LinkedIn, the professional networking platform, is joining the ranks of popular apps such as Instagram and Snapchat by testing out a short-form video feed similar to TikTok. This new feature, discovered by Austin Null, a strategy director at McKinney, introduces a vertical feed of brief videos that can be accessed through a designated “Video” tab in the app’s navigation bar. Users have the ability to swipe through the videos, interact with them by liking, commenting, or sharing, and discover professional content in a more engaging format. LinkedIn publishes a TikTok-style…

Bluesky, a decentralized social media platform seeking to compete with established giants such as X, which is owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has introduced Ozone, an innovative tool that gives users greater control over content moderation. Ozone allows individuals and groups to work together to review and categorize content on the platform, improving the user experience by offering personalized moderation options. With the introduction of Ozone, Bluesky intends to revolutionize the concept of content moderation by opening the platform to independent moderation services. Users will soon be able to use…

Threads, the social media platform similar to Twitter, is enhancing its functionality by adding two long-awaited features – the option to save drafts and take photos directly within the app. Instagram head Adam Mosseri revealed this update, which is designed to improve user experience and simplify the sharing of thoughts and moments. New features in Threads The implementation of these features follows a testing period with a selected group of users and responds to user requests for increased functionality. Mosseri emphasized that these additions are tailored to meet the evolving…

On January 9, 2024, Meta revealed its plan to safeguard teenage users by implementing restrictions on Instagram and Facebook. The company aims to prevent them from accessing potentially harmful content, such as material associated with suicide and eating disorders. This decision follows mounting pressure from federal and state authorities, urging social media platforms to prioritize the safety of teenagers. At the same time, teenagers use social media to seek support from their peers, which they cannot get elsewhere. Efforts to protect teenagers can also inadvertently make it harder to get…

Children’s advocates and lawmakers argue that companies are failing to adequately safeguard young people from a range of issues on social media, including sexual predators, addictive features, suicide and eating disorders, unrealistic beauty standards, and bullying. On Wednesday, the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X and other social media companies went before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify as lawmakers and parents grow increasingly concerned about the impact of social media on young people’s lives. We are on WhatsApp channels. Click to join. The hearing began with recorded testimonies from children…

Florida’s House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill aimed at barring children 16 and younger from accessing social media platforms, following similar measures in several states to limit online risks to young teens. The measure, which passed in a bipartisan vote of 106-13, would require social media platforms to close the accounts of anyone under the age of 17 and use a third-party verification system to screen minors. “We must address the harmful effects that social media platforms are having on the development and well-being of our children,” said…

A recent study conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health revealed that social media companies earned more than $11 billion in advertising revenue from minors in the United States last year. The researchers argue that this highlights the necessity for government intervention in regulating social media, as these companies have not effectively implemented self-regulation measures to protect children. They suggest that implementing regulations and demanding more transparency from tech companies could mitigate the negative impact on youth mental health and prevent harmful advertising practices that specifically target…

In preparation for the upcoming year, the popular decentralized social media platform Bluesky has introduced a fresh update. Following closely after the previous update, which involved a logo redesign featuring a butterfly and making posts accessible to non-account holders, Bluesky now presents update 1.61. This latest update includes the addition of an in-app video and music player for links. Similar to the native player on X (formerly Twitter), users can now watch YouTube videos directly on the platform without having to navigate away. Additionally, Bluesky has introduced a new feature…

In preparation for the Christmas weekend, the popular decentralized social media platform Bluesky has introduced a new update. The Bluesky 1.60 update includes significant additions and redesigns. Notably, the platform has unveiled a new logo, replacing its previous blue sky with white clouds with a butterfly. The company explained that this logo change was prompted by users naturally using the butterfly emoji to represent their Bluesky handles. Additionally, the platform now allows posts to be public by default (unless users choose otherwise), enabling anyone to view and search for posts…

Britain could consider further measures to protect young people from social media risks in the New Year after introducing new online safety laws targeting children and cracking down on illegal content, a minister said. The online safety law, which became law in October, requires platforms such as Meta’s Instagram and Alphabet’s YouTube to strengthen enforcement of illegal content and age verification measures. Major platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat require users to be at least 13 years old. According to a Bloomberg report, the British government is looking into…

Starting from December 5, the Discord mobile app has undergone a significant overhaul, with the new design already being made available to users. This widely-used messaging and social media platform, primarily catering to the gaming community, is introducing substantial enhancements to specific features, as well as an overall revamp for others. Users have long expressed concerns about the app’s disorganized interface, where various functions were scattered without a convenient means of locating or accessing them promptly. Discord has now tackled this problem with the latest update, and we will delve…

Many advertisements on social platforms promote products labeled as “green”. Power companies claim to be “carbon neutral”, electronics are marketed as being “for the planet”, clothing is advertised as “circular”, and travel is promoted as “sustainable”. However, our research, which analyzed over 8,000 ads displayed over 20,000 times on Facebook, reveals that numerous green claims are ambiguous, lack substance, or are unsupported, potentially leading consumers to be misled. This costs consumers, as products claimed to be greener are often more expensive. And it’s costing the planet because false and exaggerated…