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Facebook Launches Initial Test of its Clubhouse-Like Audio Rooms in Taiwan

With Clubhouse downloads slowing, and Twitter broadening access to its audio ‘Spaces’ tool, Facebook’s new audio social options look set to shake-up the trend even further, with the company now launching the first public test of its recently announced audio tools with users in Taiwan.

As reported by Bloomberg:

“Facebook is starting the first test of its Live Audio Rooms product with public figures and creators in Taiwan, part of an expansion of the company’s audio services.”

Facebook announced its coming audio social tools last month, which will eventually include audio-only Rooms, podcast listening and discovery tools, and a new ‘Soundbites’ functionality that will enable users to create short-form audio clips using a range of effects and tools.

But audio rooms, which is now getting a first public test, is the most direct assault on the Clubhouse-inspired trend.

As you can see here, Facebook’s audio rooms will look very much like Clubhouse’s own rooms UI, while Facebook is also adding its creator payment ‘Stars’ process into the new function, to ensure audio creators can monetize their efforts from the get-go.

Given that Facebook already supports video Rooms, scaling that back to audio shouldn’t be a huge leap, technically, but even so, Facebook is taking a measured approach to the roll-out.

As Bloomberg notes:

“For the initial rollout [in Taiwan], Facebook is limiting the test to what it says is a handful of public figures while planning to bring Live Audio Rooms to Facebook Groups as well.”

Providing audio social tools within groups could ultimately be the key to Facebook’s success with audio rooms – because while giving everyone access to audio rooms is great, the problem then becomes discovery, and finding the right audio rooms that are relevant to each users’ individual interests.

Clubhouse is already having issues with this element, with users complaining about too many notifications and too many rooms happening at once, diluting overall quality, from a personal engagement standpoint. Twitter’s Spaces are the same – while Twitter hasn’t worked out its Spaces discovery process as yet, it is possible to search for in-progress rooms if you have a moment and you’re looking to tune in.

The problem then, however, is similar to the problem with live-streaming – with so many people now able to stream, the sheer volume of options available makes it increasingly hard to sift through the content, and find anything relevant.

But by making groups a focus, Facebook eliminates this element – because the audio rooms that you see, and which are highlighted to you in-app, will be based on your noted interests. The in-progress streams displayed in your feed will stem from the groups that you’ve chosen to join, so it automatically addresses the discovery problem, without any algorithm intervention.

Which is why this is such a clever move from Zuck and Co. – and when you also consider that over 1.8 billion people are active in Facebook groups every month, it really could prove to be the killer element within Facebook’s broader audio social roll-out.

It’s a simple, but effective way to address what will become the next big problem with audio rooms, as usage expands. And while it may be annoying to see Facebook steal another app’s idea and dominate it once again, unless the other apps can improve discovery, that is, most likely, what’s going to happen – which is also why Reddit’s audio ‘Reddit Talk’ option will also likely prove to be another winner in the audio social race in the longer term.

Which could also, eventually, leave Clubhouse on the outer.

It’s too early to write off any idea as yet, and I do think that both Twitter and Instagram, with its audio-only live-streams, will see success among those looking to broadcast to larger audiences in-app.

But in terms of repeat usage, and maximizing engagement, it will come down to discovery, and Facebook, with groups, along with its other user data insights, is already in the lead in this respect.

If you were betting on the long-term, I’d be tipping Facebook to become the audio social leader in this respect.

Originally Appeared Here

Facebook rules to ban content are ‘shambles’, internally inconsistent: Oversight Board

Facebook Inc’s oversight board on Sunday said that the social media giant’s policies around banning controversial content are a “shambles” and the firm needed to introduce regulations for strict enforcement of credible and authentic information. Michael McConnell’s remarks came as Facebook’s advisory panel decided to keep the indefinite ban on former President Donald Trump’s Instagram and Facebook account over inciting violence at the capitol on January 6. In a televised statement, McConnell told Fox News Sunday, “Their rules are a shambles, they are not transparent. They are unclear. They are internally inconsistent.” He continued, “We gave them a series of recommendations about how to make their rules clearer and more consistent.” McConnell indicated that Facebook’s content oversight committee would work on major reform policies to regulate the content on its platform, saying: “The hope is that they will use the next few months to do that and then when they come back and look at this, they will be able to apply those rules in a straightforward way.”

