Chaos & Amazement #2526 WhatsApp Ads, Midjourney Video, and Pamela Anderson

Jun 21, 2025

Hell just froze over: WhatsApp is getting ads for the first time. They'll appear in the Updates tab, not in chats (for now). Meta will use some data for targeting. So much for the “just messaging” days. https://business.whatsapp.com/whatsapp-ads/privacy
Facebook is renaming its “Videos” tab to “Reels” — and soon all videos, no matter the length or format, will be posted as Reels. The TikTokification of social media isn’t slowing down. https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/17/facebook-announces-that-all-videos-on-its-platform-will-soon-be-shared-as-reels/
- Here’s an example: Paul Vu’s wild AI generated Reels rake in millions of views. Are these videos popular because people don’t know they’re real, or because they’re simply entertaining to watch? https://www.facebook.com/paulvutv/reels/
Intriguing perspective from UX designer Arshitha S Ashok in « Is AI making us dumb? »: AI tools may be creating "cognitive offloading" - improving our output while weakening our thinking skills. Like choosing an elevator over stairs, we get results faster but miss the mental workout. https://arshithasashok.medium.com/is-ai-making-us-dumb-8f81c2c5a95c

AI body horror. Very well made (with lots of AI, of course)
@gossip.goblin The second cycle of humanity.
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Ancestra, a short film made with help from Google’s Veo video model and director Darren Aronofsky, just premiered at the Tribeca Festival. Watch the full movie here:
Midjourney launched V1, its first AI video tool. No text to video yet, but users can turn images into 5 to 21 second clips with text prompts and motion settings. Currently runs on Discord only, and the basic plan covers about 10 videos. https://midjourney.com/updates/introducing-our-v1-video-model

Living in the Post-Follower Era https://bnox.be/2025/06/living-in-post-follower-era.html
- I Spent 50 Weeks Dissecting LinkedIn’s Algorithm. by Junaid Khalid https://medium.com/the-efficient-entrepreneur/i-spent-50-weeks-dissecting-linkedins-algorithm-0bf7f8ecd831?source=social.tw « They’re either already famous or sitting in a 500-person engagement pod, coordinating likes like a social media cartel.«
Before I die, I want to do these 5 things https://bnox.be/2025/06/before-i-die-i-want-to-do-these-5-things.html

When life gives you lemons… Yeah Lemons
http://yeahlemons.com
Buckle up, YouTube: The Naked Gun | Official Trailer (2025 Movie) just dropped, with Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson. (Woop, woop) That's the sound of da police!
This lady shares the reason she has tattoos
@crazyauntrose @crazyauntrose ♬ original sound - Crazy Aunt Rose
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