🚨 Instagram’s Developing More DM Filter Options for Creators
#News #Insta

🔹 Instagram is considering adding more filters to your DM requests, in order to make it easier for creators who receive a lot of messages to drill down to the most important outreach. Instagram recently added a range of new messaging filters for Creator Accounts, including the ability to filter your messages by specifying which types of accounts you want to see DM requests from.

🔹 And it's considering adding even more to this list, as you can see in this example, shared by Instagram chief Adam Mosseri: As you can see in this image, Instagram's looking to add more options to its DM request filters, while also making them more accessible in-stream. That would make it easier to check DM requests in each of these categories, while also filtering out random DMs and spammy outreach.

🔹 And with DMs becoming the primary interaction option across all social apps, it makes sense for Instagram to lean into DM activity, and ensure that it's helping creators to maximize their opportunities. Because Mosseri and Meta also know that they need creators to keep posting in order to keep IG relevant, while they'll also need those creators engaged within their apps to lead into the next stage, being the metaverse. Improving DM connection is another way to increase creator reliance on the platform, and these changes could be valuable in the broader scheme.

🔹 Mosseri further notes that many creators, in many regions have flagged this as a major problem, and he says that they re working on various options designed to simplify DM requests. So while this might not be an issue for all users, large creators are clearly unhappy with the set up, and again, it's those popular creators that are critically important for Instagram, and Meta more broadly. There's no planned roll-out for IG's expanded DM requests filters, but they look to be well in development.

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🚨 Instagram will let you rebuild your recommendations from scratch
#News #Insta

🔹 Instagram is testing a new feature that will let users completely refresh the content that’s recommended to them on the platform. The recommendations reset feature will “soon roll out globally,” according to Meta’s announcement, and can be used to clear the algorithmic content that currently appears in Feeds, Explore, and Reels. The new feature will be available to users of all ages, including Teen accounts.

🔹 “We want to make sure everyone on Instagram – especially teens – has safe, positive, age-appropriate experiences and feels the time they’re spending on Instagram is valuable,” Meta said. “We want to give teens new ways to shape their Instagram experience, so it can continue to reflect their passions and interests as they evolve.”

🔹 Recommendations can be cleared in “just a few taps,” according to Meta, and will “start to personalize again over time” based on the accounts and content the user goes on to interact with. Users will also be able to review which accounts they currently follow at the point of reset to decide if they want to unfollow them, helping to reshape the new recommendations that will develop.

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🚨 Meta Adds Video Calling Updates, Including HD Video Calls
#News #Insta

🔹 Meta’s announced some new updates for audio and video calling via Messenger and Facebook, just in time for your holiday catch-ups.
First off, Meta’s rolling out HD video calls, which will now be enabled by default for video calls made on WiFi. 
As you can see in this example you’ll also have the option to switch on HD video calls using mobile data as well, providing improved video calling within its apps. The crispness of HD could significantly improve your video calling experience, enhancing connection within your video chats.

🔹 And this will also help: Meta’s also rolling out background noise suppression and voice isolation to help you make clearer, higher-quality calls. Meta’s also adding audio or video voice messages for when people don’t answer your call. When your hands are full or your phone is out of reach, you can now ask Siri to help you make your calls and messages wherever you are. Try something like: “Hey Siri, send a message to Cassandra on Messenger” and then dictate what that message will be.”

🔹 And Meta being Meta, it’s also obliged to include a generative AI element in any update. “In September, we announced new ways to personalize Messenger chat themes with unique, AI-generated images from Meta AI. Soon, you’ll be able to use AI backgrounds in Messenger video calls to reflect how you’re feeling or just add a little excitement to your call.” Yeah, I’m not a big fan of these AI-generated images, nor of Meta’s insistence in getting people to generate them in-stream. But this could provide a fun, custom option for your video calls, with generated images to accompany your video chats.

🔹 And a lot of people are using Meta’s video calling options to connect. Meta says that users spend over 7 billion cumulative minutes on calls across Facebook and Messenger every day. Which seems like a lot, but given the ease of connectivity, and the reach of Meta’s apps, it makes sense that people are making use of these options. These new updates, then, could be extremely valuable in helping to enhance connection over the holiday period.

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📲 Meta Outlines its Efforts to Combat ‘Pig Butchering’ Scams
#News #Insta

🔹 Meta has provided some new insights into its ongoing efforts to protect users from scams while it’s also shared some tips on what to look out for to avoid scam activity, and in particular, “pig butchering”, which has become a bigger problem in recent years. What’s “pig butchering” you might ask?

🔹 As explained by Meta:
“One of the most egregious and sophisticated fraud scams, ‘pig butchering’ is all about building trusted personal relationships online with someone only to manipulate them to deposit more and more money into an investment scheme, often using cryptocurrency, and ultimately lose that money.”
So it’s (mostly) romance scams, in which the scammers target lonely people with offers of love and adventure, only to then clean out their bank accounts once they gain their trust. It’s pretty horrible, especially given that it targets vulnerable people, and eventually compounds their loneliness by screwing them over.

