HiTechEdge

Category: Culture

All news related to culture.

  • Threads Decouples a Bit From Instagram, Users Can Delete Accounts Separately

    Threads Decouples a Bit From Instagram, Users Can Delete Accounts Separately

    Meta is making a major change to Threads, giving users the ability to delete a Threads account without also losing their Instagram account.

    Threads is currently tied to an Instagram account, with no way for users to delete one without also deleting the other. According to TechCrunch, that is about to change, with Meta finally giving users a way to delete their Threads account independently.

    “Technically, it was extremely challenging to allow deletion of a separate Threads account without also deleting your overall Instagram account out of the gate. So we paid particular attention to ensuring the user could still exercise their deletion rights, by deactivating the account to sort of hide all content, setting it to private or deleting individual threads,” said Michel Protti, Meta’s chief privacy officer for product.

    The company says the new feature will be available by December.

  • Instagram May Soon Allow Adding Moderators to Live Videos

    Instagram May Soon Allow Adding Moderators to Live Videos

    Instagram may be taking a major step forward in helping users keep discussion about their live videos civil, with the addition of moderators.

    Instagram, like most social media platforms, struggles with issues balancing engagement with toxic online culture. Comments can quickly turn negative, starting a groundswell of backlash.

    According to noted leaker Alessandro Paluzzi, Instagram is looking to let users approve moderators for live videos.

    There’s no timeline given for when users can expect the new feature.

  • Facebook Wanted to Attract New Users as Young as 6

    Facebook Wanted to Attract New Users as Young as 6

    Newly discovered revealed are shedding light on Facebook’s marketing goals, including its plans to target new users as young as 6.

    Facebook is increasingly under fire by consumers and lawmakers alike, accused of putting profits ahead of societal good. Frances Haugen, a former product manager, has blown the whistle on some of the company’s most toxic behavior, shining a spotlight on just how much the company ignores the damage its platform causes in the pursuit of profits.

    According to NBC News, one of the documents Haugen’s attorney provided to the SEC and Congress contained an internal blog post that proposed targeting new age groups below 13 years old. One of the age groups included children as young as 6 to 9 years old.

    “These five age groups can be used to define education, transparency, controls and defaults that will meet the needs of young users,” read the Facebook post.

    Needless to say, critics are jumping on the revelation as the latest example of how much Facebook cannot be trusted.

    “Facebook and Instagram have repeatedly shown that they simply can’t be trusted when it comes to the well-being of children and teens,” said James Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit focused on the intersection of children and technology. “They need to focus on cleaning up their existing platforms instead of trying to hook more children to their addictive platforms at younger and younger ages.”

  • Instagram’s New Collabs Feature Allows Users to Co-Author Posts

    Instagram’s New Collabs Feature Allows Users to Co-Author Posts

    Instagram is unveiling a new feature, Collabs, that will allow separate accounts to co-author posts and share resulting likes.

    Co-authoring posts and collaborating on projects is a popular way for social media content creators to build their brand and attract users. Instagram’s new Collabs feature is likely to be a big hit, allowing users to collaborate on posts and Reels, according to The Verge.

    Collabs are accessed via tagging, giving the second account the option to accept or reject the Collab. Once the two accounts are involved in the Collab, views, likes and comments will be shared between the two accounts.

  • Clubhouse Introduces Music Mode

    Clubhouse Introduces Music Mode

    Clubhouse is targeting musicians with a new feature called “Music Mode.”

    Clubhouse is the audio-first social media platform that took the world by storm. Initially invitation-only, the platform became the place for celebrities and CEOs to give interviews and engage in chats.

    The company is now introducing Music Mode, a feature that should make it more appealing to musicians.

    Clubhouse announced the feature on the company blog:

    “Calling all musicians! Today we’re introducing Music Mode, a new setting that helps you sound your best when performing on Clubhouse. Whether you’re workshopping that new song, playing piano, or hosting a jam session with your friends, Music Mode optimizes Clubhouse to broadcast your music with high quality and great stereo sound. You’ll also be able to use professional audio equipment for your performance, like external USB microphones or mixing boards.”

