The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.
We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.
************************
No One Cares! — We are wired to care about what others think of us. As Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius said, “We all love ourselves more than other people but care more about their opinion than our own.” This tendency to care about how others perceive us may be natural, but it can be debilitating. If we were perfectly logical beings, we would understand that our fears about what other people think are overblown and rarely worth fretting over. But many of us have been indulging this bad habit for as long as we can remember, so we need to take deliberate steps to change our minds. Harvard Business School professor Arthur C. Brooks has three tips on how to do this.
Twitter Blue Is Finally Here! — Twitter’s new premium service, Twitter Blue – which launched in Canada and Australia in June – is now available in the U.S. The premium service will allow users to undo Tweets and read ad-free news. The Verge has all the details.
The End of “Click to Subscribe, Call to Cancel?” — Many U.S. news organizations that allow consumers to subscribe online require users to call to cancel those same subscriptions. But not for long. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently made it clear that it sees the practice as one of several “dark patterns that trick or trap consumers into subscriptions” – not to mention straight-up illegal. The FTC vowed to ramp up enforcement on companies that fail to provide an “easy and simple” cancellation process, including an option that’s “at least as easy” as the one to subscribe. This story from NiemanLab has all the details.
The Worst of Both Worlds: Zooming From the Office — The past 20 months have been excruciating for many of us. Working from home has its benefits, like eliminating commute time, but eight or more hours of Zoom calls can get old very quickly. But now offices are re-opening, and people are getting back to some sense of normalcy. So things should be getting better, right? Not so fast. The New York Times digs into Zooming from work and other challenges of the new hybrid workplace.
Memes Lower Your Stress Levels, Says Science — Good news! Sure, many of us have spent most of the pandemic cooped up on Zoom calls while scrolling almost endlessly through Instagram and other social media. However, many of those memes you’ve been seeing may have actually improved your mental health. A recent study by the American Psychological Association found that memes have made many of us feel “calmer” and “more content.” InsideHook takes a look at the surprising benefits of memes.
************************
Feed Your Head: News on Twitter: Consumed by Most Users and Trusted by Many
************************
flack
: one who provides publicity
flack
: to act as a press agent or promoter for something
The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.