🔹 And as such, Meta’s taking action to stop it, with the company removing over two million accounts linked to scam centers, mostly originating from Asia, throughout this year. “For over two years, our teams have been focused on investigating and disrupting the activities of the criminal scam centers in Southeast Asia. While our initial focus was on scam centers in Cambodia, we have since worked to keep pace with the expansion of these groups as they began to appear in places like Laos, Myanmar and more recently the United Arab Emirates.

🔹 At the outset, we actively engaged with expert NGOs and law enforcement partners in the US and Southeast Asia to better understand the modus operandi of these criminal groups, including in places like Sihanoukville in Cambodia, which is reported to be a hotbed for Chinese organized crime-linked scams.” Meta says that it’s actively working with law enforcement to help catch out and punish these groups, while it’s also sharing information with industry peers to expand its detection systems. But users can also protect themselves by being aware of what to watch for, and on that front, Meta has provided seven tips.

🔹 These measures and notes will help you to protect yourself from scam activity, but the baseline security you need is two-factor authentication, while you should always be wary of any links that you click. Checking the details of email addresses, and clarifying URLs by hovering on links can be easy ways to detect errors or inconsistencies that point to scams, and being vigilant will help to ensure you don’t fall victim to them.

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📲 Instagram Makes It Easier To Remove Inactive Profiles From Your Audience
#News #Insta

🔹 This could be helpful. Instagram is now displaying how many inactive profiles are among your followers, so that you can remove them from your audience if you prefer. Now, when you tap through on your “Followers” listing from your IG profile, you’ll see a new category above the main list that shows “Deactivated accounts”, along with profiles that have been flagged for review, creator accounts, etc. Why remove these inactive accounts?

🔹 Well, they’re messing up your stats for one, as all of your average performance figures are divided by the total number of followers you have. So your engagement rates and reach data could be impacted, depending on how you measure them. They could also be messing up your ad targeting sets if you’re aiming to reach people similar to the audience that you have. It’s the same with asking family members to follow your brand account, at some stage, you may be better off removing them, because all of your insights into your audience’s interests could be impacted by having people outside your target audience included in this segment.

🔹 Inactive followers may well be the same, with accounts that are not active still being included in your datasets. But now, you can easily remove them, by simply going to this listing and tapping “Remove” on each account. Of course, you may also want to keep them, because maybe having a higher follower count is important to you.

🔹 But depending on how you’re looking to grow your profile, and reach the right audience in the app, having the capacity to remove inactive profiles could be a valuable addition to your process. The new option is now active in the latest version of Instagram.

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📲 Gen Z Highly Influenced By User-Generated Content On Instagram
#News #Insta

🔹 Gen Z uses Instagram (69 per cent), YouTube (62 per cent), and TikTok (50 per cent) for product discovery, whereas Millennials choose Facebook (66 per cent), as per a recent survey by Bazaarvoice, Inc. Shoppers, including Gen Z across the globe, are increasingly relying on user-generated content (UGC) for product discovery and purchase decisions, and personalised offers are becoming key drivers of sales across multiple product categories. The study identifies a shift in customer behaviour, with omnichannel purchasing now combining webrooming, showrooming, and social media as important components. Eighty-eight per cent of shoppers want a consistent buying experience across all channels, with four out of five preferring a combination of in-store and online purchases.

🔹 Three-fourths of consumers engage in online-to-offline shopping, which involves researching things online before purchasing them in physical stores (webrooming), while 59 per cent do the opposite (showrooming). Over one-third (39 per cent) of consumers utilise social media for product discovery and research, with 31 per cent making direct purchases through these channels. In 2021, more than half of respondents (55 per cent) stated that they had never shopped on social media. This year, that figure has decreased to only 24 per cent. More than half of consumers, self-identified creators, are eager to share opinions when rating products. Last year, half (forty-six per cent) of respondents identified as passive consumers, who tend to read consumer opinions rather than sharing their own. This year, that number dropped to just 28 per cent.

🔹 This is good news for shoppers, 86 per cent of whom say they engage with creator content before making a buying decision, the report said. Sixty-five per cent of global shoppers rely on UGC, such as ratings, reviews, photos, and videos in their buying decisions. Nearly half of shoppers find user reviews on retailer websites the most influential content when researching the products online. Gen Z is highly influenced by UGC, with 80 per cent considering it crucial in their decision-making process. However, generation impacts what type of content they prefer.