  • Facebook Makes Changes to Address Children’s Safety and Health

    Facebook Makes Changes to Address Children’s Safety and Health

    In the wake of a reports about how much Facebook’s platforms harm children, the company is making changes in an effort to address concerns.

    Whistleblower Frances Haugen came forward to accuse the company of ignoring its own research that demonstrated just how harmful its platforms are to teens. Haugen even managed to copy tens of thousands of pages of Facebook’s research, adding support to her claims.

    In an interview with Dana Bash, Nick Clegg, VP for Global Affairs, said the company is making changes.

    “We are constantly iterating in order to improve our products,” Clegg told Bash on CNN’s State of the Union. “We cannot, with a wave of the wand, make everyone’s life perfect. What we can do is improve our products, so that our products are as safe and as enjoyable to use.”

    It remains to be seen if Facebook’s efforts will be enough to satiate lawmakers…but we wouldn’t be on it.

  • Instagram Will Require Users’ Birthdays

    Instagram Will Require Users’ Birthdays

    Instagram users will have to provide their birthday to the company if they want to continue using the social media app.

    Like many tech companies, Instagram is taking additional steps to protect children from threats. As part of that, they will require users to disclose their birthday so the company knows which accounts belong to minors.

    The company has made it clear that those refusing to provide the information will not be able to continue using the app.

    “First, we’ll start to ask you for your birthday when you open Instagram. We’ll show you a notification a handful of times and if you haven’t provided us with your birthday by a certain point, you’ll need to share it to continue using Instagram,” writes Pavni Diwanji, VP of Youth Products. “This information is necessary for new features we’re developing to protect young people.”

    The company will also include a birthday request in its warning screens for age-sensitive content.

    “Second, if you see warning screens placed on posts, we’ll ask you for your birthday before you can see the post,” Diwanji conintues. “These screens aren’t new, and we already show them on posts that may be sensitive or graphic, but we don’t currently ask for your birthday when viewing these posts. Now, we’ll start asking for your birthday on some of these screens if you haven’t shared it with us previously.”

    The company has also indicated it’s working on a system to detect when someone lies about their birthday.

  • Paid Ticketed Spaces Come to Twitter

    Paid Ticketed Spaces Come to Twitter

    Twitter is expanding its Spaces feature, adding paid Ticketed Spaces — at least on iOS.

    Spaces is Twitter’s answer to Clubhouse, and provides the ability to have audio conversations with one’s followers. The company is looking to help creators monetize Spaces by providing paid Ticketed Spaces.

    The company announced the feature via (surprise) tweet. Ticketed Spaces is currently rolling out to iOS only, but the company hopes to expand it soon.

  • Clubhouse Removed Personal Information to Protect Afghans

    Clubhouse Removed Personal Information to Protect Afghans

    Clubhouse is the latest social media platform to take steps to protect Afghans in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover.

    The Taliban surprised the world with the speed with which they retook the country, forcing the Afghan president to flee and solidifying their control. For many Afghans, especially ones that supposed US operations or embraced Western values, the resurgence of the Taliban has put them in grave danger.

    According to The Verge, Clubhouse has taken measures to protect its Afghans users, including resetting their bios, resetting their photos and making their accounts harder to find via search. The company said users’ followers were not affected, and users can reverse the changes if they desire.

    Clubhouse’s actions are a welcome effort for many Afghans as they try to survive a difficult transition.

  • Twitter Reverses Design Update After Reports of Headaches and Eye Strain

    Twitter Reverses Design Update After Reports of Headaches and Eye Strain

    Twitter is reversing design changes after users reported eye strain and headaches as a result of the new look.

    The social media platform rolled out a new font and updated look, but some users were immediately impacted by it — and not in a good way. Headaches and eye strain were reported among people with sensory sensitivities, astigmatism and dyslexia.

    Twitter announced it was reversing the changes in an effort to alleviate the problem.

    It remains to be seen if the rollback is permanent and will apply to all, or if the company will offer users a choice between the old and new look.