Four For Friday | July 11, 2025
LF181 | BBC on the social Internet, Denmark allows you to copyright your face, solar going ganbusters, WHO on social connections + AI How to Guides
Welcome to this week’s Four For Friday. Here’s four things that have piqued my interest this week, together with a bonus: AI Tip of The Week.
1. The BBC on where is the social internet is taking us
This new report by the BBC, The Social Internet, suggests a shift is coming. People are waking up to the dangers of clickbait, outrage-inducing, algorithm-driven platforms like TikTok and Instagram, aware of their addictive nature and mental health tax.
More intimate digital enclaves - group chats and Discord servers - are on the up, offering privacy and authenticity. Traditional engagement metrics have arguably contributed to today’s fracturing society, and don’t capture genuine audience connection.
There’s a new opportunity for brands that cultivate trust, meaningful engagement and purpose.
The So What? I read this as an open invitation to double down on ‘mission-driven ecosystems’ - where people are connected and united by a shared, larger purpose.
2. Denmark allows people to copyright their faces
Denmark is poised to become the first European country to grant citizens legal ownership over their own likeness - face, voice, and body - via an upcoming amendment to its copyright law.
It aims to combat the proliferation of AI deepfakes allowing people to demand the removal of unauthorized digital imitations and seek compensation for misuse (though parody and satire will still be allowed). It seems in line with the existing EU Digital Services, and has broad support, so will likely come into force.
The So What? Good to see a government taking a proactive approach to this kind of important legislation of a growing problem, particularly affecting the vulnerable. And good to see this is focused on the application, not infrastructure, layer.
3. The remarkable solar stats
Some good news in the New Yorker about solar’s unprecedented and unpredicted rise:
1 gigawatt solar (equivalent to a coal-fired power plant) is now being installed globally every 15 hours.
96% of new electricity demand is now met by renewables.
California renewables hit 158% of demand on May 25, and the state now uses 40% less gas than it did in 2023.
Energy storage costs have dropped 95% in 15 years.
Battery-storage capability up 76% this year.
Texas outage risk fell from 16% to under 1%.
The So What? Seems that the market and technology is driving solar adoption and usage in droves, regardless of what the political climate is.
4. The WHO on building social connection
It says something when the World Health Organization publishes a major report on loneliness and social connection - validation in case it’s still needed of the enormous impact that social connection has on health and longevity outcomes.
The report frames up five areas for action on this vital topic, which include:
Policy. Governments should fund, implement, monitor national strategies promoting social connection across all sectors.
Research. Build national and global research capacity, fund priorities, and launch a Grand Challenge initiative.
Interventions. Develop practical guidance, launch an intervention accelerator, and support effective local and global implementation.
Measurement and Data. Strengthen monitoring systems, create a global index, collect data from as many countries as possible.
Engagement. Elevate social connection in policy agendas, raise public awareness, foster global, multi-sector collaboration.
The So What? Validation of the importance of social connection and in particular a holistic approach to designing healthier place-baed communities.
Bonus AI Tip of the Week: Guidde
This service has been recommended by a few people to make it easy to do video walk throughs of new online products and services - easy How To guides, essentially. You can do 25 on the free tier.
That’s all for now - happy weekend everyone.
- Stephen