Referring to the ban placed on ex-US leader and commander-in-chief Donald Trump’s account, McConnell said that his was the “plain violation” of Facebook’s rules as he had expressed inclination and support for the revolting mob that led to the January 6 insurrection. The Facebook oversight board member added, that Trump “issued statements which were just egging on — with perfunctory asking for peace, but mostly, he was just egging them on to continue.” The ex-federal judge furthermore said that he had handed the social media giant a certain amount of time to get “their house in order.” Adding that Facebook exercises “too much of power” and likewise the leaders, McConnell said, “Trump is subject to the same rules on Facebook as everyone else, and the Oversight Board held that this was in fact a violation and thus Facebook was justified in taking them down.”

“What we are trying to do is bring some of the most important principles of the First Amendment, of free expression law globally, into this operation. Facebook exercises too much power. They are arbitrary. They are inconsistent. And it is the job of the Oversight Board to try to bring some discipline to that process,” McConnell, Facebook Oversight Board chair said in live stream televised address on Sunday.

Strict policies to combat ‘disinformation’

Earlier, the White House said that the social media platforms such as Facebook need to have strict policies on combating disinformation and misinformation — especially related to life-threatening issues like COVID-19 and vaccinations that continue to proliferate on their platforms. At a presser, the White House secretary Jen Psaki was asked by a reporter about Facebook’s decision to keep the ban on the former President Donald Trump’s account, which was placed after he allegedly incited the January 6 insurrection. Psaki was asked about its impact on the First Amendment rights as a US citizen. “The President’s view is that the major platforms have a responsibility related to the health and safety of all Americans to stop amplifying untrustworthy content, disinformation, and misinformation, especially COVID-19 and elections,” the White House Press secretary said.

Originally Appeared Here

Amid Rising Calls for a Re-Assessment of its Plans, Facebook is Pushing Ahead with Instagram for Kids

Would a separate ‘Instagram for Kids’ be a good idea, or would it expose youngsters to the dangers of social media, and the broader web, too early – and in Instagram’s case in particular, add undue mental pressure, and facilitate cyberbullying, among increasingly younger and more susceptible users?

Clearly, many experts and regulators are leaning towards the latter, with a new call from lawmakers in the US for Facebook to halt its plans for an Instagram for Kids, noting the potential harms and dangers that could be facilitated, and amplified, by such an app.

As reported by CNBC:

“Attorneys general from 44 states and territories have urged Facebook to abandon its plans to create an Instagram service for kids under the age of 13, citing detrimental health effects of social media on kids and Facebook’s reportedly checkered past of protecting children on its platform.”

The AGs letter cites various research reports which indicate that young people’s use of social media can increase “mental distress, self-injurious behavior and suicidality among youth”.

“Young children are not equipped to handle the range of challenges that come with having an Instagram account. Children do not have a developed understanding of privacy. Specifically, they may not fully appreciate what content is appropriate for them to share with others, the permanency of content they post on an online platform, and who has access to what they share online.”

The letter further highlights Facebook’s previous failings in protecting younger users, with this specific example relating to its previous junior version of one of its apps – Messenger for Kids:

“Reports from 2019 showed that Facebook’s Messenger Kids app, intended for kids between the ages of six and 12, contained a significant design flaw that allowed children to circumvent restrictions on online interactions and join group chats with strangers that were not previously approved by the children’s parents.”

Indeed, Facebook confirmed in 2019 that there was a potential issue with the group chats feature in Messenger for Kids, which was quickly resolved, and there was no evidence that it was exploited. But still, when the key focus of the app is protecting kids, and it fails to do so, in any way, Facebook is rightly going to be held accountable for such.

