What’s Hot? 18/06

This week, aside from struggling with how to temperature control our homes, and queuing for our vaccines (woo hoo under 26s!)  we’re looking at the latest plans to pedestrianise Oxford Circus, the list of influencers you definitely don’t want to be on, Twitter’s brand-new emoji-style reactions and mourning Mare of Easttown…

Save the planet and have a more pleasurable commute

We’ve all seen the story of Oxford Circus becoming a pedestrianised space making the rounds every couple of months (and we’ve got excited every.single.time), but this time it’s for real. Plans to turn our local tube station OC into two pedestrianised piazzas has finally been confirmed after years of deliberation.

Work is due to start this year and will include “significant improvements to the public spaces”, as well as additional planting (love a tree) and seating in the shopping and leisure district, which just sounds delightful doesn’t it?

We, for one, welcome more urban green spaces in London. And a stone’s throw from our office, lovely. 

We’re all mourning Mare of Easttown

In an age where streaming services and box set drops have become the TV-watching norm, we’ve welcomed Sky Atlantic’s Mare of Easttown with open arms over the past couple of months. Keeping us hooked and on the edge of our seat with weekly premieres, Kate Winslet’s murder-mystery thriller has come to a gripping end. And we want more!

‘Mare Mondays’, as they became known on social media, became a refreshing move back towards event television, where people could theorise and chat about the show live as it aired each week. 

The list of influencers you definitely don’t want to be on.

We all appreciate honesty (no matter how awful it can be), which is why it’s so important for influencers to be transparent with their audiences. In a world full of ads and social media, the ASA (Advertising Standard Authority) have taken to naming and shaming influencers who don’t follow the rules.

The first four influencers to be added to the public list include Chloe Khan, Chloe Ferry, Lucy Mecklenburgh and Jodie Marsh. Whilst the page is designed to act as a deterrent, they are not afraid to escalate cases further, and have admitted to closely watching another 122 (!) influencers.

The ASA aren’t messing about and coming down harder than ever on influencers, and so they should in this editor’s humble opinion as surely, it’s not that hard to #ad on a post?!

If you are anything like us and want to be in the know, check out the list here.

Is Twitter launching emoji-style reactions?

Is Twitter following in the footsteps of Facebook by introducing emoji-style reactions, whilst there hasn’t been an official update it seems as though things have been moving along with early mock-ups being shared across the platform. 

Not only will this be great for boosting engagement, but we also can’t wait to utilise the emojis on all our favourite tweets!