SA embraces the great streaming boom
Regardless of their income bracket, South Africans have always been savvy about getting their content fix. Enter what has been dubbed the Great Streaming Boom; a mass move to video on demand (VOD) services. And, while not exactly catalysed by the pandemic, this shift...
Vodacom’s Emergency Service app empowers deaf community
September is Deaf Awareness Month. It's a chance to raise awareness about the challenges that South Africa's four million deaf and hard-of-hearing people continue to face. As a country, great strides have been made to foster a more deaf-inclusive society: sign...
#SafeSigns chatbot helps women lower exposure to intimate partner violence
Praekelt.org, in partnership with Wits University and Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), has launched the #SafeSigns digital chatbot at the Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum in Cancun, following a three-year study showing a low-cost digital intervention...
Technology helps to break the silence around GBV
In the fourth quarter of 2021, South Africa's rape figures were up by 13,7%. There were 1 300 more rapes compared to the same period in the previous year. A massive 10 818 rapes were reported in the first three months of 2022, with 4 635 rapes taking place at the...
Social media is not a viable PR strategy
A teenager receives a note from the back of the class. Do you like me? Tick the box: Yes or No. A sign of intent, to be sure. By Samantha Hogg-Brandjes, MD of GinjaNinja But it's fanciful to believe that a simple "like" creates a relationship of substance. Yet...
Panda addresses male suicide crisis in SA
Suicide prevention week, which runs from 4-10 September, highlights the high suicide rate in the country. According to a World Population Review study, South Africa ranks 10th in global suicide rates, and according to the World Health Organisation, men are four times...
How to fund your side hustle with crypto
Today, it feels like everyone has a side hustle. While the term, denoting an income stream outside of your day job, dates back to the 1950s it really took off in the 2010s thanks to the rise of the internet and the gig economy. So pervasive has the term become that...
Be careful what you share online: it could ruin your life
Considering South Africa's highly-competitive job market, internet users - especially young people - should always be very vigilant about the content they share online, as material of a sensitive nature could surface at any time, ruining their careers and tarnishing...
Sharenting: avoid oversharing to limit online risk
Is our propensity for sharing every detail of our lives - and the lives of our kids - putting ourselves, our friends and family, and even our employers and colleagues at risk? Cybersecurity experts certainly think so, and have warned that cybercriminals could use...
What is a VPN, and why would I need one?
According to the Global Web Index, 31% of internet users have used a VPN in the past month. Daniel Markuson, cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, explains in a simple, non-technical language what a VPN is and how it can help keep personal information secure. "We could...
Ford headlight tech helps keep your eyes on the road
Head-up displays have for some time enabled drivers to stay focused on the road ahead. But now Ford engineers are trialling new headlight technology that could help ensure those behind the wheel literally keep their eyes on the road. The new technology can project...
Supa Quick, Disky offer license disk renewal
Fitment centre group Supa Quick has partnered with online platform Disky an to make it convenient and quick for motorists to renew their vehicle licenses using WhatsApp at any of the 190 Supa Quick stores across South Africa. "We are all pressed for time, and no one...