Applications
Vh1 and Nokia announce a sequel to ‘Shot By You’
MUMBAI:Vh1 and Nokia have announced a sequel to their initiative ‘Shot By You‘ to create a user generated video for Humanity the latest single by the International rock band The Scorpion. The call for entries is open from the 25 September until 16 October. Sharing the details of Nokia‘s initiative, Nokia India director marketing Devinder Kishore said, “We are happy to associate with VH1 on this initiative and giving our consumers an opportunity to unleash their creativity and make their own music video.” Launched in February 2007, ‘Shot By You‘ initiative kicked off in February which invited entries to create a music video through user generated content for the Indian rock band Pentagram‘s song Its Ok Its All good. Entries can be sent through SMS ‘SHOTBYU‘ to 56882, or via e mails to vh1shotbyu@gmail.com. The tapes/CDs of the footage can also be sent to the Vh1 office in Mumbai at 36-B, Dr. R. K. Shirodkar Marg, Parel (E), Mumbai – 400012.
Elaborating on bringing back this initiative, MTVN digital India, Vh1 VP and GM Keertan Adyanthaya said, “Scorpions with their worldwide Super Hit – Humanity, Vh1‘s vlogging audience and Nokia‘s human technology is bound to deliver the goods all over again.”
People can listen to the latest single by the Scorpions Humanity posted online on www.nokia.co.in, and use camera phones/video recording devices which they think are best at and shoot a video footage.
The lucky winner will have his/her video created into a final one by the VH1 creative team to be exclusively premiered on Vh1 in November, stated an official statement.
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.
