WhatsApp now lets you add music to your Status update
WhatsApp is primarily about keeping in touch with people, be that friends, family, colleagues, businesses or some other group. But there is also the option to update your Status to indicate what you’re up to, how you’re feeling, or any other number of creative possibilities.
Now WhatsApp has opened up a new option -- adding music to Status updates. This gives you the option of complementing a photo or video Status with a backing track, and WhatsApp says it has millions of songs that you can use.
Facebook is ditching its recommendation algorithm with a huge Friends tab update
Life online, particularly on social media platforms, is driven by algorithms that make constant recommendations to users in an attempt to keep them engaged for longer. While algorithms have their place, there has been a massive backlash against their incessant use on the likes of Facebook, partly because they gobble up personal data, but also because the recommendations are often rubbish.
This is something that apparently even Facebook is aware of. The social media giant has just announced that it is going back to its roots with a massive update to the Friends tab. Here, users are promised that they will be shown only content from their friends and no recommended content at all.
TikTok launches Security Checkup tool to help users keep their accounts protected
Embattled social platform TikTok has announced a new Security Checkup tool. It has been designed as a one-stop dashboard where users can check and update all of their account security settings.
The security tool is similar to those provided by the likes of Google and Meta, and it helps to promote the idea of users being proactive in ensuring account security. Importantly, there is a lot of hand-holding to eliminate the feeling of intimidation that some people may otherwise have felt about security issues such as passkeys and two-step verification.
Study finds that Instagram is beneficial to the wellbeing of queer youth
There is much said about the negative impact of social media on mental health and general welfare, but a new study suggests that there are benefits too -- especially for minority and marginalized groups such as the LGBTQIA+ community.
In particular, Instagram has been found to be a boost to the wellbeing of queer young people. Surveys of Instagram users in the United States and Poland showed that access to supportive online communities brought about a range of psychological benefits.
Meta announces that Facebook Live videos will no longer be saved forever
Meta has made a surprise announcement about Facebook Live video. The company has updated its video storage policy, and this means that live streams will no longer be stored indefinitely.
This is a significant change from the social media giant. Meta says that it is aligning its storage policies with industry standards, and the impact will be noticed by many. Videos that were once stored forever will now be automatically deleted after just 30 days -- so you need to act now.
TikTok creators can easily share their content to YouTube thanks to new Repurpose.io partnership
YouTube has announced a partnership with Repurpose.io designed to make multi-platform publishing easier than ever. An automated system makes it possible to repost TikTok content, as well as Instagram Reels, as YouTube Shorts.
The uncertain future of TikTok in the US has shaken creators who have built up substantial and lucrative followings on the Chinese-owned social platform. YouTube is eager to make the most of this uncertainty, and is clearly hoping that the new Repurpose.io partnership will help it to steal TikTok users.
Famm Connect is a queer-focused LinkedIn for establishing LGBTQIA+ business connections
Finding the right platform through which to make meaningful and valuable connections can be difficult, and this is certainly true for LGBTQIA+ professionals and business owners. LinkedIn may be the go-to platform for establishing business connections, but it is very broad and almost too big.
Stepping in to fill a significant gap in the market is Famm Connect, which is billed as “the first mobile app for LGBTQ+ professionals” and the “queer LinkedIn”. The aim is to create a safe environment to establish connections and relationships.
All social media platforms can learn from Instagram’s option to reset content recommendations
A huge proportion of what you encounter on social media platforms is selected by algorithms (this should be news to very few people), and algorithms are problematic.
The content that is pushed to you is supposed to be based on your past interactions, the people you are connected to, the things you like, and so on, but it is easily polluted and corrupted. And this is why Instagram’s current test that gives users a way to reset their recommendations and start afresh is so welcome.
European Commission says Bluesky is breaking European rules
Social media darling Bluesky is wooing users and drawing many away from X. But while the platform is enjoying a meteoric rise in popularity, the European Commission is unimpressed with its failure to disclose information.
The commission points out that all social media platforms operating within the European Union must clearly publish key pieces of information, including how many EU users there are. Bluesky does not do this, nor reveal where the company is legally established.
X starts the rollout of update that renders blocking near-pointless
Back in September, Elon Musk announced upcoming changes to the blocking feature of X. Once fully implemented, the change means that when an X user blocks someone, that blocked user will still be able to see all of the content posted by the blocker, although no interaction will be possible.
The precise reasons for changing the functionality of blocking in this way is not really clear, but it is something that has sparked concern. In addition to risks to privacy, there are also worries about what the changes could mean for victims of cyber-stalking.
Adding contacts to WhatsApp just got a whole lot easier
Managing WhatsApp contacts has proved to be a frustrating friction point for many users, and Meta has just announced that it is taking steps to simplify things.
As well as making it possible to add contacts via the web interface and Windows app, soon it will be possible to use linked devices -- not just your primary mobile -- to manage them. There are also new privacy controls including the option to create WhatsApp-only contacts to keep your main address book separate. And there is more on the horizon, with contact usernames being a particular highlight.
Elon Musk risks privacy backlash by permitting accounts you’ve blocked on X to see your posts
If you’ve decided to stick with X after Elon Musk took over Twitter and started to systematically destroy anything good that was left there (which, admittedly was not much) you’ve probably made extensive use of the Block function to filter out some of the crap that flows through the social media sewer. Now the value of blocking is about to be diminished.
Musk has confirmed that the functionality of the block button is changing. The change means that while an account you have blocked will not be able to interact with you or your posts, they will be able to see any posts that you’ve written. It’s an idea that has already been met with criticism, with many voicing concerns about privacy implications.
Tweak your settings in X if you don't want Elon Musk using your data to train Grok AI
Artificial intelligence is underpinned by the data used to train it, and even in this early stage of the game this has already proved controversial. In addition to complaints about the use of copyrighted content to train AIs, concern has also been voiced about the use of personal data.
Elon Musk, unsurprisingly, wants a slice of the AI pie, and is looking to train up the Grok AI model. The social platform formerly known as Twitter, X, is being used as a source of training data, meaning that your tweets (sorry, posts) are, by default, being sucked up for this very purpose.
WhatsApp announces huge improvements to calling across all platforms
Whether you use WhatsApp on the desktop, or on your mobile device, there are a raft of changes and improvements coming to enhance the call experience.
Rolling out over the next few weeks, the changes include support for video calls with up to 32 people across all devices. There is also the arrival of sharing audio when screen sharing, and a switch to the new, more efficient codec means that you can expect higher call quality even when connectivity is poor.
Elon Musk announces that Likes are now private for all X users
Making good on a promise made earlier this year, X has confirmed that Likes have now been made private for all users on the social platform. Elon Musk says that that change has been made because it is "important to allow people to like posts without getting attacked for doing so".
Hiding Likes was something that was only previously available to paying X subscribers, but now it has rolled out to everyone. Musk is already claiming that there has been a "massive increase" in Likes since they were made private.
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