Latest news with #ViralVideos
Gizmodo
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
YouTube's Latest Update Shows That Online Monoculture Is Dead
Remember 'Baby Shark Dance?' How about 'Gangnam Style?' Those videos were among the most inescapable offerings of the YouTube canon, pumped into our lives by the last vestige of the internet monoculture: the Trending page. Now, a full decade since it was first introduced, YouTube announced it is ending its effort to inject top videos into everyone's feeds, opting instead to highlight popular content in specific niches. In a blog post, the company admits that the internet ecosystem has changed considerably since it first introduced the Trending page. 'Back when we first launched the Trending page in 2015, the answer to 'what's trending?' was a lot simpler to capture with a singular list of viral videos that everyone was talking about.' It said that fandoms and communities started developing on the platform, the idea of the universal 'viral' video started to fade, and visits to the Trending page had decreased 'significantly' over the last half-decade. So, it's going away. The four very broad categories of the original Trending page—Now, Music, Gaming and Movies— are going to get broken out into their own lists, which will include Trending Music Videos, Weekly Top Podcast Shows, and Trending Movie Trailers—with the existing Gaming Explore page set to replace the gaming category. Beyond that, YouTube is going to lean harder into its personalized recommendations. The company says it'll 'keep showing viewers the videos that we think they'll love' through its recommendation algorithm that should be pulling videos from viewer-specific niches rather than trying to identify universally popular videos. The 'Explore' menu, where the Trending page currently resides, will remain and offer non-curated video offerings if you'd still like to tap into the broader zeitgeist. The change is frankly a long time coming for YouTube, which has become the most popular streaming video service around, with more video content being uploaded daily than a person could watch in an entire lifetime. Videos now regularly rack up millions of views without ever cracking mainstream attention, simply thriving in a niche category. Unfortunately for YouTube, one of those niche categories is now AI slop—an invention that its parent company, Google, is actively participating in enabling. But earlier this month, YouTube announced that it'll be tamping down on AI by making it more difficult to monetize content that isn't 'original' and 'authentic.' So hopefully, if a video does manage to break containment and go mega-viral like the days of old, it won't be some AI monstrosity that managed to machine-learn its way to fame.
The Sun
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Who is Wakey Wines owner Mohammad Azar Nazir?
WAKEY Wines owner Mohammad Azar Nazir shot to fame for selling outrageously overpriced energy drinks at 'the UK's most expensive corner shop'. Now he's found another way to make a quick buck — Wakey Wines is taking on Mo Deen at Misfits Boxing 21 on Friday, May 16, 2025. 5 5 Who is Mohammad Azir Nazir? Mohammad Azar Nazir is a business owner, most famous for running viral convenience store Wakey Wines. He appears in their viral videos, where he describes the store as "the best shop in Wakey". In March 2023, the shop was raided by police, who were looking for class A drugs. They were not able to find anything, with Nazir posting a video after the incident to show a document confirming the shop was free of anything illegal. Nazir was previously sentenced to eight years in prison for dealing heroin and crack cocaine, but turned his life around following his release after four years in 2019. In January 2022, he told his followers on TikTok: "In 2015, I was selling drugs, I was doing wrong... I made the biggest mistake of my life." Where is Wakey Wines? Wakefield in West Yorkshire is perhaps best known for being home to the Wakefield Trinity rugby league team. The full name of the store is Wakefield Wines, with the nickname "Wakey" used because it is a popular nickname for the city. Although the hype has died down, Wakey Wines still has a social media following of well over a million followers across accounts as of May 16, 2025. What does Mohammad Azar Nazir do on TikTok? Nazir shares videos of himself with customers, many of whom were seen buying Prime energy drink. Prime is a creation by YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI. The demand for it has seen supermarkets sell out, leaving many fans disappointed. During the videos, Nazir encourages the customers to introduce themselves to the camera, before asking where they have travelled from and why they have visited the store. His cameraman, Abdul, is a worker at the shop, and Nazir speaks to him during the video, saying "Abdul come closer", before saying "Abdul go back". Nazir was briefly banned from TikTok in January 2023 after complaints from what he described as "a well known influencer". But the platform acknowledged his removal was a mistake and reinstated his account shortly afterwards. What does Mohammad Azar Nazir sell? Nazir came to prominence through his stock of Prime, which he was selling for inflated prices. By asking prices of up to £100 per bottle, he got widespread attention on TikTok — but he sells other products as well. Nazir has his own brand of hard candy, named WFD sweets, which have also appeared in his videos. Boxing record His upcoming opponent Mo Deen has a 0-1 boxing record, having previously been beaten by Vitaly at Misfits 13 in March 2024. 5 After two bouts that were called off, Mo's first fight was stopped by the ref, with the social media star seemingly avoiding facing up to his opponent. Nazir is taking to the ring for the first time at Misfits 21, so he doesn't yet have a boxing record to speak of. Misfits Boxing 21 Wakey Wines v Mo Deen takes place on Friday, May 16, 2025. It is part of the rescheduled Misfits Boxing 21 card, which will be headlined by Darren Till vs Darren Stewart and Idris Virgo vs Ty Mitchell. 5 Held at the Vailant Live arena in Derby, the event is set to start at 5pm, however it is not yet known at what time Wakey and Mo will make their ring walks. The whole card will be aired by DAZN. Coverage can be found on DAZN TV, which is an additional package available on most TV services. It can also be live streamed on the DAZN website and via the downloadable app. DAZN offers several subscription options. It is available annually for £119.99 or monthly for £14.99. There is also a flexible pass, which can be cancelled at any time, for £24.99 monthly. The platform's coverage starts at 7pm. Alternatively, SunSport will provide a live blog covering the entire card. Speaking ahead of the fight, Mo told Fred Talks Fighting: "I'm going to hurt him, I pray to God, I want to hurt this guy. "I've got beef with this guy for a long time. I'm gonna smoke this guy. He's ruined a lot of people's lives. I'm his karma."
