Tag: Instagram

Programs

Instagram brings out ephemeral notes from the drawer to activate their responses

Instagram, one of the most popular social networks today, continues to work on the functionality of ephemeral notes, which, although not available to all users, continues to take steps forward. Its latest improvement will allow users to respond to these notes, with the response being sent to that person’s DMs.

In this way, Instagram continues to work on providing users with a better interface to interact with each other, even though, over time, the application has evolved quite aggressively towards a model with much more advertising than in the past. In fact, this type of update serves to strengthen its strategy without punishing Instagram’s original interest too much.

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Responses to ephemeral notes

It has been Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri himself who announced this new feature, which works with a fairly simple mechanism. From the Direct Messages interface, where other people’s notes appear, you just need to tap on one of them to activate the replies tab, where you can respond to the note that the other user has posted.

In this way, after the initial text notes, and the subsequent additions to upload video notes, or even music, ephemeral notes have a new advancement in terms of functionalities and feedback.

The strategy of imitating the competition

Instagram has always been a service expert in copying functionalities from other applications to attract people to its ecosystem. The ephemeral notes, something they have copied from BeReal, is one of those improvements that the Meta service implemented to take advantage of its popular pull. But it wasn’t the first time, as the almost destruction of Snapchat when Instagram created Stories, copying the star element of the ghost application, is getting further and further away.

In addition, Meta has not hesitated to carry out this type of strategies in other applications. WhatsApp, for example, has been implementing practically a decade functions that Telegram comes up with first. Facebook, on the other hand, borrows ideas from Instagram that Instagram borrowed from TikTok, such as Reels, and there is a long list of updates in Meta looking at the competition to grow.

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Instagram is preparing animated emojis for your Direct Messages

Animated emojis are getting closer to Instagram. This method of communication, which has been around for many years on Facebook, is being tested to also be introduced in the chat windows of Direct Message, one of the features that Instagram users use most frequently.

Instagram DMs have been the meeting point for many people who frequently use this service, whether it’s to chat with their contacts, react to their stories, or to directly share content with that specific person.

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Animated Emojis on Instagram

As explained by insider Alessandro Paluzzi, Instagram Direct Messages are being tested so that users can use animated emojis, an option that will expand the possibility of expressing themselves through this chat tab. It can still be seen that it is in development, but everything indicates that when it is released to the public, it will already have completely optimal performance.

Instagram Direct Messages are a highly used conversation window by millions of users daily. It hasn’t had major advancements since it started functioning, but this improvement will surely please many of the users who regularly use this tab to communicate with other people.

Synergies with WhatsApp on the way

On the other hand, Instagram could also have improvements in interactions with other Meta applications. In this particular case, in fact, the main beneficiaries will be WhatsApp and Instagram users, since an adjustment is being tested that enables the possibility of directly sharing a WhatsApp status in Instagram stories, something very useful for those who share similar content in both ephemeral feeds.

WhatsApp and Instagram, in this way, will improve their connectivity between them giving users the ability to make simultaneous posts on both platforms. A small change that, undoubtedly, can mean an interesting improvement in quality of life for many people.

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Does it collect metadata from our children? It seems to be the case

Since 2019, Meta has been refusing to close the accounts of children under 13 while collecting their personal information.

That Meta is known for poking around where it shouldn’t is something we all know. The tech conglomerate houses data from hundreds of millions of users, and as a society, we’ve already accepted this. However, many forget that this issue doesn’t just affect adults but also children. Now, new court documents testify that since 2019, Meta has been refusing to close accounts of children under 13 while collecting their personal information.

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The attorneys general of 33 states in the United States have accused Meta of housing over a million reports related to children under 13 with information extracted from Instagram. These reports included data about the children themselves and their close circles (parents, friends, etc.). Despite these accounts blatantly violating the company’s policies, Meta only “deactivated a fraction of those accounts,” according to the filed lawsuit.

These actions by Meta also did not comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). This regulation prohibits companies from collecting personal information from children under 13 without explicit parental consent. According to the court documents presented, Meta’s records reveal that a significant portion of Instagram’s audience consists of children under 13.

The lawsuit also accuses Meta of being aware that its algorithm could direct minors to highly harmful content. It’s no secret that the social media platforms we use daily can worsen our mental health and fuel negative comparisons among users.

