Tag: Instagram

  • 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’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.

  • Signal and Telegram Big Winners Amid Facebook’s Outage

    Signal and Telegram Big Winners Amid Facebook’s Outage

    Signal and Telegram saw millions of people flock to their platforms, thanks to Facebook’s hours-long outage Monday.

    Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp went down late Monday morning, in what is one of the biggest outages the company has ever experienced. Given how much people rely on Messenger and WhatsApp for daily communication — both personal and business — people started looking for alternatives during the outage.

    Telegram saw such an influx of users that it experienced some issues of its own. Meanwhile, Signal said it gained millions of new users in a tweet.

  • 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.

  • TikTok Reaches 3 Billion Downloads, the First Non-Facebook App to Do So

    TikTok Reaches 3 Billion Downloads, the First Non-Facebook App to Do So

    TikTok has hit a major milestone, becoming the first mobile app outside of Facebook’s ecosystem to reach 3 billion downloads.

    TikTok has been one of the fastest growing social media platforms, despite ongoing privacy concerns. The service has now become the first non-Facebook app to cross 3 billion downloads, according to SensorTower.

    “With the 3 billion install milestone, TikTok is the fifth non-game app to join a tier that’s historically been the exclusive domain of Facebook,” writes Stephanie Chan, SensorTower Mobile Insights Strategist. “Based on worldwide installs from the App Store and Google Play and excluding pre-installed apps, the four other apps that have accrued more than 3 billion installs since January 2014 include WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook, and Instagram.”

    The milestone is even more impressive when considering the pressure TikTok has been under, being banned in India and narrowly surviving a US attempt to ban it.

  • Majority of States Oppose Instagram for Children

    Majority of States Oppose Instagram for Children

    Attorneys general for 44 states and territories have come out in opposition to Facebook’s plans for a version of Instagram for children under 13.

    Facebook has been planning to roll out a version of the popular social media platform for children under the age of 13, a group that enjoys special protection under the law. Facebook is believed to be in the early stages of planning, with no concrete timelines having been announced.

    Nonetheless, AGs for Massachusetts, Nebraska, Vermont, Tennessee, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming are voicing their opposition.

    In a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the AGs outlined their concerns, not the least of which was the impact early exposure to social media has on young minds.

    First, research increasingly demonstrates that social media can be harmful to the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of children. “In the last decade, increasing mental distress and treatment for mental health conditions among youth in North America has paralleled a steep rise in the use of smartphones and social media by children and adolescents.” Research shows a link between young people’s use of social media and the “increase in mental distress, self-injurious behavior and suicidality among youth.” In fact, an online-monitoring company tracking the activity of 5.4 million children found that “Instagram was frequently flagged for suicidal ideation, depression and body image concerns.”

    Another major concern was the risk of cyberbullying, with the letter highlighting that 42% of young Instagram users had experienced cyberbullying, the highest rate of any social media platform.

    The AGs also took Facebook to task for its track record protecting young users and their privacy.

    Third, Facebook has a record of failing to protect the safety and privacy of children on its platform, despite claims that its products have strict privacy controls. Reports from 2019 showed that Facebook’s Messenger Kids app, intended for kids between the ages of six and 12, contained a significant design flaw that allowed children to circumvent restrictions on online interactions and join group chats with strangers that were not previously approved by the children’s parents. Just recently, a “mistake” with Instagram’s algorithm promoted diet content to users with eating disorders, where the app’s search function recommended terms including “appetite suppressants” and “fasting” to vulnerable people who were at risk of relapsing. These alarming failures cast doubt on Facebook’s ability to protect children on their proposed Instagram platform and comply with relevant privacy laws such as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

    It remains to be seen if Facebook will change course or continue with its plans. If it does continue, it may face significant legal challenges given the opposition it is already experiencing.

  • Here’s the Home Office Everyone Is Freaking Out About on Instagram

    Here’s the Home Office Everyone Is Freaking Out About on Instagram

    When you’re a fashion blogger, your good taste is everything, so it’s no surprise that Christine Andrew of Hello Fashion.