My weekly reading round-up
TikTok going offline in the US is a premonition of what is to come for tech regulation in 2025. Also there are serious concerns about theatres – both in terms of allegations of sex offences and a lack of accessibility.
I am evolving my reading lists a little. I am often reading lots of things on or related to the same topic, so rather than focusing on a specific article, I am moving towards simpler, high-level commentary on the broader topic with a list of links related to it. That’s also why I have renamed this sub-blog. It used to be called (Un)read in the ledger because it was about what I was (or wanted to be) reading. Adopting WTF now?reflects on the fast pace of change we all feel these days, that every day there seems to be another controversey and it gives me room to be more thematic with the weekly listings I share. Let me know what you think of the change.
So, for this week’s WTF now? I look at TikTok shutting off its service in the United States and what we can expect in terms of tech regulation from Trump and elsewhere. The Australian theatre sector is in the spotlight because of alleged sexual offences and inadequate accessibility. And Triple J has been the troublemaker of radio for 50 years.
What’s going on?
Here’s what I’ve noticed this week:
What to expect in tech regulation in 2025
Tech regulation out of the White House will shift under Trump, but governments around the world will keep pursuing harm reduction.
Tech regulation will continue in earnest in 2025. We will see movement on AIAI is tech and marketing speak for a range of technology that imitates human intellect. Learn more →, data privacy, cybersecurity, online safety and social media regulation in 2025, but don’t expect Trump to prioritise protecting people. It is likely he will dump the civil rights approach we saw in the Biden administration in favour of policy anchored to innovation, economic competitiveness and protecting free speech. Elsewhere, governments and intergovernmental agencies remain concerned with balancing technology innovation, especially around AIAI is tech and marketing speak for a range of technology that imitates human intellect. Learn more →, with the need to reduce harms to productivity, people and the planet. But Trump’s second term – and American tech CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg vowing to work with him to push back on government regulation of Big Tech around the world – is complicating things.
What’s worth reading on tech regulation:
Sylvia Lu – Saturday 4 January 2025
The Conversation
Wednesday 1 January 2025
United Nations Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, United Nations
EU reassesses tech probes into Apple, Google and Meta, FT reports
Tuesday 14 January 2025
Reuters
Tech giants told UK online safety laws ‘not up for negotiation’
Michael Savage – Sunday 12 January 2025
The Observer
TikTok’s no longer available in the US
It has been a long time coming, but with the US Supreme Court upholding the TikTok ban the video sharing social media platform is no longer available in America.
Since 2020 there has been moves in the US to ban TikTok and on Friday the US Supreme Court held that the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act does not violate freedom of speech under the First Amendment based on Congress’ “national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.” Failing to get clarity from the Biden administration, the app has gone offline in the United States and has been pulled from app stores. Interestingly, the company is pinning its hopes on President-elect Donald Trump, even though Trump issued an executive order against them and Congress’ ban was prompted by Trump during his first administration. Trump has indicated he will likely sign an executive order placing a 90-day suspension on the ban it is unclear if that will be lawful under the legislation. Here in Australia there was a call by the Coalition to ban TikTok that didn’t go anywhere, but some commentators are tipping other countries such as the UK may follow suit.
What’s worth reading on this latest development in the US TikTok ban:
TikTok Inc. v Garland 604 U.S. _ (2025)
Friday 17 January 2025
Supreme Court of the United States
TikTok says it will ‘go dark’ unless it gets clarity from Biden following Supreme Court ruling
Mark Sherman – Sunday 19 January 2025
AP News, The Associated Press
Could TikTok ever be banned in the UK too?
Joe Tidy – Sunday 19 January 2025
British Broadcasing Corporation
TikTok ban falls hard on Apple and Google Classes
Christine Mui – Saturday 18 January 2025
POLITICO
Two sets of allegations of sex offences against theatre leadership should concern the art sector
Two sets of allegations of sex offences against former leaders of theatre companies in two weeks should be a flag for the sector.
The former CEO of Brisbane’s Harvest Rain Theatre Company Timothy O’Connor has been named as the party charged with almost sixty counts of child and adult sex offences. It is alleged O’Connor used his position of influence to perpetrate the offences. Similar allegations were last week directed against the former director of Launceston’s Encore Theatre Company Danny Gibson. If true, this is very concerning for theatre and the whole arts sector. I hope the sector will take it seriously and work collaboratively to develop strategies for identifying and dismantling this kind of behaviour.
What’s worth reading on about these two sets of allegations:
Harvest Rain Company’s former CEO faces court on multiple abuse charges
David Burton – Tuesday 14 January 2025
ArtsHub
Encore Theatre Company ‘concerned’ by allegations against former director Danny Gibson
April McLennan – Thursday 9 January 2025
ABC News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
I agree accessibility in the arts should be constant
Many Australian theatres are inaccessible for artists, arts workers and audiences with disability.
I also liked the jibe at logo grids on marketing material:
“Do you really need all of those logos on that flyer instead of a proper sized font? Can they be credited in a more meaningful way? I’ve never heard a patron say they bought a ticket because of a logo!”
