Applications
Wall Street Journal launches app in beta for Facebook
MUMBAI: US business and financial newspaper The Wall Street Journal has announced the beta launch of WSJ Social, a news app for Facebook allowing users to seamlessly read, share and comment on articles from the Journal within the Facebook environment.
Users can add the WSJ Social app to their Facebook account via http://social.wsj.com or by searching “WSJ.com” on Facebook.
Content includes articles and blogs from WSJ.com, including breaking news, columns, analysis and opinion. All content in WSJ Social is available for free for the first month courtesy of Dell, the exclusive launch advertiser for the app.
As part of this beta release, additional features, including customisation and further content integration, will be added in the coming days and weeks.
The Wall Street Journal Digital Network GM Alisa Bowen said, “We‘re breaking the mold of using Facebook simply to drive traffic to our websites and are now creating an opportunity to engage with the Journal directly on the Facebook platform WSJ Social creates a more integrated experience for users and innovative opportunities for advertisers.”
WSJ Social users customise their own Journal experience by becoming “editors” and sharing stories, which then surface for others within their WSJ Social network. Users can also add to their “editor” list by selecting those who curate content of most relevance and interest to them. The top “editors” who amass the greatest following are recognised on a leaderboard in the app.
In addition, all Journal content shared – or ‘liked‘ – by a WSJ Social user within the app will be pushed to their main Facebook profile newsfeed.
“Because the capabilities of these platforms are evolving all the time, we‘ll be continuously developing WSJ Social in a range of directions – from additional custom views for our ‘editor‘ or integrating content from our other properties, such as MarketWatch, to new ways of sharing or ‘liking‘ the content,” said Bowen.
Following the introductory period, content within the app will be a mix of free and subscriber-only content. The WSJ Social app will remain free to add, while full access to all content will be available via the Journal‘s Digital Bundle subscription, which includes access to WSJ.com as well as Journal apps for tablets and smartphones.
The launch of WSJ Social comes on the heels of the new WSJ Live interactive video app release. Both are integral to the company‘s ‘Journal Everywhere‘ strategy of making Journal content available wherever audiences are, with user experiences specifically designed for each platform.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
