social media news
You May Soon Be Able to Post on Instagram from Your Desktop
Image sourced from Time /* custom css */ .tdi_4_007.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_007.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Facebook’s picture-sharing social media powerhouse Instagram is currently testing the ability to create posts using web browsers on desktop computers. This new feature was spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra, who posted a series of screenshots to Twitter, demonstrating the new system’s functionalities. NEW! @Instagram lets you create + publish posts via desktop! pic.twitter.com/JWzwKg1kyO — Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) June 24, 2021 /* custom css */ .tdi_3_69e.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_69e.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } “We know that many people access Instagram from their computer,” Facebook spokesperson Christine Pai tol...
Nigerian Government Intensifies Internet Control Bid After Twitter Ban
Image sourced from CNN. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_1d7.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_1d7.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has begun ramping up efforts to regulate online media in Nigeria, just two weeks after Twitter was indefinitely banned in the West African country. Now, the federal government has asked that the House of Representatives pass a law that will enable the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to control all forms of internet broadcasting and social media. Many Nigerian users believe that this is but further attempts to stifle the country’s civic space – effectively crippling free speech and public dissent online. Nigeria Govt is asking House of Reps to amend the NBC Act and include “internet broadcasting”. That...
How VPNs Can Shield Nigerian Users from Government – An Interview with the VP of ExpressVPN
“Outrage as Buhari bans Twitter.” Image sourced from Reuters. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_fa6.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_fa6.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } 5 June, on a brisk Friday evening, the Nigerian government sought to indefinitely ban users in the country from accessing social media network Twitter. A decision based on the government’s reaction to the service’s deletion of a Tweet that was posted from President Muhammadu Buhari’s official Twitter account. In an official statement, the government declared that Twitter was “undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.” The Tweet in question, believed to have been posted by Buhari himself, had been referring to the bloody two-year-long Nigeria-Biafra war. A conflict that saw the deaths of an estimated one to...
You’ll Have to Pay Twitter to Fix Typos in Tweets
Sourced from CNET. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_f37.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_f37.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Twitter’s subscription service “Twitter Blue” includes a way to ‘revise’ tweets before sending them. A service only accessible to users who pay the premium subscription at $4.49. Twitter Blue is the social media sites first premium subscription offering, a move for the company to have more revenue avenues outside of advertising. One of the most important features of the service is the new “undo” button. CNET notes that this will allow users to preview and revise a tweet before it gets posted on their timelines. For many years Twitter users have asked for a method to edit tweets, especially after the company adds a new feature that users haven’t asked for. /* cu...
Twitter Introducing 30-Second Long Full-Screen Ads to Fleets
Image sourced from Mission Statement Academy /* custom css */ .tdi_4_71c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_71c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Twitter has been focusing extensively on adding new features to the service over the last few months in efforts to fuel engagement with users and increase revenue from advertisers. Last year November, Twitter introduced its Instagram and Snapchat-like stories feature, Fleets to mixed reactions from users. However, it seems that the feature has been garnering significant usage as the company plans to introduce up to 30-second long full-screen adverts to Fleets. The adverts will reportedly work similarly to those users stumble across while scrolling past stories on Instagram. Twitter says it will start adding full-screen ads to Fleets, s...
Twitter is Testing New Facebook-like Tweet Reactions
Sourced from Wired. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_f96.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_f96.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Social media juggernaut, Twitter seems to be continuing its roll-out of new features with, what appear to be, Facebook-like Tweet reactions in a bid to better user experience and increase engagement. This comes from a series of tweets from noted app researcher, Jane Manchun Wung. She shows off a WIP version of the system in the Tweet below: Twitter is working on Tweet Reactions view: “Likes”, “Cheer”, “Hmm”, “Sad”, “Haha” The icons for the Cheer and Sad reactions are WIP and shown as the generic heart one at the moment https://t.co/ZCBhH8z7JR pic.twitter.com/dGqq1CzIis — Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) May 28, 2021 /* custom css */ .tdi_3_190.td-a-rec-img{ text...
