Sometimes you wonder if companies are really a bit slow. Meta, for example, has spent billions and billions on the Metaverse, but I still get spam messages on Instagram. However, soon there might be fewer of these because Meta is implementing two new procedures. The first one is that you have to request permission to […]
Social Media
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TikTok is scrapping its BeReal clone
TikTok is shutting down its BeReal clone, TikTok Now, according to messages sent to users. TikTok Now was launched over nine months ago, but it is unclear when the feature will disappear completely. The feature was introduced with the aim of promoting “authentic and spontaneous connections on TikTok,” but it was hard to ignore how […]
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It seems there might be a fight between Mark and Elon
Meta seems to be working on a competitor to Twitter, which means Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are on their way to becoming real competitors. In a Twitter thread, Elon mentioned Thread, which appears to be the name for Meta’s alternative. A user commented that Elon better watch out because Zuckerberg has started training in […]
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Meta lowers recommended age limit on Quest from 13 years to 10 years
Meta announces that it will now allow children under the age of 13 to create accounts to experience content on the company’s VR headset, Quest. The new age limit means that children between the ages of 10 and 12 can create accounts with their parents’ consent. Parents must be involved in the account creation process, […]
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Record labels sues Twitter for copyright infringement
The American copyright organization National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) is now suing Twitter, alleging that the platform does not do enough to address the unauthorized sharing of music on its platform. NMPA represents a dozen record labels, including Sony Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, and Universal Music Publishing Group, and lists around 1,700 songs that […]
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Twitter is reportedly no longer paying bills to Google
Platformer has been in contact with sources who claim that Twitter is no longer paying for the services it has purchased from Google Cloud. According to Platformer, Twitter has also stopped paying Amazon for the services it has acquired from them. While Twitter hosts a significant portion of its service itself, some storage and tools […]
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This is Instagrams Twitter Lookalike
This is how Meta’s and Instagram’s “answer to Twitter” could look like. The image is taken from an internal presentation of the app “Project 92,” which may have the public name “Threads,” according to The Verge. The app is intended to use users’ login and account information from Instagram. Meta’s Head of Product Development, Chris […]
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WhatsApp introduces Channels
Today, Meta’s messaging service, WhatsApp, launched a new feature called Channels, which allows businesses or others to broadcast messages to everyone who follows them. Those who manage WhatsApp channels can send text, images, videos, stickers, and polls to users who follow the channel. Users will not have the ability to respond to these messages, and […]
Posted inAI
Instagram is testing an AI chatbot with 30 different personalities
Meta seems to be considering introducing various AI chatbots on Instagram. In a leaked screenshot, we can see how users might be able to choose from 30 different AI personalities to assist with answering questions, providing advice, and writing messages. Other companies, like Meta, have recognized the potential of chatbots. The messaging app Snapchat has […]
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TikTok is testing its own chatbot
TikTok has started testing an AI chatbot called Tako, which can recommend videos based on user inquiries. Tako can respond to various questions and will provide suggestions to help users initiate a conversation with the bot. Currently, the chatbot is being tested on a limited scale in the Philippines and is not available to users […]
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YouTube bids farewell to YouTube Stories
Yesterday, YouTube announced that their feature YouTube Stories, which allowed users to create short video clips that disappeared after seven days, will soon be discontinued. YouTube Stories could only be created and viewed on mobile devices and was likely intended to compete with similar “Story features” on Instagram and Snapchat. In a blog post, YouTube […]
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Meta sells Giphy to Shutterstock at a loss
Three years ago, Facebook acquired the GIF animation service Giphy, but now Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is compelled to sell the service. After the acquisition of Giphy, several competition authorities initiated investigations into the purchase, and the UK competition authority, Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), determined that Meta’s ownership of Giphy was anti-competitive. The American […]
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Meta is building a Twitter competitor
It seems that Meta is eager to start competing with Twitter, and now some more information has leaked about how that might happen. Lia Haberman, who writes the ICIMY newsletter, has obtained a leaked presentation slide showing what appears to be a Twitter-like service from Instagram. You can check out the leaked image above. Judging […]
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Meta receives record fine of 1.2 billion euros
Meta has now been fined 1.2 billion euros by the EU after transferring user data to data centers in the USA, reports Bloomberg. EU courts believe that such data transfers expose EU citizens to privacy breaches, a concern that has been raised since 2013 following revelations by whistleblower Edward Snowden about US mass surveillance programs. […]
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Bluesky Social: The Invite-Only Social Network Everyone’s Talking About
I recently received a beta invite to Bluesky Social, the new social network that’s making waves as a potential alternative to Twitter. I was excited to explore this invite-only platform that’s been gaining traction, especially with high-profile users like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Chrissy Teigen joining the platform. Bluesky is a decentralized social app, conceived by […]
