Instagram's new Threads messaging app can send automatic updates to your close friends

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If you keep a Close Friends list on Instagram and are keen on trying a new messaging app, you might want to check out what Instagram is cooking up. The company is testing a new Threads app, which is designed to be a standalone companion messaging app for Instagram. It's a way to contact your Close Friends list and share things like location, speed, and battery life. If those features seem to be familiar to you, it's Facebook's latest attempt to copy many of Snapchat's most popular features. The app will let you send automatic updates to your entire list of friends. It also gives you access to Instagram's full suite of creative tools, which include text, photo, and video messaging.

Facebook abandoned in May its previous attempt to make a standalone messaging app for Instagram. But it looks like the company wants to give it another shot, especially since its CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes that the future of its company will revolve around private messaging.

Source: The Verge

Mark Ronson makes first Instagram Story music video

Grammy-winning producer Mark Ronson partnered with Sony Music and Instagram to release the first-ever interactive music video on the platform's Stories feature. The video was for "Pieces of Us," a song featuring King Princess and off his new album, Late Night Feelings. The phone-filmed video was made specifically for Instagram Stories. With this feature being designed to be temporary, the video will appear in consecutive 24-hour cycles, each offering the viewer a different kind of interaction. Fans are encouraged to engage by adding polls, lyric stickers, and new Augmented Reality filters into their own Stories. Ronson has been incorporating the fan-made versions into his Stories in what Fast Company describes as "some sort of electro-beat, sticker-covered ouroboros." Eventually, the full video will be available on Ronson's IGTV.

Instagram’s new policy could have trolls losing their accounts

A change in Instagram’s policy might deter trolls from engaging in harmful behaviour online—unless they want their accounts deleted. As it stands, Instagram’s policy when it comes to disabling accounts is after a certain percentage of posted content violates its terms. Now, the company will remove accounts with a certain number of violations within a particular time frame. So, if someone goes on a racist, violent, or homophobic Instagram rant, they will be at risk of losing their accounts. This policy is similar to what’s being enforced on Facebook.

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Instagram tries to combat bullying with new features

Instagram is introducing new features that the service is hoping will put a stop to bullying. The first one is already rolling out to users. It’s a new artificial intelligence-backed feature that reminds users to take a step back before making a potentially offensive comment. Users will receive an alert that says “Are you sure you want to post this?” with an undo option and more information hidden behind a Learn More prompt. Instagram claims, “From early tests of this feature, we have found that it encourages some people to undo their comment and share something less hurtful once they have had a chance to reflect.”

Another feature Instagram is introducing will help those bullied to escape those who are tormenting them. Instagram will basically let people restrict access to their accounts. This means if you restrict someone, the comments they make on your account will only be visible to that person. Or you can choose to make these comments visible by approving their comments. People you restrict won’t see if you’re active on Instagram or when you’ve read their messages. According to Instagram, they’ve done this because they “heard from young people in our community that they’re reluctant to block, unfollow, or report their bully because it could escalate the situation, especially if they interact with their bully in real life. Some of these actions also make it difficult for a target to keep track of their bully’s behavior.”

Source: 9to5Mac