SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter Goes Into Low-Power Mode

Ahead of Election Day, Twitter announced major changes to curb the spread of another virus—misinformation. 

Call it the social media version of a face mask mandate. To slow the rate of virality, Twitter is adding an extra hurdle to retweeting another account's posts. 

How it works: 

• When you hit "retweet" on someone's post, you'll be given a prompt to add your own take (the "Quote Tweet" option).
• While the company admits this will add "extra friction," the goal is to encourage users to add their own "thoughts, reactions, and perspectives to the conversation." And when you're forced to think about something for longer than a millisecond, you might realize it's bogus. 

This change, like most of the others Twitter revealed yesterday, is temporary. Twitter said this Quote Tweet feature will begin on Oct. 20 and extend at least through the end of election week.   

Let's talk about Twitter’s other updates

They mainly focus on politicians who want to use the platform to undermine election results. Twitter said it would remove tweets that encourage violence or urge people to interfere with the election process, and it would slap a label on tweets by candidates who prematurely claim they won an election before officials blow the final whistle. 

What does it all mean? The updates "could set the social media platform on a collision course” with President Trump, who has repeatedly tried to undermine public confidence in the electoral process, the FT writes.

Twitter's not alone in treating the election like a doomsday prepper. This week, Facebook said it would ban political ads after polls close on Election Day and put a banner at the top of your feed letting you know that no winner has been decided until news outlets declare one. 

Bottom line: Social media execs know they'll be the first responders to any Election Day breakdown, so they're preparing for every possible scenario. The big question is, will it work?   

SMALL BIZ

What's Worse Than a 1-Star Review?

A giant banner saying your business acted in a racist manner. Earlier this week, Yelp announced it'll slap alerts on the pages of businesses accused of racist behavior. 

• Per Yelp's clarification to Eater, that includes "the use of racist language, symbols, or sentiment that clearly discredits the Black Lives Matter movement."

The backdrop: As interest in BLM skyrocketed this summer, Yelp noticed a growing number of reviews alleging racist behavior. The platform recorded a 133% uptick in incidents spurred by media reports or social media posts compared to last year and has already put 450+ alerts on business pages.

Yelp's slapped warning labels on before. Sometimes, businesses get "review bombed" after being featured in controversial news stories or social posts—which Yelp has navigated by warning visitors that reviews may be distorted by people who've never actually been customers. 

Zoom out: Now, Yelp finds itself in the difficult position of making judgements on what counts as overtly racist behavior.

ARTS

Broadway's Shutdown Enters Act 3

Who could've predicted Hamilton on Disney+ would be the only taste of Broadway we'd get for more than a year? 

Yesterday, the Broadway League extended its shutdown another four months through May 30, 2021. By then, it'll have been 444 days since theaters closed their doors due to the pandemic.

Big picture: Broadway's shutdown has major ripple effects for the New York City economy. Not only are performers and theater workers affected, but so are all the restaurants, parking garages, retailers, and more that support the Broadway ecosystem. The League puts Broadway's annual economic impact at $14.8 billion. 

Looking ahead...no one knows exactly when curtains will rise again, but one of the most anticipated shows, The Music Man starring Hugh Jackman, has set opening night for February 10, 2022. When/if that actually happens, we can't imagine how emotional it'll be.

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This morning, we’re diving into information overload and how to avoid it. That’s right: Our advice here will have you actually doing less homework and just maybe seeing more returns as a result.

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Check out our succinct article on investing info overload right here.

WORK

Microsoft Home Office 365

Amazon is now the last member of the FAMGA quintet holding out on a WFH future. Yesterday, The Verge reported that Microsoft will take a "hybrid" approach and allow more employees to take a client call while folding laundry. 

The details: Most Microsoft employees can choose to WFH up to half their work week, and the company will also allow more employees to work remotely on a permanent basis. If employees make that choice, Microsoft will cover home office expenses and provide a "virtual commute" so they don't fall behind on podcasts like Business Casual. 

The backstory: This summer, as other big tech companies started harmonizing on a WFH future, Microsoft boss Satya Nadella was still humming a skeptical tune. In May, he told the NYT that fully embracing remote work could adversely impact mental health and feelings of community. But if there's one thing tech companies hate, it's having a competitor outdo your employee perks.

Zoom out: Like Facebook, Twitter, VMware, and Slack, Microsoft will adjust employee compensation and benefits if they move to an area with lower costs of living. 

TRAVEL

Vacations Are Not Dead

We checked the timestamp on this photo 100 times—and can confirm it was taken very recently. In fact, this was the scene at the Guangzhou South Railway Station on Thursday, the final day of China's eight-day Golden Week holiday. 

The holiday was viewed as a major test of people's willingness to travel and spend money during the pandemic. So what did we learn? 

• More than 45% of China's 1.4 billion people traveled during the holiday, spending $69.5 billion, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. 
• However, that's a 21% drop-off in trips and a 30% decrease in spending from last year. 

Bottom line: With severe restrictions on international travel, the Golden Week numbers show the limits of purely domestic tourism...even with China not reporting a locally transmitted Covid-19 infection since August.

+ Bonus pic, because it's been a long week. Here's a Chinese high-speed train passing in front of the Great Wall:

Xinhua/Ju Huanzong via Getty Images

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• The UN's World Food Programme won the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to reduce hunger.
• Alibaba stock hit an all-time high.
• The latest on the NFL’s coronavirus outbreak.
• Retailers are kicking off the holiday shopping season as early as this weekend.
• Disney World’s reopening didn’t trigger the Covid-19 outbreaks some health officials predicted. 
• Quibi is struggling to find a buyer, The Information reports. 

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GE

What’s GE up to? Rising to the challenge of building a world that works. GE’s purpose has always been to create world-leading tech wherever it's needed. Innovating and focused on the global energy transition, precision health, and the safe return of flight post COVID, the team at GE is turning our present into a better future. To get all the info on what GE is up to, sign up for their GE Investor newsletter here.

BREW'S BETS

World Mental Health Day is today: Tune in for the WHO's annual Big Event, see how companies are aligning with the moment, and find resources to enhance your own mental health using this guide from Project Healthy Minds. 

Weekend Conversation Starters: 

• What are this year’s most popular Halloween costumes? 
• Rank your top five cringiest clichés, then avoid them like the plague. 
• What do you make of these hot cocoa bombs? 
• Find out what song was No. 1 on your 12th birthday. That's your life's theme song.

GAMES

Saturday Headlines

Today’s Saturday Headlines is guest-curated by Indiana Jones. Three of these recent headlines about ancient life are real; one is pure myth. Can you spot the fake? 

1. “Julius Caesar did not eat a single root vegetable during his entire life, new study finds”
2. “Chris Hemsworth helps reintroduce Tasmanian devils to Australia for first time in 3,000 years”
3. “T. Rex skeleton brings $31.8 million at Christie’s auction”
4. “Archaeologists in Egypt crack open 2,500-year-old mummy coffin, video goes viral”

SATURDAY HEADLINE ANSWERS

We made up the Caesar one. Anyone fooled?