Coronavirus isolation fuels surge in mental health posts on Instagram
Instagram users are turning to the platform to share their struggles with mental health as the ongoing coronavirus spreads, keeping millions of people indoors.
Instagram’s co-watching feature takes the isolation out of social distancing
Instagram's new co-watching feature allows users to scroll with their friends -- liking posts, watching stories, or watching the same Instagram Live together.
As coronavirus pushes millions inside, everyone is streaming on Instagram Live
From comedians to your neighbors, Instagram Live is seeing a huge spike in viewership as the spread of COVID-19 keeps everyone indoors and on social media.
Love Is Quarantine: Instagram dating show pairs couples in ‘pandemic pods’
Instagram account @loveisquarantine is adapting the model of breakout Netflix reality show "Love Is Blind" during coronavirus to create virtual connections.
Online platforms like Facebook are losing yet another ‘infodemic’ war
With cases of Coronavirus on the rise around the globe, online platforms like Facebook and Google are struggling to stem the resulting tide of misinformation.
Boy bullied for love of books gets big surprise on Instagram
There was a happy ending for 13-year-old Callum Manning after he was mocked by fellow students for posting reviews of his favorite books on Instagram.
Moment’s new ‘vibey’ video app Rtro is your ticket to TikTok stardom
The iOS app serves up 14 filters inspired by old film and TV effects. Free to download, an in-app purchase is required to unlock the full collection of looks.
5 alternatives to Instagram and Facebook for photographers
Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter changed the way we share our photographs. But as photographers become more frustrated with algorithms and ads, it might be time to consider some alternatives.
Instagram CEO: Stand-alone app for iPad not coming soon
Instagram doesn’t have enough people on its team to develop a standalone Apple iPad app, according to the CEO, adding that it has not seen much demand for one.
More than Bloomberg: Facebook OKs influencers working with political campaigns
Following Michael Bloomberg's sponsored meme drop on Instagram, the social media giant is issuing new guidelines for creators working with political campaigns.
Instagram may soon bring back the reverse-chronological feed
Instagram may bring back the old reverse-chronological feed. It's experimenting with a new Latest Posts tab, but that's in the testing phase and far from public release.
Instagram may finally let influencers make money off their IGTV videos
Instagram may finally share a piece of its $20 billion ad revenue with creators. The social network is found to be testing a monetization platform for IGTV.
Instagram now lets you see why the same accounts keep appearing in your feed
Instagram users can now see the accounts they interact with the most, and least using a new tool in the app. The feature will begin rolling out in a few days.
Instagram appears to be raking in even more ad cash than YouTube
If you thought YouTube's 2019 ad revenue of $15 billion was a lot, then how about Instagram? Sources claiming to have knowledge of the matter said recently that the popular photo app generated around $20 billion last year. In 2018, Facebook reportedly told Instagram to double the number of ads its shows.
Instagram wants to be both YouTube and TikTok, but it’s succeeding at neither
Instagram's dismissal of the IGTV button on its main app signals the video platform's growing troubles as competitors like TikTok continue to rise. IGTV, while trying to take on both TikTok and YouTube, has evolved into a confusing offering and pushed users to look elsewhere for their vertical content.
Here’s why Instagram removed the IGTV button from its home screen
Instagram has erased the IGTV button from the main page of its app because "very few" people tapped on it. The company says users are accessing IGTV content in other ways, but the loss of the button, and lack of any metrics from the company about IGTV app downloads, has left some wondering how it’s really doing.
Instagram food porn: Top U.K. chef reignites debate over diners’ meal pics
To snap a pic or not to snap a pic. That is the question currently being asked by restaurateurs after a top chef said recently that it bothers him when diners spend time taking photos of his dishes. Heston Blumenthal said a lot of people seem more interested in snapping a picture so they can post it on social media.
Send a DM with a real keyboard as Instagram tests messaging on desktop
Instagram users could soon have access to Direct Messages on the desktop. Instagram confirmed a global test of the feature launched today for a percentage of users, after testing internally last year. The update brings most of the messaging features to the Instagram website.
How to print Instagram photos, from mobile printers to online photo labs
Ready to get your Instagram photos out of your profile and onto your walls? While Instagram doesn't have a built-in option, printing Instagram photos is actually fairly simple. Learn how to print Instagram photos, using your own printer, an app, or a website to create everything from prints to gifts.
