🦉 toxic mask-ulinity is teaming up with the coronavirus

Your weekly source for stories *not* making headlines.

Happy Friday, muggles. Microsoft is bringing back the morning commute — but don't worry, it doesn't include traffic or packed public transit. The company is trying to bring back the positive attribute of your commute: a defined way to start and end your day. To do this, Microsoft is creating a feature that will allow users to schedule virtual commutes that offer wellness activities such as goal setting or reflection. While we await its release next year, scroll through these stories during your virtual morning commute.  CULTURE Toxic masculinity is creating an issue for coronavirus safety measures and men Tue Oct 13   The coronavirus has infected and killed more men than women in the U.S., and now some public health experts are drawing a connection to masculinity. A new poll found American women are more likely than men to take safety precautions to avoid contracting the coronavirus.   Why are men less likely to take safety precautions?  The unwillingness of some men to follow the best public health practices, such as wearing masks, has been attributed (in some part) to their feelings of cultural pressure to: Display strength instead of perceived weakness Take risks Hide their fear Appear in control Coronavirus isn't the first time sexist attitudes have hurt men's health. Men are also less likely than women to wear seatbelts and helmets, get a flu shot, or seek out medical care.   SOURCES: The New York Times, Mother Jones, The Washington Post ADVERTISING Podcasting is slowly moving towards capturing listener data Thu Oct 8   Despite the rapid growth of podcast content, podcasting technology has remained ancient. Now, podcasting platforms are trying to change this to attract larger advertising deals.    Podcasters use RSS to release episodes, a free technology dating back over 20 years that allows them to publish their content on a variety of podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. Problem is, this setup prevents the podcast creators from accessing any listener data. Meanwhile, the platforms themselves can collect data from users on their platform, but rarely share it with other platforms or with the creators themselves.  Now, these platforms are starting to sign exclusive ad deals. In 2020 alone, advertisers plan to spend around $800 million, and these new deals hope to increase that investment even more. While it's not fully clear if podcasters will begin ditching RSS to be loyal to a single platform, it is clear that more platforms are starting to pay attention to our consumption data. This could lead to differences in the numbers of ads we hear or even what ads we hear based on our preferences.   SOURCES: The Markup, Ballotpedia, 23 ABC News POLICY Another attempt to ban hair discrimination at the federal level Fri Oct 9   Last month, the House of Representatives passed the CROWN Act. This law would ban hair discrimination Black people face from simply wearing their natural hair or other protective styles such as locs, braids, twists, and bantu knots.    This isn't the first time the bill was introduced on a federal level. Senator Cory Booker introduced the CROWN Act in 2019, but some local government officials are tired of waiting for the bill to pass on a national level and have introduced it in their own states. Versions of The CROWN Act have passed in California, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Washington, Colorado, and Maryland.   Some critics of the act say that Black people aren't the only ones to face hair discrimination. To combat this, the CROWN Act Coalition found those with locs, twists, or braids are often seen as less professional and are less likely to receive job interviews. Also, Black women are: 83% more likely to report being judged more harshly on their looks than other women 30% more likely to be made aware of a workplace appearance policy The bill has now gone to the Judiciary Committee in the Republican-controlled (at least until November) Senate.   SOURCES: Harper's Bazaar, The Hill, The CROWN Act, Glamour That's all for today. Have a magical weekend.✨ acciyo, Inc., 8605 SANTA MONICA BLVD, #78200, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90069, United States, 6176820435 Unsubscribe Manage preferences