What’s worth reading on accessibility in arts marketing and useful resources:
Talking about access should be part of every day…
Jonathan Llewellyn – Monday 13 January 2025
ArtsHub
AAA Advice : Accessible Marketing [DOC]
Arts Access Australia
AAA Advice : Disability Language [DOC]
Arts Access Australia
Marketing and communications checklist [DOCX 84.3 KB]
Accessible Arts
Online and print inclusive design and legibility considerations
Vision Australia
How to make social media accessible: Our top three tips, the Social Media Accessibility Checklist
Vision Australia
Email marketing guide – how to create accessible EDM campaigns
Vision Australia
Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA)
TPGi
At 50 is Triple J going strong or growing weak?
Triple J started broadcasting 50 years ago today, but will it be here in another 50?
National youth radio network Triple J turned 50 today. From the very first song broadcast, Triple J has propelled youth voices, challenged censorship and promoted independent music. Each time its audiences (and its presenters!) ‘age out’ it has reinvented itself by staying across the music and the social issues its audience care about. That’s probably why it still has many detractors.
It’s its golden anniversary has been sadly marred by the loss of one of its pioneers this week. Long time music director Arnold Frolows passed away last Sunday. Still, to mark the occasion, digital sister radio station Double J is rebroadcasting Triple J’s first day today from 11 am to 11 pm. The celebration continues next week with the 32nd Hottest 100. Votes for the best track of 2024 coming in for all over, but you only have until tomorrow to cast your vote.
What’s worth reading on the history of Triple J:
Liz Giuffre – Thursday 16 January 2025
The Conversation
Ratings in freefall and a shift to TikTok tastes: Triple J’s not very happy birthday [paywalled]
Calum Jaspan – Saturday 18 January 2025
The Sydney Morning Herald
Triple J At 50: The Best Complaints, Controversies & Straight Up Excellent Moments
Liz Giuffre – Friday 17 January 2025
The Music
This year’s triple j Hottest 100 voting stats show the breadth of the countdown’s reach
Courtney Fry – Sunday 19 January 2025
ABC News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Remember these? The top Triple J Hottest 100 songs from decades past
David Burton – Friday 17 January 2025
ArtsHub
A bit on the side
Other tasty tidbits this week:
- Further to the slew of controversial changes Meta announced last week, on Wednesday Mark Zuckerberg used a memo to staff to announce it would reduce its global workforce by 5 per cent.
- Instagram doesn’t want you to be a square. Profile grids have changed from squares thumbnails to rectangles. I have noticed a few other UI tweaks too.
- As part of OpenAI’s announcement about ChatGPT Pro they also announced a grants program to give 10 medical researchers in the US access to GPT-o1 pro, “with plans to expand Pro grants to other regions and areas of research in the future.”
More to read
I use Are.na to gather and organise links about things I am interested in. If you are interested in TOPIC too, take a look at these channels:Of course, there’s lots of other stuff I have been reading that doesn’t make it into the weekly round up. If the long list is too much, I also group links into collections:
Topics: Artificial intelligence ⌇ Arts & culture ⌇ Cybersecurity ⌇ Marketing communications ⌇ Privacy ⌇ Social media ⌇ Technology & the internet
Players: TikTok
If you are on Are.na too you can even add links to those channels.
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Disclosure
Conflict of interest
I am an arts marketing consultant.
I have written content for ArtsHub. I was not remunerated for that content.
AI use
This blog post was drafted using Google Docs. No part of the text of this blog post was generated using AIAI is tech and marketing speak for a range of technology that imitates human intellect. Learn more →. The original text was not modified or improved using AIAI is tech and marketing speak for a range of technology that imitates human intellect. Learn more →. No text suggested by AIAI is tech and marketing speak for a range of technology that imitates human intellect. Learn more → was incorporated. If spelling or grammar corrections were suggested by AIAI is tech and marketing speak for a range of technology that imitates human intellect. Learn more → they were accepted or rejected based on my discretion (however, sometimes spelling, grammar and corrections of typos may have occurred automatically in Google Docs).
The icon in the banner image (i.e. the first image at the top of the blog post) was generated by AIAI is tech and marketing speak for a range of technology that imitates human intellect. Learn more → using Text to Vector Graphic (BetaBeta is an early release of software or some other product or service to see how users use it to inform further development of it…. Learn more →) in AdobeSoz! @elliottbledsoe hasn’t gotten to this term yet!
Illustrator. Prompt: ‘An outlined question mark and exclamation mark’.
Credits

Image: A colourful icon of a question mark and exclamation mark. The question mark is in two shades of yellow and the exclamation mark is in two shades of pink. Both sit on an aqua background. The icon is an adaptation of an vector graphic generated by Elliott Bledsoe using the AIAI is tech and marketing speak for a range of technology that imitates human intellect. Learn more → tool Text to Vector Graphic (BetaBeta is an early release of software or some other product or service to see how users use it to inform further development of it…. Learn more →) in AdobeSoz! @elliottbledsoe hasn’t gotten to this term yet!
Illustrator.
Provenance
This blog post was produced by Elliott Bledsoe from Agentry, an arts marketing micro-consultancy. It was first published on 19 Jan 2025. It has not been updated. This is version 1.0. Questions, comments and corrections are welcome – get in touch any time.
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