But then again, Messenger for Kids, overall, has remained relatively incident-free, and is now up to 7 million monthly active users, so clearly, many children and parents are seeing value in the app. That’s been amplified even further during the pandemic, throughout which Messenger for Kids has facilitated connection while we’ve all remained physically separate.

More kids are using the app, and seeing benefit from digital connection, while it’s also helping them learn the pros and cons of social media at a younger age, which is important, given the critical role it now plays in our overall interactive process.

Given this, maybe Instagram for Kids makes sense. Maybe?

The logic of the proposal, as noted by Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, is that by providing a separate Instagram for Kids platform that will, ideally, stop younger users from seeking to join the main app instead, where the risks of unwanted exposure to the ills of the broader web are far greater.

“I have no doubt in my mind that this is a safer and better and more sustainable outcome for everyone involved.”

Mosseri and the Instagram team are already well along the way in developing Instagram for Kids, which will include various safeguards, while like Messenger for Kids, parents will maintain full control over who their kids can communicate and interact with in the app.

Despite ongoing criticism of the project, which also includes a recent call from an international coalition of 35 children’s and consumer groups for Facebook to halt plans for the app, Mosseri clearly believes that this is the right way forward.

“It’s our responsibility to do the right thing, even if we get slapped around a little bit.”

There will be no ads in an Instagram for Kids, and no data collection on kids’ activities, as such. Facebook also says that it’s working with experts in child development, child safety and mental health, as well as privacy advocates on the project.

So it’s crossing off all the necessary boxes – but still, there’s clearly significant concern around Instagram usage among minors specifically, which may prompt Facebook to put a hold on the development in order to reevaluate before taking the next steps.

Or Facebook will push ahead anyway – as Mosseri notes, the company is willing to take a PR hit, if it believes it’s on the right track.

But is it?

Given the app’s focus on image, and the heavily edited, airbrushed, Photoshop aesthetic that Instagram has popularized over time, which can give users an entirely skewed view of what other people actually look like, and how they compare as a result. With this in mind, is potentially adding that type of pressure to younger people a good move?

Clearly, many experts agree that it’s a major concern.

Will Facebook take that on-board, or keep moving on its growth path?

Originally Appeared Here

How to do the Music Challenge on Instagram? Be a part of the viral social media wave

Today, Instagram has become much more than a platform that allows picture posting. As the number of users operating on the platform saw a massive surge in the past two years, it was quite inevitable for the platform to bring more features to the table to hold the users’ attention. As a result, Instagram started investing in Reels, Stories and bringing about fun challenges. A recent example is the Bill Clinton Swag challenge that gained a lot of popularity. Currently, a new challenge called the ‘Music Challenge’ has been floating around everybody’s Instagram stories. This challenge is a fun way to share your favourite song with your followers through your Instagram story. Check this article for a tutorial on how to do the music challenge on Instagram.

How to do the Music Challenge on Instagram?

Download any of the 30 day Music Challenge template available on the Internet. Check our article for templates.
In the span of 30 days, all you have to do is list each song that you like in the scenario instructed on the template to participate. For eg. Day 1 – A song you like with a colour in the title.
To get started, go to your Instagram story and upload the music challenge template you downloaded to it.
Click on the stickers icon listed above in the form of a smiley and search for a checkmark or a circle sticker to post against the challenge you’re taking up.
Click on stickers again to add the music you choose for the challenge. Browse the song of your choice and alter it according to the timestamps provided for it. For eg. Day 1 – Coldplay Yellow
You can also add the lyrics of the song by scrolling through the ‘Aa’ options listed with the song. Or you can just opt for the album artwork with the name of the song and the artist as well.
Once the song is selected, tag your friends to get the challenge going by simply adding ‘@’ alongside the users’ name.
Upload.

Many social media platforms have incorporated viral challenges after seeing the success of Instagram. Not only do these challenges gather people together but they also help people cope with the uncertainty of the new normal by keeping us occupied. A few other challenges you can try your hands on are the Savage challenge, Don’t Rush challenge, Workout challenge and the Aurora challenge.

IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK

Originally Appeared Here

Clubhouse Finally Launches Android Version – But is it Already Too Late?

It’s taken some time – and no doubt some scrambling at Clubhouse HQ – but finally, an Android version of the audio social platform is now available, in limited beta for now, with a wider launch coming soon.

As explained by Clubhouse:

“Today, we are thrilled to share that Clubhouse for Android will start rolling out in beta immediately. We will begin gradually, with the U.S. today, followed by other English-speaking countries and then the rest of the world. Our plan over the next few weeks is to collect feedback from the community, fix any issues we see and work to add a few final features like payments and club creation before rolling it out more broadly.”

Clubhouse’s Android app does have some significant limitation at launch, including the lack of options to follow topics, inability to create or manage clubs, and no capacity to update your name or update username in-app, among others. But it is finally here, which has been a long time coming, and is a critical step for the next stage of the app’s development.

Clubhouse’s lack of an Android app has become a significant growth impediment of late, with Twitter, Facebook and Instagram all adding Clubhouse-like audio social options that could end up slowing the Clubhouse’s potential Android user take-up. If you can tune in to all the audio social rooms you want, in the apps that you’re already familiar with – which are available on your device right now – do you really need Clubhouse in your life?

The growing variety of audio social tools has now made this a real question, and while Clubhouse may have originated the audio social trend, these newer offerings are refining it, in various ways, which poses a major challenge for Clubhouse as it looks to capitalize on its early momentum, and maximize its audience growth.

Which is already slowing – according to data from Sensor Tower, Clubhouse’s total download numbers fell 72% in March, after peaking at 9.6 million in February.

You can see that same downward trend in the app’s daily download rankings:

As you can see, while Clubhouse is still seeing small boosts in download numbers, the downward trend here is clear.

This can largely be attributed to its lack of an Android app (though these, of course, are only iOS numbers), the rising competition within the audio social space, as noted, and Clubhouse’s invite-only approach, which is designed to both enhance the FOMO factor and fuel more interest in the app, while also alleviating stress on Clubhouse’s servers.

Which will still be in place for the new Android version:

“As a part of the effort to keep the growth measured, we will be continuing the waitlist and invite system, ensuring that each new community member can bring along a few close friends. As we head into the summer and continue to scale out the backend, we plan to begin opening up even further, welcoming millions more people in from the iOS waitlist, expanding language support, and adding more accessibility features, so that people worldwide can experience Clubhouse in a way that feels native to them.”

This was once one of Clubhouse’s key growth features, with its invite-only approach making Clubhouse invites a desired digital item, with many even being auctioned off on eBay for ridiculous prices. But with more audio social options arriving on the scene, it’s now become a limitation – though it does also serve a practical purpose, which Clubhouse further explains:

“Earlier this year, Clubhouse started growing very quickly, as people all over the world began inviting their friends faster than we had ever expected. This had its downsides, as the load stressed our systems- causing widespread server outages and notification failures, and surpassing the limits of our early discovery algorithms. It made us shift our focus to hiring, fixing, and company building, rather than the community meetups and product features that we normally like to focus on. It was an important time of investment, which we think will help us serve the community much better in the long run.”

This is a problem that its competitors don’t have, because most have already built the infrastructure to host multi-participant video streams, meaning that, if anything, downgrading their video tools to audio only is a step back from a data load perspective, while Clubhouse is working to keep up. That puts more pressure on the Clubhouse team to invest heavily in infrastructure to accelerate growth, which it can still do, but as Clubhouse itself notes, its sudden growth has put its systems under significant strain.

And if it can’t open up more widely, and maximize its recommendation algorithms, it’s at huge risk of being superseded by the bigger platforms, which are already starting from a stronger position, with broader reach, better, more personally attuned algorithms, and improved audio features. And those tools are being updated and refined every single day.

Can Clubhouse stay up with the bigger players, even with the arrival of its Android app?