However, the conglomerate led by Zuckerberg doesn’t seem very keen on reversing the situation, at least not for the moment. In more internal documents, it’s evident that one of Meta’s employees wrote that such controversial content forms part of the “most engaging content (on the Explore page).”

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Hallelujah: Instagram adds filters after years of waiting

Instagram adds 25 new filters to its application after several years without news in this field.

Instagram has managed to become one of the most widely used social networks, with almost no age distinction. However, the platform owned by Meta is going through a period of change, partly as a result of European demands. The most notable change has been the addition of a monthly payment option that avoids the collection of data and its subsequent use for advertising. Now, the new addition coming to Instagram is filters.

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After more than 20 years in operation, Instagram has decided to add up to 25 new filters to complement the classics that have been in the app since its inception. In Meta’s blog, it’s stated that these filters will provide “from subtle color edits to options for more expressive styles.” Like any other filter in the app, users will be able to adjust the intensity and modify them based on their preferences. Some of these filters go beyond simple tonal changes and can distort the image, such as the Wide Angle and Wavy filters.

As is customary with these releases, iOS users will be the first to experiment with the new filters. However, this update isn’t solely about that: there will also be many improvements targeted at Reels. Instagram clarifies that they are testing new editing tools such as scaling, cropping, and rotating clips. The intention behind this move is clear: to enable users to edit videos without having to use other applications, centralizing everything within Instagram.

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And the shadow of TikTok looms large. Perhaps that’s why Instagram continues to work on more future updates, such as giving users the ability to create custom stickers from photos and videos. The app will also include about 10 new voices for text-to-speech readings, although they will be in English for now.

Instagram is already testing a feature that allows users to create stickers from photos

As reflected in the news about the highly likely implementation of a new exclusive feed for verified accounts on Instagram, Meta’s app continues to evolve and undergo changes. Clearly, AI is also a factor that Mark Zuckerberg’s company takes into account when introducing innovations on the mentioned platform and others, such as Facebook and Instagram Threads.

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The new feature that Instagram intends to implement is a function that allows users to create custom stickers from photos. This news was revealed by Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, who stated that with this new tool, users will be able to create stickers using their own photos and use them in reels or stories within the app.

Soon, we will be able to create our own stickers on Instagram

Although it seems that AI will be responsible for carrying out this new function, it’s not going to be a very complex task. The AI will help Instagram remove the background of the photo users want to use and highlight the element of the photograph they want to create a sticker from. It’s worth mentioning that users will be able to select images from their mobile devices and other “eligible ones seen on Instagram (which initially raises some doubts, to be honest, so they will probably provide more details soon).”

Mosseri himself demonstrated briefly how this new and interesting feature works. Its usage is quite straightforward; the tool selects a possible subject within the photograph, highlights it, removes the background, and crops the selected subject. Once that’s done, users can use their new sticker in Instagram reels or stories.

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As mentioned, this feature is currently in the testing phase, and only a few users have access to it. At the time of writing, there is no specific date for its general and complete release. However, it is safe to assume that this new tool will be available for both Android and iOS users when it is officially launched.

Instagram is testing the possibility of displaying only posts from verified users

As revealed yesterday, Meta is testing a system where Instagram users have the option to view only posts from verified accounts. However, to access these posts, users themselves must also be verified. Certainly, Mark Zuckerberg’s company’s app is in the midst of significant changes, as demonstrated by their recent introduction of broadcast channels, one of their most recent updates.

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This is entirely official, although details about how they are conducting this test and how many users currently have access to it have not been disclosed. Nevertheless, this measure was announced by Instagram’s CEO, Adam Mosseri, through Instagram Threads. It’s worth mentioning that this addition will apply to both Instagram and Threads.

This way, you will be able to see only posts from verified users on Instagram

Surely, this decision reminds you of what X (formerly Twitter) is already doing, and rightfully so. What Meta intends to do is introduce a new option that will allow us to view only posts from verified users in a specific feed. With this new move, the company aims to curb the proliferation of bots and fake accounts, while also giving more visibility to businesses and content creators with verified accounts.

Certainly, these are the reasons presented to the public. However, the company also hopes to increase its profits with this change. This new addition on Instagram will operate between the “Following” and “Favorites” categories, enabling users to switch between verified and non-verified feeds.

