All posts tagged: popularity

Pope Leo’s popularity gives Vatican finances a boost, but old questions remain

Pope Leo’s popularity gives Vatican finances a boost, but old questions remain

Published by Sam Flores

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — When Pope Leo XIV sat down for his first interview after his election as pontiff with Elise Allen at Crux, he surprised many Vatican watchers by stating that he was not particularly concerned by the historically troubled finances of the Catholic institution. “We have to keep working on it,” he said, “but it doesn’t keep me up at night.” That phrase stood at odds with the Vatican’s history of financial scandals and lack of transparency — including the death of “God’s banker” Roberto Calvi in 1982 and the more recent scandal tied to the Vatican’s purchase of prime real estate in London. The Holy See, which includes not only the departments of the Vatican curia but also papal embassies and representatives all over the world, has been functioning on a structural deficit for years. Even though the Holy See reported a 1.6 million euro surplus for 2024, its structural deficit remained around 44 million euro, roughly half the deficit of the previous year. But Leo inherited a financial situation that is …

Centrism is losing popularity, new data shows. Will Democrats listen?

Centrism is losing popularity, new data shows. Will Democrats listen?

Published by Sam Flores

Although Democrats seem increasingly well-positioned to make significant gains in the House and potentially even the Senate in the 2026 midterms, the party’s collapse in 2024 has sparked an ongoing battle over how to woo the voters they need. New polling data, provided to Salon by Way to Win, a Democratic donor network and strategy group, suggests that the best way to reach key voters may not be in the centrist messaging favored by many in the party, but by a broad anti-corporate, economic and populist message. The survey of 1,282 likely voters, conducted by Impact Research and Lake Research Partners, asked Sun Belt voters in Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina and Texas whether or not they preferred a populist economic message or a traditional centrist message across a variety of issues. Jen Ancona, the chief strategy officer at Way to Win, told Salon that they focused on the Sun Belt in particular because it is less favorable terrain for Democrats and that the party will need to learn to compete there in future …

From soju to craft brews, South Korean alcohol’s growing popularity in Singapore

From soju to craft brews, South Korean alcohol’s growing popularity in Singapore

Published by Sam Flores

For some of the bar’s customers, it is still a first encounter. “It’s quite flavourful,” said one patron. “It’s quite a unique taste and it doesn’t feel like I’m drinking alcohol.” POP CULTURE DRIVES DEMAND The rising curiosity is not accidental, said observers. “South Korean dramas show a lot of drinking culture, not just as a transaction but as a social ritual,” said Dr Dayoung Kim, a senior lecturer in marketing at the National University of Singapore (NUS). “So, specific brands and people drinking, it gets all exposed through those dramas and Singaporeans, Southeast Asians love watching those dramas. It gives legitimate access to that Korean drinking culture.”  The shift is also reflected in trade data. After dropping to a pandemic low of US$270 million in 2020, South Korea’s liquor exports rebounded to about US$326 million in 2023.  Singapore is playing a role in that recovery. South Korean alcohol exports to the country hit US$6.1 million in 2024, making it the eighth-largest global destination for South Korean spirits by value.  “Singapore is well known as …

Anthropic’s Claude popularity with paying consumers is skyrocketing

Anthropic’s Claude popularity with paying consumers is skyrocketing

Published by skeptic

Whatever the final outcome for Anthropic from its feud with the Department of Defense, the attention it has generated — coupled with the company’s funny Super Bowl ads taking aim at OpenAI and the surging popularity of Claude Code — has made Anthropic more popular with consumers than ever. An examination of billions of anonymized credit card transactions from about 28 million U.S. consumers, conducted for TechCrunch by Indagari, a consumer transaction analysis company, shows Claude gaining paid subscribers in record numbers. Now, as with all big-data analysis, caveats exist. While this data is substantive, it doesn’t include every consumer. That means that Indagari can’t calculate Anthropic’s total current or new user numbers. It also doesn’t include Claude’s enterprise business (which is its bread and butter) or its free-tier users (those not paying Anthropic at all). Estimates for total Claude consumer users are all over the map (we’ve seen figures ranging from 18 million to 30 million) but Anthropic has not disclosed this data. A spokesperson did tell TechCrunch, however, that Claude paid subscriptions have …