The key likely comes down to two things: creator incentives and algorithm refinement.

On the first, Clubhouse has already announced the first round of finalists for its Creator Accelerator program, which will eventually see 20 Clubhouse-based projects receive training, funding and support to help develop their concepts. That will, ideally, help the platform keep more of its top broadcasters aligned with the app, while Clubhouse is also working on creator payments as another means to build incentive systems to keep broadcasters, and their audiences, coming back again and again.

On the second, many users have already noted that, even at this stage, its become more and more difficult to find Clubhouse rooms that are aligned with their interests. That will only get worse as the app opens up to more people, so Clubhouse needs to work on its algorithm tools to ensure that each user is being alerted to the most relevant content to them, in order to keep them active – and again, returning to the app.

As Clubhouse notes, it is working on this, while it’s also recently added scheduled room listings on user profiles and RSVP tools to help improve its systems. This will become an increasingly complex technological process as more users get access, but if Clubhouse wants to keep competing with its better-resourced competitors, it will need to invest heavily in this element, in order to maximize audience engagement.

That’s how TikTok has been able to stick around, and become a significant competitor in the social space. Because every TikTok clip is full-screen, TikTok is better able to determine user interests based on each and every clip, and the TikTok team has worked to build in a range of measurement factors based on the content of each clip, which has helped it build a highly responsive, and heavily refined, personalization algorithm that’s able to suck users in, and keep them coming back and scrolling through its video clips for hours on end.

Clubhouse doesn’t have the same advantages that TikTok does in this respect, but it can work to establish connections between the rooms each person visits, how long they spend in each, the people they regularly listen to, etc. Using these factors, Clubhouse can create an effective personal recommendation algorithm, which could still see it become a more significant audio social option over time.

But the path ahead is not easy, and Clubhouse seems like it’s already stretched as it works to keep pace.

It can still win out, with a dedicated audience, and expanding reach, along with engaged creators and a ‘cool factor’ that the other, legacy social apps simply don’t have at this stage.

But the challenge is significant, and rising.

Hopefully, the arrival of an Android app, slightly ahead of schedule, is a sign of more good things to come for the Clubhouse team.

Android users can download Clubhouse for Android and sign up now to be alerted once it’s available to you, while you can read more about the app’s Android release here.

Originally Appeared Here

Twitter Opens Spaces to All Users with Over 600 Followers, Announces New Spaces Features

The next phase of the audio social push is here, with Twitter announcing that its Clubhouse-like Spaces feature is now being made available to all users, on both iOS and Android, with over 600 followers.

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Twitter Spaces is rolling out to more people! now everyone can tap in to join a Space and more of you can host pic.twitter.com/ReSbKTlDCY

— Twitter (@Twitter) May 3, 2021

That is a big expansion of Spaces, which, up till now, has been in limited test mode, especially on Android, which it started experimenting with back in March. The push to open up Spaces to Android users has been inspired, in part, by Clubhouse’s lack of Android option, and this new shift will heap a lot more pressure onto the Clubhouse team.

And the 600 follower limit is also a clever, Clubhouse-inspired move.

As explained by Twitter:

“We’re bringing the ability to host a Space to all accounts with 600 or more followers on Twitter. Based on what we’ve learned so far, these accounts are likely to have a good experience hosting live conversations because of their existing audience. Before bringing the ability to create a Space to everyone, we’re focused on learning more, making it easier to discover Spaces, and helping people enjoy them with a great audience.”

Opening up the option to millions of new users who have 600 or more followers essentially suggests that Twitter could open it up to everybody straight away, as it’s not technical limitations that are restricting its expansion, as is the case with Clubhouse.

Which makes sense – Spaces is built on the existing Periscope infrastructure, so it’s not incredibly difficult for Twitter to provide support for audio rooms quickly, and for all users – but by limiting it to certain accounts, it adds a level of FOMO and exclusivity, which will likely make those who do have access more likely to host their own Spaces and test it out, while it builds excitement among those without access before they too are able to create their own.

