The Teddies Review - Dec 2021

for diseases, but this winter at least a COVID spike is not inevitable. Through decisive government action, clear messaging that the pandemic is not over, and high rates of vaccination, we can control the spread of this virus. By working together as a community, we can protect ourselves and each other and look forward to the bright future ahead of us.

Battle of the Social Networks

It’s been a funny old year in technology. On the one hand, with lockdowns and isolation, more and more of us have turned to a digital escape. In the UK, one study found that we were spending 40 percent of our day watching TV. But it’s not been only Bridgerton and Squid Game. We’ve also spent a lot of time on our phones and our smart gadgets. The question, then, is who are the winners and losers of the year in social media? Without a doubt, TikTok had a huge year. Given the slow death of Twitter’ s Vine app in 2016, it’s surprising that this 15 -second video app has done so well. The app only emerged in 2020, but now has 315 million installs. That’s meteoritic. Facebook did pretty well, too. Whilst Zoom and Houseparty were common, lockdown saw a 50 percent increase in messaging across Messenger and ( Facebook owned) WhatsApp . Twitter and Instagram both enjoyed an increase in users, but both suffered from a withdrawal of ad revenue and sponsorship. Instagram , especially, were hit hard as influencers left the app (or at least stopped paying) for ones like TikTok . Facebook was also targeted by many governments this year as a huge source of misinformation – even having a very public spat with the Australia. The Winners The Losers

By Isabel Llabres Diaz

The UK’s Travel Red List Has Returned

The new COVID variant, Omicron, is heightening concerns in Parliament due to its structure that allows for much easier transmission. It seems to have stemmed from South Africa with the first case being reported to the WHO on 24th November but now also it’s being traced in Hong Kong, Belgium, Botswana and Israel. This particular variant has since been investigated, with first signs showing that it may be able to potentially get past the vaccines too. Though it seems currently that there are no risks of the UK going into another lockdown with parliament officials stating that they are also feeling as though it is viable to avoid Plan B this winter. Steps are being taken to avoid Omicron from entering the UK with the re- implementation of the travel red list to countries that have signs of its presence. Thus, travellers from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini will no longer be able to enter the UK unless they are UK or Irish Nationals, or a UK resident. By Sasha Wolcroft