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Undoubtedly, a move like this seemed only a matter of time, given that verified Instagram accounts were introduced and implemented quite some time ago. Everything indicates that the future of social media involves them becoming paid services, something Elon Musk already intends to do with X. We will see how this all unfolds, but it’s expected that over time, basic payment plans will emerge allowing users to do what they do now, but at a cost. Additionally, there might be more expensive plans offering various advantages to their customers.

How to block graphic content on networks: if you want to stop seeing the horrors of war

Find out how to configure your social networks to filter all the content you prefer not to see.

The armed conflict in Israel and Gaza has led to the dissemination of very graphic videos on networks such as X, TikTok or Instagram. Faced with this situation, many have opted to simply uninstall these applications and thus avoid viewing any type of explicit content.

However, there are other ways that will allow you to consult the networks without encountering unpleasant images. Find out how to configure your social network profiles to filter out what you prefer not to see.

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TikTok

TikTok itself uses warning labels and option screens to prevent users from unexpectedly viewing graphic content. You can go a step further by activating the Restricted Mode, which prevents content with realistic violence, firearms or the like from appearing.

To activate it, go to your profile and click on the three lines in the upper right corner. There, select Settings and privacy and go to Content preferences > Restricted mode. TikTok will ask you to set an access code to enable and disable it whenever you want.

Instagram

As with TikTok, Instagram also allows you to regulate the content shown in your feed. Even the steps to follow are very similar. First, click on your profile and look in the top right corner for the three horizontal bars. Click there again and select Settings > Suggested content. In the Sensitive Content section, choose Less.

This is used to filter content that you do not follow, such as photos and videos that appear on the Explore page. If you see that a user you follow is posting sensitive content, you can always report them or simply unfollow them.

X (formerly known as Twitter)

Recently, Elon Musk received a great deal of criticism for its inefficient content policies, which favored the dissemination of fake news and content of dubious provenance. Nevertheless, X also offers several options to “moderate” this type of content.

Unlike Instagram and TikTok, modifications must be made from the web version of X. From the browser, you must log in to your X account and then click on this: More options > Settings and support > Settings and privacy > Privacy and security > Content you see.

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Piedras Tirar: The Social Media Account That Shatters Stereotypes and Sparks Inspiration

61,000 followers on Instagram and more than 25,000 on TikTok are the successes of a page created with a single objective: for people to share their videos throwing stones into the water.

One might think that everything has been invented on the Internet. There are even accounts of weathermen who put song lyrics into their forecasts, people who count the days before being asked in an establishment if they are going to eat “the usual” or street magicians with obviously lame tricks. However, people’s ingenuity surpasses anything that artificial intelligence will create in the future. And for proof, a button. Or a rock, rather: Throwing Stones.

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And now I’m going to throw this stone

61,000 followers on Instagram and more than 25,000 on TikTok are the successes of a page created with a single goal: for people to share their videos throwing stones into the water. But of course, with simplicity comes the twist: unusual shots, incredible presentations, unexpected endings, unique sounds, gigantic splashes. Piedras Tirar brings us back to innocence, to that time when there only seemed to be five websites, it is a place of true purity on the Internet.

Collaborative purity, moreover: to participate you don’t have to be a great artist, a genius or someone very cultured. You just need a rock, a river and a cell phone and the rest is done. And if you want to dig even deeper, the comments of the rockers (the wonderful name the fans have given themselves), who value everything from the layout of the shooter to the sound, the splash or the finish, will make you love their ingenuity even more.

@piedras.tirar

Un pedrolo con sonido elocuente!! Valorad la piedra en los comentarios rockeros!!

♬ sonido original – Piedras

Obviously, there are some rules: you can’t throw from so far away as to hit someone in the head and they demand patience with the videos, because they receive so many that it’s impossible to keep up with them, even if they upload several a day. Piedras Tirar, created by four Basque kids (or from the north, at least), doesn’t demand anything from you except to unleash your most primal instinct: the one that when you see a stone and a cliff you think, inevitably and regardless of your profession or academic level, to throw it.

There is no way to monetize it, no intention of becoming famous, just the pleasure of throwing stones and making them sound a lot. In a world of influencers, clickbait and clickbait, Piedras Tirar is what the Internet was created for. A place to be a little happier. To throw stones into a river. Who wants more?

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Some of the links added in the article are part of affiliate campaigns and may represent benefits for Softonic.