No Major Changes Expected for Facebook’s Policies Amidst Worldwide Boycott
Sourced from BBC. Facebook and its family of apps have been embroiled in a far-reaching ad boycott of its platforms. The boycott, started by civil rights groups in the US, has been joined by hundreds of companies worldwide, including the likes of Unilever, Microsoft and Coca-Cola. The campaign, #StopHateforProfit, calls for Facebook to implement stricter measures to rid hate speech and racism on its platform during a time when the US is embroiled in daily protests against systemic racism and police brutality. New reports indicate that Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg is not worried by the boycott and has no intention of changing any of Facebook’s policies regarding hate speech or otherwise on its apps. Zuckerberg allegedly says that the boycott is more of a PR issue than one that will harm t...
5 Interesting New Features Coming to WhatsApp
WhatsApp has announced a set of new features coming to the app in the next few weeks, including the launch of WhatsApp Dark Mode for its desktop platform amongst others. “WhatsApp is already used and loved by more than 2 billion people around the world. While our focus remains on providing a simple, reliable and private way for people to chat with friends and family – we also continue to push forward our product design to make sure WhatsApp remains the most useful way for anyone, anywhere to connect,” a blog post about the new features reads. [embedded content] The chat service launched dark mode on its smartphone app for iOS and Android in March and now is set to roll out a version of the interface design for WhatsApp desktop, as well as a few more interesting new features. /* custom css ...
Facebook’s Dark Mode is Now Being Tested on Mobile
Sourced from The New York Times Social media colossus Facebook has confirmed that some of the platform’s users are now able to switch to dark mode on their mobile app. So I have dark mode on Facebook now. 😍 #darkmode #facebook #iOS14 pic.twitter.com/AuC5uYoMJ2 — 🐍🏀💜💛 (@NotFridayCraig) June 26, 2020 These users have begun to post their reactions to the new dark mode on Twitter, showing off screenshots of the new UI. The option is now appearing in the ‘Settings & Privacy’ section of the mobile app of certain users. Facebook has said that, while they have only started rolling out dark mode for mobile users, as of right now the mode is only available for a “small percentage of users globally,” according to Social Media Today. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_...
Mark Zuckerberg Down $7 Billion as Huge Companies Continue to Boycott Facebook
Image sourced from Inc Facebook’s stock price is being hammered by a massive boycott of the social media giant’s major advertisers. CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s personal wealth is also feeling the brunt of the stand-off. As of Saturday last week, Zuckerberg’s net wealth is down around $7 billion, while Facebook’s share price dropped by more than 8% at the close of trading on Friday. Advertising is Facebook’s largest source of income, with the company making $17.4 billion in ad sales alone in the first three months of 2020. Coca-Cola Backs #StopHateforProfit /* custom css */ .tdi_3_83f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_83f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Soft-drink juggernaut Coca-Cola is one of the latest brands to halt all of its social media advertising, backing the #StopHateforPr...
3 New Features Being Tested by WhatsApp that Could Come to Your Phone Soon
Image sourced from YoMZanzi WhatsApp is reportedly testing a series of new features with the latest batch of beta updates for both iOS and Android smartphones. One of the most interesting of these new features is multi-device login support. Multiple logins for various devices Possibly transforming the way we use WhatsApp, a multiple login feature is currently being tested within the beta version of the highly popular messaging app. No longer will users need to log out when switching devices, instead this feature it bent on streamlining the whole process. Gadgets Africa reports that at the moment, you can only have one mobile device signed-in to WhatsApp. The only other devices you can add are a further PC, Mac or use web browsers. You can swap between these but, only one can be logged-in a...
Twitter Tests New Feature Recommending Users Read Articles Before Sharing Them
Image sourced from Mission Statement Academy Hugely popular social media platform, Twitter is now testing a new feature that recommends users read the entire news article before sharing it via retweeting. The company relayed this information via a tweet on their official support account. The feature is being tested on Android devices and will prompt users asking if they’d like to open the article before they share it if they haven’t opened the article on Twitter. “Sharing an article can spark conversation, so you may want to read it before you Tweet it,” the company says. “To help promote informed discussion, we’re testing a new prompt on Android, when you retweet an article that you haven’t opened on Twitter, we may ask if you’d like to open it first.” Sharing an article can spark convers...