Comedian’s Facebook followers raise a colossal $30M for Aussie bushfire aid
Australian comedian Celeste Barber only aimed to raise $30,000 with her online fundraising campaign to help those affected by the bushfires in her home country. But her social media followers have given way, way more, so far donating $30 million in the space of just four days.
The 2010s were a difficult decade for photography, but it’s not black and white
A decade of decline for camera sales was met by a cascade of creativity resulting from the rise of the smartphone and social media. It hasn't all been good, but photography remains a core component of human expression.
Instagram bans influencers from promoting tobacco and vaping in branded content
Social media influencers on Instagram aren't allowed to promote vaping, tobacco products, or weapons anymore as part of a new update on the platform. This is the first instance where the social media platform is restricting the kind of items that can be promoted through branded content.
Digital Trends Live: Instagram’s warning to users, NOLA ransom, weeding robots
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, we dig into the top trending tech stories of the day, including Instagram’s warning to users, illegal streamers plead guilty, New Orleans declares state of emergency after cyber attack, a swim-powered lung, weeding with taser robots, and more.
Instagram will warn you before you post offensive or bullying captions
Instagram is going to use artificial intelligence machine learning to notify its users if a caption contains possibly offensive language, so users have the chance to change their words before posting. The A.I. would be able to learn and recognize different forms of bullying and verbally offensive material.
Influencer’s bizarre plot to steal domain name results in hefty jail term
An Iowa man who took extreme action in order to secure a domain name for his social media business has been handed a 14-year jail term for his efforts. The offender also involved his cousin in the plot, but things took a turn for the worse when they visited the victim’s home to force him to give up the domain.
Digital Trends Live: Instagram’s age requirement, Spotify Wrapped, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Caleb Denison and Drew Prindle dive into the biggest trending stories in tech, including Instagram’s age requirement, Nintendo Switch’s record sales, making a movie with Spectacles 3 glasses, Spotify Wrapped 2019, and more.
No kids allowed, for real this time: Instagram will begin enforcing age rules
Instagram will begin asking users for their birthdays in order to enforce legal age restrictions starting today, the company announced. Technically only people age 13 and older are allowed on Instagram’s platform, but the app had no way to check or confirm a user’s age until now.
Digital Trends Live: Uber loses London, Cybertruck pre-orders, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Adrien Warner break down the biggest trending stories in tech, including Uber losing its London license, more on the foldable Razr, Cybertruck pre-orders, eyeball-tracking driving monitors, Instagram’s A.I. process, and more.
Facebook says white supremacists ‘cannot have a presence’ on the social network
Facebook has removed more than 200 white supremacist organizations from its platform for violating both terrorism and hate speech community standards, a Facebook representative told Digital Trends, part of a broader crackdown on harmful content.
Apple removes Like Patrol’s Instagram ‘stalking app’ from the App Store
The Like Patrol app that alerts you when your Instagram followers like or comment on a photo has been removed from Apple’s App Store for violating its guidelines. Like Patrol has received criticism as a stalking app since it lets its subscribers see every move that the people they follow make.
Clone wars: Instagram is ripping off TikTok because no one likes Facebook
Instagram is capitalizing by the popularity of lip-syncing apps like TikTok and launching its own tool for music videos to Stories. Instagram Reels is a tool that allows users to record 15-second videos to music. The tool is first launching in Brazil today.
Instagram’s IGTV contracts won’t allow creators to make political videos
Instagram's answer to YouTube is IGTV, a platform for longer videos. It's not nearly as popular but is trying to attract talent by paying for some production costs of creators. Yet the contracts stipulate that the videos can't be political --- that includes social issues like health, education, and immigration.
Instagram will begin hiding like counts as part of a U.S. test next week
Instagram continues to tweak its user experience, recently making changes such as removing the following tab and promoting the new version of the explore tab in its place. Now, the company has begun testing out one of its most controversial changes in the United States: Hiding like counts.
Facebook rebrands to make its ‘monopoly’ more obvious across apps
Facebook has a new look -- no, not that Facebook, Facebook the company. The change is designed to differentiate the company from the network, as well as make Facebook's ownership of other apps more obvious. The new logo uses simple text, but comes in many different colors.