The Dark Side of Beauty: Brazilian Influencer’s Untimely Death Highlights Dangers of Underground Buttock Surgeries

If the other day we were talking about the Chinese influencer who died drunk from drinking much more liquor than was humanly possible, today it’s time to talk about Lygia Fazio.

Years ago, when jokes started circulating about taking a selfie from the top of a building potentially leading to a deadly fall, or looking at your phone causing you to be run over by a truck, nobody was fully aware of the real level of danger that influencers (and those aspiring to be) could face in their quest to look better in photos or become the most viral in the world. If the other day we talked about the Chinese influencer who died from excessive alcohol consumption, today we need to talk about Lygia Fazio.

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A million followers

Lygia Fazio, a Brazilian journalist, had 955,000 followers on Instagram, but she wanted to improve her appearance in photos as she entered her forties to feel better about herself, something common among influencers as they age. After all, it’s a demanding job that doesn’t forgive. That’s why she decided to undergo a buttock operation, unaware that it would be her end.

During the surgery, industrial silicone and polymethyl methacrylate, both prohibited in Brazil for such procedures, were injected into her body. Things went wrong, they spread throughout her body, causing multiple infections, and ultimately leading to a stroke that ended her life after years of battling against this medical negligence. It seems that Fazio had a penchant for underground aesthetic clinics, which had previously worked out for her.

It should be noted that the first news of influencers (or Instagram culture) dying due to carelessness dates back to 2011 when three teenagers posed in front of a Union Pacific train to upload the photo on Facebook, along with the caption “Standing in front of a train! Hahaha, this is amazing!”. Since then, the list has become unmanageably long, giving us an idea that perhaps obsessing over physical appearance has always been a mistake. It may be entertaining, but it’s still a mistake.

By the way, the highest number of people killed at once while seeking the best photo was 11 in India during July 2021. In the midst of an electrical storm, they approached a tower where a lightning bolt had just struck, hoping to capture another strike for a spectacular shot. They got the first part, not the second, of course. Be careful with your ego!

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Some of the links added in the article are part of affiliate campaigns and may represent benefits for Softonic.

“Love always wins”: Dulceida and Alba Paul announce their reconciliation with a shocking post on Instagram

They have decided to announce that they have returned together through -how could it be otherwise- a post on Instagram.

When Dulceida broke up with Alba Paul, half of millennial Spain stopped believing in love. As raw as it is real. It all started in October 2021: after spending a few months apart trying to make their love great again (spoiler: it doesn’t work like that), both announced their breakup via Instagram, as worthwhile announcements are made nowadays. “It hurts a lot to see it end, but the love continues in us and always will,” Dulceida said at the time. And boy, did she.

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Return with a withered brow

They started dating in a clothing store. At the opening, for more data: they both met, started to like each other and things grew until a party where they finally let themselves go. They have seen half the world together, have promoted a thousand brands and have kissed a thousand times with a lens in front of them. In fact, there was even a wedding, a wedding in style on September 10, 2016 to the rhythm of ‘Let it go’, back when their love seemed infinite. But of course. It all comes to an end.

A year and a half after their separation, and after seeing them together at all the parties, parties and meetings of influencers, they have decided to announce that they are back together through -as it could not be otherwise- a post on Instagram. In just three hours it accumulated more than 300,000 likes (to put it in perspective, their posts have about 85,000 on average) and more than 13,000 comments that, no doubt, both are going to read carefully.

The text that accompanies the two photos of the happy couple is an emoji of a little rat and a frog joined by a heart (the same as when they were together). And almost immediately they have launched into the promotion of a hotel in Ibiza where they have gone a few days “in paradise”. Alba Paul, meanwhile, has uploaded images of the two without text and a single story toasting, in just a second, with her partner. Chin chin chin without turra.

The comments to the post, as you can imagine, have been full of phrases like “Love exists” or “Love always wins”. It is also true that the reconciliation had been a constant buzz in the influencer heart world since they have coincided in trips, hotels, parties and have even left comments to each other. It seemed too peaceful a breakup to be real. In fact, exactly a week ago, the podcast ‘En todas las salsas’ announced their reconciliation claiming that they were caught kissing in public, but until they have not corroborated it has not been taken for good.

We may like them more or less, but Dulceida and Alba Paul are two of the most powerful influencers in our country, and their union is going to stir, once again, the social panorama of the most instagramer Spain. Long live love, of course. And viral euros. Let there be no shortage of those.