🔹 Baby boomers rely more on traditional UGC-like ratings and reviews, while Gen Z prefers visual content like photos and videos from social media influencers.
Personalised offers drive 45 per cent of shoppers to complete purchases online. They resonate even more strongly with Gen Z, 61 per cent of which find these tailored offers impactful. Electronics (47 per cent), apparel (42 per cent), and health and beauty (39 per cent), are the product categories for which personalised offers are most influential.

🔹 “This year’s study reinforces that to succeed today, brands and retailers must meet their customers wherever they shop—especially on social platforms, where consumer engagement and comfort with purchasing are on the rise,” said Zarina Lam Stanford, chief marketing officer (CMO) at Bazaarvoice. “The demand for user-generated content is higher than ever, and it’s a powerful tool for creating genuine connections that influence purchase decisions. As consumers shift from passive observers to active content creators, brands have a unique opportunity to harness authentic voices and build trust across all touchpoints.”

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📲 Instagram DMs add live location sharing and nicknames
#News #Insta

🔹 Instagram is adding the ability to share your live location with friends in your DMs for up to one hour at a time so you can find each other when arriving at concerts, outings, and other gatherings. The feature works within Instagram's direct messages, which also gets a few other new features, including sticker packs and nicknames. Instagram says you can temporarily share your location privately with others through DMs, either one-to-one or within group chats, and the feature is off by default.

🔹 It's similar to the location-sharing features in Snapchat's SnapMap but without the overhead view that includes everyone who shares their location with you in one place. For now, the new features are only available in "select countries" (Instagram does not list where.) You can also now give yourself and your friends nicknames in your DMs, including within group chats. You can lock friends out of that ability if you don't like what they named you, and the feature only stays within specific chats - so outsiders can't see each other's provided nicknames.

🔹 DMs have 17 new sticker packs with over 300 new stickers, too, which you can drop into chats with your friends. You can even mark the stickers friends send you as favorites inside chats, re-use them, and make your own with the cutouts feature or generate them with AI. Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, said last week that people are using messages more than the create button, so the company is now testing a new placement for the chat icon that puts it on the bottom and center of the app.

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📲Instagram Launches ‘Collage’ Option for Stories
#News #Insta

🔹 Instagram’s testing out another collage feature, with some users seeing a new prompt to post a collage of images from their camera roll to Stories, as another means to create more engaging Stories content. Instagram’s now rolling out a new Collage option for Stories, which then enables you to select multiple images from your camera roll to create a collage image. Which is not entirely new.

🔹 Instagram has enabled users to create different kinds of collages within Stories for some time, via its layout option, though that’s more rigid, in that the actual format of the collage is defined by the Layout you choose. This updated version is a bit more free form, which could enable you to create all new kinds of visual designs with your images.

🔹 Instagram’s been experimenting with collages for some time, with the platform also testing out collages within group chats. Which looks pretty much the same as this new Stories option, albeit in a different element. And really, Instagram’s probably been working on collages ever since late 2022, when Pinterest’s " Shuffles" app started gaining traction.

🔹 Shuffles enables you to create artistic collages from Pinterest images, and the app quickly generated interest with various audiences. As per Meta’s now familiar strategy, if any new social app function gains any traction, it copies it, in order to stem the potential flow of users away from its own apps.

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🚨Australian Government Votes to Ban Under 16s from Social Media Apps
#News #Insta

🔹 Despite conflicting evidence around the viability. and value of the plan, the Australian Government has now voted to implement a new law that will force all social media platforms to ban users under the age of 16. The controversial bill was passed late last night, on the final full sitting day of parliament for the year. The government was keen to get the bill through before the end-of-year break, and ahead of an upcoming election in the nation, which is expected to be called early in the new year.

🔹 The agreed amendments to the Online Safety Act will mean that:

🔹 Social media platforms will be restricted to users over the age of 16

🔹 Messaging apps, online games, and "services with the primary purpose of supporting the health and education of end-users" will be exempt from the new restrictions (as will YouTube)

🔹 Social media platforms will need to prove that they've taken "reasonable steps" to keep users under 16 off their platforms

🔹 Platforms will not be allowed to require that users to provide government-issued ID to prove their age

🔹 Penalties for breaches can reach a maximum of $AUD49.5 million ($US32.2 million) for major platforms
Parents or young people who breach the laws will not face penalty

🔹 The new laws will come into effect in 12 months' time, giving the platforms opportunity to enact new measures to meet these requirements, and ensure that they align with the updated regulations. The Australian Government has touted this as a "world-leading" policy approach designed to protect younger, vulnerable users from unsafe exposure online.

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📲 Block, Mute, Restrict, Report – What’s the difference?
#tips #Insta

🔹 What it means to Restrict someone on Instagram - This feature allows you to discreetly restrict someone without alerting them. The restricted person won’t see when you’re online, and you won’t receive notifications for their comments. They also can’t tag or mention you or remix your content.