Which has been a key element in the Clubhouse hype machine. Clubhouse gained significant traction, early on at least, by being the place to be, an invite-only exclusive for the coolest of people who were able to secure a much-coveted app invite.

That approach helped boost the aura of Clubhouse beyond the functionality alone, and although Clubhouse has lost some momentum of late, that early hype helped boost the app, and its functionality, which has played a key role in making audio social the next big thing.

But now, that approach also become a crutch. With Clubhouse downloads slowing, and Twitter now getting to Android before it, the app is now at significant risk of losing its grip on the trend that it began.

Will potential Clubhouse users who can now start their own Spaces on Twitter even bother downloading the app? Will big broadcasters who’ve already build large audiences on Twitter be as keen to broadcast in Clubhouse, to much smaller crowds, when Spaces is available instead?

There are definitely some signs that the Clubhouse hype train is slowing down. Over the weekend, I noted that several big name audio broadcasts were held on Spaces instead of Clubhouse, which seems significant.

The expansion of Spaces to all users only looks set to exacerbate that trend.

And that’s not all that Twitter is adding.

In addition to making Spaces available to many more users, Twitter has also announced a new ticketed Spaces option, which is currently being tested with selected users.

As per Twitter:

“Hosts put time and effort into creating space for conversation, connection and fun. Now, we’re working on a way for hosts to be rewarded for the experiences they create by getting monetary support, while providing listeners with exclusive access to the conversations they care about most.”

Twitter says that Spaces hosts will eventually be able to set ticket prices, and how many are available to sell.

“A limited group will be able to host Ticketed Spaces in the coming months. Hosts earn the majority of the revenue from ticket sales and Twitter will keep a small amount as well.”

That aligns with Twitter’s broader shift towards providing more ways for users to monetize their Twitter presence, which also includes its new ‘Super Follow’ experiment and paid newsletter subscriptions (via its Revue acquisition).

These elements are still in development, but it could eventually provide more incentive for people to maintain their on-platform activity – while it also, again, is likely to put more pressure on Clubhouse as users will be able to generate a lot more income via the much broader audience reach of Twitter, even as Clubhouse looks to add its own room monetization tools.

Twitter’s also rolling out Spaces scheduling, and reminders for Spaces in the coming weeks, helping to keep more of your audience connected.

While it’s also working on accessibility improvements, including improved captions and labels, as well as improved Spaces discovery options – like the capacity to tap into an in-progress Space by highlighting when any user is hosting an audio discussion with a purple bubble around their avatar in-stream.

Twitter has a way to go in maximizing Spaces discovery, which will be key to tapping into the full, serendipitous nature of Clubhouse, which facilitates improved discovery by enabling users to move through its various in-progress audio rooms. If Twitter can add a better overview of in-progress Spaces, so people can tune in at any time, that will be another big step in further advancing the option, and making Spaces the place to be.

Which it will need to work on, because while this new update gives Twitter more room to take on Clubhouse, and likely puts it ahead of Clubhouse in many ways, Facebook is also investing big in audio social, and its new tools also look set to take a large chunk of listeners away from competing apps.

But then again, where Facebook’s audio tools appear likely to win out is in Groups and more specific, niche discussion, because as we’ve seen with Facebook Stories, users are not overly interested in broader scale engagement tools in the app, at least not in the same way they are on other platforms. That could mean that Instagram’s new audio IG Live option also becomes a strong contender, but right now, I would bet on Twitter Spaces becoming the most important tool of the new audio social race, given its reach and presence, and the app’s overall alignment with real-time discussion and engagement.

The real question is whether Twitter can successfully monetize the option, because while Twitter has become synonymous with real-time events, it’s yet to show that it can effectively monetize that positioning, and make it into a business element.

It has a real chance with Spaces, and by incorporating paid events from the start, it could also mark a new approach for Twitter as it looks to merge into more revenue-based tools and options.