Becoming Beloved: Case Studies in Popularity

Becoming Beloved: Case Studies in Popularity

Published by Jenni Sidey

There are two good reasons not to have written what follows. The first is that this is an old topic that has been tackled by much more capable people. The second is that I’m really not very popular myself. However, I do know popular people, have informally studied them, and wish to tell you about them. In each case, I will highlight a characteristic that may be an ability or skill, a motive, or simply a conscious choice that I have seen pay dividends for specific people. Following that, I will attempt to present additional evidence supportive of my assertion that this is a good way to be. Without further ado, three keys to becoming beloved. Names have been changed to protect the popular. 1. See Possibilities Everywhere Growing up, the first lessons I learned about popularity were difficult. I found that people were liked for being special in some superficial way, usually at least partially beyond their (or my) control. They were tall, strong, talented, pretty, or something else I have never quite been, …

‘Am I at peak popularity? I hope not’: on the road with Zack Polanski, from protest to podcast to Heaven nightclub | Zack Polanski

‘Am I at peak popularity? I hope not’: on the road with Zack Polanski, from protest to podcast to Heaven nightclub | Zack Polanski

Published by Sam Flores

WAKEFIELD 17 JANUARY 2026 “I’m dying for a wee,” Zack Polanski says as he gets off the train at Wakefield Westgate. Why didn’t you go on the train, I ask? “It was very busy and too many people recognised me on the way to the toilet. I knew I’d never get there for all the conversations, so I came back.” When did it become hard for him to go to the toilet on a train? “2 September,” he says. “The day I was elected.” At first, I wonder if Polanski is bigging himself up, but over the next couple of weeks I see for myself he is not exaggerating. While Polanski says it’s not, and cannot be, about one individual, in Green circles there is much talk of the Polanski effect. Since he was elected in September 2025, the Greens have risen by an average of four points in the polls. Just before going to press, the Guardian’s latest poll tracker had the party at 13.5%, only five points behind Labour, on 18.6%; 20% of …

The Enduring Popularity and Industry Appeal of FanFiction

The Enduring Popularity and Industry Appeal of FanFiction

Published by José Betancourt

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. A Deep Dive Into the Rise of FanFiction in Publishing Writing for Defector, Eli Cugini explores the vast landscape of FanFiction, focusing on where it stands in publishing today and how it has come to dominate culture with its mass appeal and established fan bases. In so doing, Cugini touches on some of the problematic pieces of FanFic’s current popularity that have generated much online discourse and present complicated questions. For instance, does the ick and real harm of J.K. Rowling’s TERF activism and anti-trans rhetoric stick to Harry Potter FanFic, or do some of these works achieve the claim that writing HP FanFic is an act of resistance to Rowling’s repugnant views? Also, does some erotic FanFic work to normalize taboos that are actually problematic and should be rejected? While the story of FanFic’s success and appeal …

Apple Was Caught Off Guard by AirPods Pro 3 Popularity

Apple Was Caught Off Guard by AirPods Pro 3 Popularity

Published by skeptic

AirPods Pro 3 demand was so strong after the earbuds launched in September that their popularity reportedly “caught Apple off guard.” “AirPods Pro 3 were supply-constrained during the quarter, and we think we would have grown year over year if we would not have been constrained,” Apple CEO Tim Cook told Reuters, in a report published alongside Apple’s record-breaking earnings results for the fourth quarter of the 2025 calendar year. He is referring to Apple’s Wearable, Home, and Accessories category, which saw around a 2% drop in revenue year-over-year. AirPods Pro 3 no longer have any extended delivery delays on Apple’s online store, so it would appear that Apple has caught up on supply by now. AirPods Pro 3 feature increased active noise cancellation, improved sound quality, longer battery life per charge, heart rate monitoring during workouts, improved fit for many users, increased water resistance, a new XXS ear tip size, and more. Popular Stories Apple Unveils First New Products of 2026 Apple today introduced its first two physical products of 2026: a second-generation AirTag …

What’s UpScrolled, the app gaining popularity after TikTok’s US takeover? | Censorship News

What’s UpScrolled, the app gaining popularity after TikTok’s US takeover? | Censorship News

Published by Sam Flores

UpScrolled, a social media application created by Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian entrepreneur Issam Hijazi, has surged in popularity across several countries, including the United States, as many users looked for an alternative to TikTok, which was formally taken over by US-backed investors and companies last week. With Larry Ellison, the owner of Oracle, who is a staunch supporter of Israel and a friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, acquiring a stake in TikTok’s US-based entity, social media users have expressed concerns about censorship of pro-Palestine posts on the popular app. TikTok’s global operation will still be run by its Chinese owner, ByteDance. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list On Wednesday, TikTok permanently banned Emmy Award-winning journalist and Al Jazeera contributor from Gaza, Bisan Owda, sparking outrage and boycott calls from her supporters. The app has also been accused of content censorship around unprecedented ICE violence in the US. UpScrolled, which was founded only a year ago, surprisingly climbed to the top spot of US app downloads this week, ranking number one in the “social networking” …