Each week, we share the top five articles that caught our attention. Here are your must-reads, published here and abroad, for the week of February 27th 2017.
Scandinavians work hard and play hard
Scandinavia seems to have it all figured out. Celebrated as trendsetters of minimalistic design and prominently placed on the World Happiness Report, countries like Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland also have a better work culture, according to Philip Hanson, Vice President of Marketing at Queue-it (and Bernie Sanders, among others). Beyond enjoying employment benefits far superior to their North American peers, what else makes the professional culture enjoyed by our Nordic friends so enviable?
→ Read it on The Next Web Pocket
Choreographing dance and new technology
For some, new technology can be threatening and occasionally overwhelming, but for the Adrien M & Claire B dance company, it’s a source of creativity and innovation. Mélanie Roosen, a journalist for L’ADN, interviews one of the company’s two choreographers/co-founders to explore how they combine ballet and tech to push the limits of artistic performance (like the works featured in Montreal’s Festival TransAmériques (FTA), by the way).
→ Read it on L’ADN (In French) Pocket
Cooking up a legend
You may recognize Chef Guy Fieri thanks to the online memes he’s inspired or from his hugely successful TV show, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, but how exactly did he get to be such a celebrity? To reveal the man behind the frosted blond hair, Helen Hollyman, Editor in Chief for Munchies, travelled to his Las Vegas restaurant to learn how Fieri became an American icon.
→ Read it on VICE Pocket
The fight for college radio
Contrary to what you might think, radio—and specifically, student radio—is still influential, according to Kevin Lozano, a writer and Tracks Coordinator at Pitchfork. Lozano wrote this article following his visit to WNYU, one of the most influential college radio stations in New York City. In it, he explains the relevance of college radio and the fight to keep them on air.
→ Read it on Pitchfork Pocket
The value of a like
Some advertisers set aside an enormous budget for social media marketing, in an effort to boost “Likes”, get reactions from followers and, hopefully, lift sales. At a glance, it may seem as if consumers who do interact with brands on Facebook and Instagram actually do spend more on those products, but it’s not so straightforward… likes don’t guarantee sales. If that’s the case, what’s the real value of a 👍?
→ Read it on Harvard Business Review Pocket
Economic globalization and the changing value of money
#Sponsored
Although the theory of the butterfly effect has existed for decades, in recent years, globalization has magnified its impact and made it more immediate. Our most recent Prosumer Report, Money Money Mon€y: Attitudes Toward Credit, Consumption, and Cryptocurrency, reveals how today’s consumers feel about the world economy, the value of money, personal finance and the future of banking.
→ Read it on our blog
In your earbuds: 99% Invisible
If you have an insatiable curiosity, the 99% Invisible podcast explores the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world. Each week, host and creator of this series, Roman Mars, explores the meaning behind the things that we take for granted.
→ Listen to it on 99% Invisible
This week’s favourite thing
Pizza: good for your belly and good for democracy! Originally created to deliver delicious reinforcements to voters waiting in long lines at the polls, the Pizza to the Polls project now accepts donations from people who want to send pizza to those walking in protest marches.
Image by the Tomorrow firm