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WhatsApp introduces feature to lock conversations
Today, WhatsApp is introducing a new feature called ‘chat lock’ that allows users to place conversations in a locked folder that can only be accessed with your device’s password or biometric login. When a conversation is locked, the content in the notifications is also hidden, so no one can read the message until the folder […]
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Linda Yaccarino becomes the new CEO of Twitter
On Friday, Twitter’s owner announced that Linda Yaccarino will be the new CEO of the platform. Rumors about Yaccarino becoming Twitter’s new CEO had already started circulating after Twitter revealed the day before that they had found a new female CEO for their social media service. Yaccarino has been working as the advertising chief for […]
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All Discord users’ names are going to be changed
The chat service Discord has decided to remove the unsightly extra digits that people have had after their usernames. These numbers have probably made it easier for Discord to keep track of users, but for the users themselves, it has been nothing but a hassle. These extra digits are often something that users are not […]
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Elon Musk has found a new CEO for Twitter
Twitter’s owner, Elon Musk, announced on Twitter yesterday that he has found a person who will assume the role of CEO for Twitter and its parent company, X. The identity of the new CEO has not been officially announced yet, but Musk writes that it will be a woman who will take over the position […]
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Twitter begins rolling out encrypted direct messages
Twitter has now started rolling out encrypted direct messages, but it is currently not easy to have fully encrypted conversations on Twitter. Firstly, only Twitter Blue users and verified organizations have access to encrypted direct messages on Twitter for now. Since both parties involved in a conversation need to have support for encrypted messages, it […]
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WhatsApp gets a Wear OS app
WhatsApp has started testing a Wear OS 3 app for devices such as the Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch 5. The app displays a list of recently used contacts, and after opening a conversation, you can scroll to see previous messages. You can reply by recording a voice message or opening the system keyboard. In […]
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Twitter to begin removing inactive accounts
Twitter’s owner, Elon Musk, stated yesterday that the service will soon begin removing accounts that have been inactive for years, which will likely lead to some users seeing a decrease in their number of followers on Twitter. In a later tweet, Musk stated that inactive accounts will be archived. It is unclear exactly what that […]
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BeReal now works with Apple Music too
BeReal is the app where you share a daily moment with a group of friends you’ve added to the app. But after being stagnant in development for about a year and also losing users, the app is now getting new features. A week ago, it was integration with Spotify to show your friends what you’re […]
Posted inAI
Snapchat is testing sponsored links in My AI
Snapchat first launched its chatbot “My AI” as recently as February and has since rolled out the new AI feature, powered by ChatGPT, to all users. Now, the platform is taking another step towards a mature product as it starts experimenting with sponsored links in “My AI”. For example, My AI can suggest a local […]
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It will be easier to start using Mastodon
Mastodon, the decentralized social media service that many see as a competitor to Twitter, has made it a little easier for new users to find their place on the platform. One thing that can make using Mastodon a bit complicated is that discussions on the service take place through several different servers (instances). This means, […]
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Meta updates its avatars
Meta has updated the 3D avatars that can be used in their VR service Horizon Worlds, Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram. The update means that users of Meta’s services will be able to change the body type of their 3D avatar, as you can see some examples above, as well as more options to choose different […]
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Now you must be logged in to Twitter to be able to search
Twitter has made a change to its interface, which means that one must now be logged in to the service to use Twitter’s search function. Previously, anyone could use the search function on Twitter’s website. Now, the search box has disappeared for those who do not have an account on the service and have not […]
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Lemon8 Blends TikTok, Pinterest, and Instagram Features: What Is It and How Does It Work?
TikTok has a lesser-known sibling app called Lemon8, developed by the same parent company, ByteDance. As the battle for social media dominance rages on, companies like Meta and ByteDance are creating multiple platforms to strengthen their position. Lemon8 emerged as a response to the potential ban of TikTok in the US and quickly gained fame. […]
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WhatsApp now allows using the app on multiple devices simultaneously
Meta’s messaging service WhatsApp has started rolling out functionality that allows using the same WhatsApp account on multiple phones at the same time. This is obviously useful for those who have more than one phone or for businesses, organizations, and others who share the same WhatsApp account. Previously, it has been possible to use the […]
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TikTok to launch generative AI avatars
TikTok is working on a feature that can create AI-generated profile pictures for users. Like Prisma Labs’ Lensa app, the tool creates different AI-generated images of your face. Lensa was already a relatively popular app, but since this feature would be built directly into TikTok, it’s not entirely unlikely that we will see many more […]