain times. By Stephanie Fairyington Sasha Arutyunova for The New York Times   For Nannies, Both a Job and a Family Can Abruptly Disappear Nannies are often told they’re like members of the families they work for, but during a pandemic, they can be let go rather quickly. By Emily Bobrow Danielle Campoamor   When Motherhood Means Carrying Life and Death Parenthood is nothing if not a constant barrage of juxtaposing feelings. My foray into motherhood wasn’t tainted by loss, it was enhanced by it. By Danielle Campoamor Hector Mackenzie   Dear Parents: Your Child With Autism Is Perfect Children with autism express themselves truthfully regardless of the social consequences. I know, because I am autistic. By Madeleine Ryan Helen Li   Having Disturbing Thoughts as a New Parent? Here’s How to Cope Intrusive thoughts can be terrifying. Exercises, like distancing, can reduce parents’ anxieties. By Juli Fraga and Karen Kleiman Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Tiny Victories Parenting can be a grind. Let’s celebrate the tiny victories. We’ve convinced our 5 ½-year-old that rather than calling us back into her room 800 times to answer all of life’s deep questions — which conveniently always surface at bedtime — that she should write them down instead. We leave paper and a marker in her bed and she writes down questions until she falls asleep. Then we go over the questions during breakfast when I’m fully caffeinated. — Jennifer Lewis, Seattle If you want a chance to get your Tiny Victory published, find us on Instagram @NYTparenting and use the hashtag #tinyvictories; email us; or enter your Tiny Victory at the bottom of this page. Include your full name and location. Tiny Victories may be edited for clarity and style. Your name, location and comments may be published, but your contact information will not. By submitting to us, you agree that you have read, understand and accept the Reader Submission Terms in relation to all of the content and other information you send to us. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for NYT Parenting from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018