Originally Appeared Here

Snapchat Shares Update on Internal and External Diversity Efforts, Including a Re-Think of its Camera Tools

Snapchat has published the second edition of its Diversity Annual Report, which outlines the progress the company has made in seeking to meet its established goals on internal representation and improvement, while Snap has also provided details on news initiatives that will see it redesign its system tools in order to better serve a wider range of users.

First off, on its latest Diversity Report – in examining its progress in working towards the goals established in its first report, Snap says that it increased representation in several key areas, though the COVID-19 pandemic did slow its efforts in some respects.

As explained by Snapchat:

“Our 2020 data shows that since 2019, our representation numbers stayed largely the same, while we made promising gains in certain priority areas, such as almost doubling the percentage of women in tech leadership roles, and more than doubling our hiring of Black women.”

That said, Snapchat also notes that it actually lost ground in some key areas of focus:

“Representation for Hispanic/Latinx team members decreased slightly, and there were above-average attrition rates for some underrepresented team members, including those who identify as Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Indigenous.”

Snap says that it’s identified several shortcomings in its approach, aside from the impacts of the pandemic, which should enable it to get back on track with these elements, and it’s set some new goals that it’ll be working towards over the longer term.

Snapchat has a range of internal initiatives in place to meet these goals – but from an external perspective, Snap is also undertaking some important new initiatives which could help to increase representation and equality for users, in various ways.

The main element of this new focus is a re-think of the Snap camera, which Snapchat says is based on inherently racist development.

“Early film technology used light skin as its chemical baseline. As a result, cameras were initially designed with an assumption of “Whiteness” embedded in their architecture and expected use cases. This legacy continues today: Cameras still haven’t widened their aperture to encompass all communities and skin tones.”

So the very foundation that the camera is built upon is designed with white skin in mind, which could impact usage by people of color. Snap’s working to fix that:

“We’re building a more inclusive camera that works for each Snapchatter regardless of who they are and what they look like, and is flexible enough to support their creativity and self-expression.”

That’s an interesting consideration, and it’ll be equally interesting to see how Snap can evolve its tools to better cater to a wider range of people.

Snap’s also adopting a new ‘Inclusion by Design’ process in its product development framework, which will ensure more consideration is factored into each element, while it’s also working to add more diverse data inputs into its machine learning tools to maximize performance for a wider range of users.

“Machine learning learns from existing data, which means it learns from existing biases around race, gender identity, and other characteristics. The result? These tools don’t work well for people outside the majority dataset.”

This is a critical consideration – as more algorithms and machine learning systems determine our content exposure, it’s important to also measure the impacts of the inputs of such, which may also be inherently biased, as they’re based on existing user behaviors. Removing any such bias could play a big role in reducing the same within your audience. Instagram has also implemented new frameworks to help ensure its machine learning systems are designed with equity top of mind.

Overall, Snapchat seems focused on the right areas, and it’s especially interesting to note the various ways in which it’s looking to develop its internal models to create a more inclusive user experience.

You can read Snap’s full 50-page 2021 Diversity Report here, while Snap has also published this video overview of the key notes.

Originally Appeared Here

Facebook Updates iOS 14.5 Prompt to Encourage Users to Keep Data Tracking On

With Apple now rolling out its controversial new data tracking prompts as part of iOS 14.5, Facebook has added a new element to its own iOS 14.5 prompts, which now employ a form of scare tactic to encourage users not to switch off data tracking.

As you can see here, Facebook has added a new element to its in-app alerts which encourage people to leave data tracking on in order to: ‘Help keep Facebook/Instagram free of charge’.

Which seems like a veiled threat, or at least an empty provocation.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly stated that the company’s apps will remain free, via its ad supported model.

Testifying to Congress in 2018, Zuckerberg explained that:

“Yes, there will always be a version of Facebook that is free […] We think offering people an ad-supported service is the most aligned with our mission of trying to connect everyone in the world, because we want to offer a free service that everyone can afford. That’s the only way we can reach billions of people.”

