Instagram testing out feature to let you tap through posts instead of scroll through them

Suprateek Bose

You thought Instagram was a time suck before, this new feature the social network is testing might just amplify that. Remember how you just tap through Stories to see the next one? Well, Instagram is trying this out with posts, in case, you know, you get tired of scrolling. It’s trying this out with some users and their Explore tabs. And since the Explore tab is filled with content Instagram’s algorithm thinks you’re interested in, we can already imagine what damage this can cause when it comes to trying to stay away from it. And if you do have access to this test, be careful, you might end up double-tapping and liking a post you didn’t intend to.

Source: TechCrunch

Instagram uses machine learning to fight online bullying

Instagram is using machine learning to help put a stop to the spread of bullying on the social media platform. At the same time, the company wants to "spread kindness," at least when it comes to the Stories feature. Right now, you can report bullying content. But with machine learning Instagram believes it will be easier to spot any abusive language in captions or bullying photos. The flagged photos will be directed to the company's Community Operations team for review. Instagram is rolling out the new technology in the coming weeks. The company's bullying comment filter is will also be able to detect and hide any of these comments on live videos.

As for what's new in Stories, there are new filters that puts hearts on the screen in selfie mode and users are being encouraged to tag a friend when they use it. When you turn it to the rear camera, it encourages you to add kind comments onto the image in different languages, if you want.

Source: SlashGear

Instagram testing out splitting longer videos in segments for Stories

While Instagram has IGTV for its long-form videos, it seems it wants to help out Instagram Story users who want to share videos that are longer than 15 seconds. Reddit user T0oYoung discovered that Instagram is letting users record more than 15 seconds and segmenting these clips into chunks for upload. This means you don’t need to trim the videos yourself. Instagram hasn’t officially announced this feature so it’s most likely a test at this point. As Ubergizmo points out, it looks like the text or filters applied on one segment doesn’t seem to carry over to the next one. That said, those who want to share longer clips might appreciate this feature, if it gets official, that is.

Instagram co-founders Systrom and Krieger leave Facebook

In a move that seemingly echoes the earlier departure of WhatsApp co-counder Jan Koum, Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have announced their resignation from Facebook. First reported by The New York Times, the announcement was confirmed by Systrom in a blog post. While Koum reportedly left over apparent disagreements over user privacy and data-sharing, Systrom states they want to take time off “to explore our curiosity and creativity again.” Rumour has it though that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s meddling into how Instagram is run has resulted in the two leaving. But Systrom did not speak out about this in any way. Systrom wrote, “We remain excited for the future of Instagram and Facebook in the coming years as we transition from leaders to two users in a billion. We look forward to watching what these innovative and extraordinary companies do next.”

However, with Instagram being considered Facebook’s most successful acquisition, it seems Facebook is becoming increasingly reliant on Instagram to secure its future. It has been seen as a fast-growing and successful alternative to Facebook for teenage users who have become disillusioned by Facebook’s privacy violations and all the other issues the social network finds itself in, including crises surrounding election interference, fake news, and the perception that Facebook isn’t healthy for democracy or society. With its founders gone, it remains to be seen how independent Instagram will be from its parent company. And whether this would completely change how the app works.

Source: The Verge