This week in Light Start — we’re ready for hidden likes on Instagram (globally), Ford launched a macho EV, Google’s Stadia’s lacking in oomph and Google launches RCS messaging in the US.
Browsing: Instagram
If we asked you what’s the last thing you’d want Facebook to have access to, it’ll probably be your bank account. We have news for you — Facebook has launched its Facebook Pay feature in the US this week, which allows you to… wait for it… send people money via Messenger.
The psychology behind social media and gratification is real. Which could be why Facebook’s image-sharing platform (Instagram) is testing hiding like counts.
We’ve already seen a range of apps adopt the new look, like Gmail, WhatsApp, Twitter and Pinterest. Now Instagram has joined the dark forces.
Instagram recently announced posts promoting diet products and cosmetic procedures will no longer be visible to users under the age of 18. While the initiative is being led by Instagram, the policy will also be in place on Facebook.
Instagram might be the most attractive member of the Facebook family but it could soon be joined by a hopefully-not-annoying younger sibling. Website The Verge has information on a new app in development, called Threads, that is tied to the influencer-populated service.
Facebook’s decision to rebrand its Instagram and WhatsApp apps as part of the Facebook empire, seems ironically well-timed as the…
Faceboook-owned Instagram has terminated its relationship with a marketing company called Hyp3r after it was found that the company was ignoring privacy rules and collecting user data it wasn’t supposed to have. What makes this worse is that the company was listed as a preferred Facebook Marketing Partner for the past year.
Facebook has faced increasing scrutiny from the public and regulators because of digital privacy, and wants to rebrand its other apps: Instagram and WhatsApp.
Instagram’s recent decision to remove its “like” counter from its platform in select geographic regions is an interesting, perhaps long overdue, measure. Although recently users in Canada reported seeing the “like” counter back on for a day, the counter is currently off. The roll-out is a techno-social experiment, and there are advantages — and a few unintended consequences — of such an action.