So it’s not just a philosophical approach, it’s actually part of the company’s business model – which makes the implication that leaving data tracking on, when prompted by Apple’s new ATT alert, could have any influence on such fairly hollow.

But then again, if it can trick a few more people into leaving it active by striking just that little element of fear into their hearts…

The new element was announced by Facebook last week, and has been added into Facebook’s original warning screens in relation to the iOS update.

As explained by Facebook:

“As Apple has said that providing additional context is allowed, we will show an educational screen before presenting Apple’s prompt to help people make an informed decision about how their information is used. It provides more details about how we use data for personalized ads, as well as the ways we limit the use of activity other apps and websites send us if people don’t turn on this device setting. Our screen also lets people know that they’re seeing Apple’s prompt due to Apple’s requirements for iOS 14.5.”

So nothing specifically about Facebook potentially charging for access as a result, which has also not been suggested by Facebook anywhere else.

Which again points to this being a fairly empty threat, and it’s interesting to see Facebook taking this type of scare tactic approach as it looks to counter the potential impacts on its data tracking, and subsequent ad targeting processes.

Facebook has been loudly opposing Apple’s IDFA change for months now, which has included running large-scale, public campaigns to criticize Apple’s updated data privacy approach. Apple has countered by noting that users should have the right to choose what data they share with each app, but with reports suggesting Facebook could be among the most heavily impacted by the change, concerns at The Social Network are running high that new restrictions on such data gathering could end up making its ad tools far less effective.

Of course, no one knows exactly what impact Apple’s IDFA change will have, because it’s entirely dependent on user take-up, and people choosing to opt-out of data tracking. But with Facebook’s reputation around data privacy not so great, it is anticipated that many users, when prompted, will indeed cut the company off from tracking their in-app activity.

Which is why Facebook’s looking to implement any option it can to keep that data flowing, and while there’s been absolutely no suggestion that Facebook could be forced to start charging people for access as a result, that’s clearly not stopping Facebook from trying to imply such as a means to keep things steady.

Which could backfire on the company, particularly if people see this as purely a scare tactic.

Indeed, if the company’s reputation isn’t so great now, trying to bully them with empty threats is probably not likely to help.

But Facebook’s trying it out anyway – and again, if it stops a few more people from cutting the company off, maybe it’s worth it. But it likely won’t do anything to improve Facebook’s ongoing relationship with its broader user community.

Originally Appeared Here

Where is Message Request folder on Instagram? All you need to know

Facebook and Instagram are two of the biggest social media platforms available for users worldwide. Where Facebook is more about socialising and sharing daily activities with people, Instagram has been a private space for many to share stories and pictures. As the two platforms owned by Zuckerburg grow, the apps are getting some really interesting changes and some cool updates. The developers have changed the layout Instagram app quite a bit, especially since the interface of posting pictures was replaced by browsing the Reels section. Many different things have also evolved in the app including the DMs section. However, many users seem to be confused about where is Message Request folder on Instagram. If you have been wondering about the same, then do not worry, here is all you need to know about it.

Where is the Message Request folder on Instagram?

Not long ago, T-Pain, who is one of the most popular artists and music producers, revealed that he was not aware of the Instagram Message Request folder. Many users then came forward by saying that even they were not aware of such a feature before. However, now you don’t have to worry because it is quite easier to find in your DMs section, here’s how to find it –

Instagram DM request folder –

Once you receive a Message request, only a small notification pops up if you are already in your DM section to show you if you have anything in that folder.
When you open Instagram, tap on your messages.
If you don’t have any pending requests, you will not see anything, but if you do, you will see “Requests” with the number of requests on the top right of the screen.
When you tap this, you can see everyone trying to message you.
The interface is similar to a waiting room for messages from people Instagram thinks you don’t know.
When you open the message requests’ section, you can choose to open the message, delete it, or block the person.
If you open it, it is just like a regular message in your inbox and you and the other person can message back and forth without an issue.

Promo Image ~ Shutterstock

Originally Appeared Here

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