🔹 What it means to Mute someone on Instagram - If you want to control what you see on your Stories and Feed without cutting off someone entirely, Mute is your go-to option. This allows you to hide someone’s posts, stories, or messages while still following the account. You can mute an account in a variety of ways in order to limit your interactions with them

🔹 What it means to Block someone on Instagram - When you block someone, they can no longer search for your profile, view your content, or send you messages. When you block someone, it will block their account, other existing accounts, or any new accounts they may create. Note: There are multiple ways to block someone on Instagram. People aren’t notified when you block them. You can view a list of accounts you’ve blocked from your settings.

🔹 What it means to Report a profile or post on Instagram - You can report Accounts, Comments, Messages, Posts and more to Instagram. Our team works 24/7 to quickly review and remove content that goes against our Community Guidelines. Reporting on Instagram is always anonymous, so the person who posted the content will not know you reported it. This feature is ideal if you want to address serious issues and ensure your safety.

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📲 Meta plans to build a $10B subsea cable spanning the world, sources say
#news #Insta

🔹 Meta, the parent of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is the second-biggest driver of internet usage globally. Its properties — and their billions of users — account for 10% of all fixed and 22% of all mobile traffic. Meta’s investments into artificial intelligence stand to boost that usage even further. So to make sure it will have reliable infrastructure to support that business, Meta is taking the pipes into its own hands.

🔹 TechCrunch has confirmed with sources close to the company that Meta plans to build a new, major, fibre-optic subsea cable extending around the world — a 40,000+ kilometer project that could total more than $10 billion of investment. Critically, Meta will be the sole owner and user of this subsea cable — a first for the company and thus representing a milestone for its infrastructure efforts.

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📲New Instagram Campaign to Protect Teens from Sextortion
#news #Insta

〰 Instagram is launching a new campaign, informed by NCMEC and Thorn, to help teens spot sextortion scams and help parents support their teens in avoiding these scams.
〰 Instagram is partnering with creators teens love to raise awareness of our campaign and make sure teens know sextortion is never their fault.
〰 Instagram is also nnouncing new measures to further protect people from sextortion, including hiding follower and following lists from potential sextortion scammers, preventing screenshots of certain images in DMs and rolling out our nudity protection feature globally.
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📲 Meta’s Implements New Requirements for Financial Services Ads in Australia
#news #Insta

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has implemented new requirements for financial services ads in Australia. The new rules require advertisers in the financial services industry to complete an authorization process before they can run ads on Meta's platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. This process involves submitting information about the advertiser's business and providing documentation to verify their identity and authorization to advertise financial products or services.

These new requirements are part of Meta's efforts to increase transparency and accountability for financial services advertising on its platforms, particularly in light of concerns about misleading or deceptive ads in this industry. The changes are intended to protect consumers and ensure that financial services ads on Meta's platforms are legitimate and comply with relevant regulations.

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📲 Meta Seeks to Ease Tensions with Trump While Outlining Election Integrity Efforts
#news #Insta

Meta acknowledges that its content moderation efforts may have gone too far, leading to harmless content being taken down and people being unfairly penalized. This appears to be an attempt to ease tensions with former President Donald Trump, who was banned from Meta's platforms.

Meta has implemented various measures to combat foreign influence operations, AI-generated misinformation, and election-related claims. It has also given users more control over political content in its apps.

However, Meta is trying to build a neutral relationship with Trump, who is expected to run for president again, in order to avoid further conflict. This may be a challenge given Elon Musk's involvement and criticism of Meta.

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📲 Instagram creators can now turn on replies in broadcast channels
#news #Insta

Instagram is introducing new features for its broadcast channels that allow creators to interact more directly with their followers. These include enabling "Replies" in limited group chats within the channels, allowing participants to respond to messages and comments. Creators can also publish "Prompts" - time-sensitive questions to encourage audience engagement.

Instagram is also rolling out new metrics for creators to track their channel performance, such as total interactions, story shares, and poll votes. These new features are aimed at helping creators grow and manage their audiences more effectively on the platform.

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📲 Meta Shares Insight Into the Performance of Its AI-Based Ad Elements

Meta (the parent company of Facebook) shares insights into the performance of its AI-based ad elements. Meta's AI technology is used to optimize ad content and targeting, with the goal of improving the effectiveness of digital advertising campaigns. Meta's AI-powered ad tools analyze user data and behaviors to serve more personalized and engaging ads.

The benefits of AI-driven advertising, such as increased ad relevance, higher click-through rates, and improved return on investment for advertisers. However, there is concerns around privacy and the responsible use of AI in advertising. Overall, this shows Meta's efforts to leverage AI to enhance the digital advertising experience for both advertisers and users.

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📲 Meta Interviews Marketing Leaders for New ‘Performance Talks’ Hub
#news #Insta

Looking to get a better handle on Facebook and Instagram marketing as we head into the new year?
This could help. Meta recently launched a new “Performance Talks” hub, which includes a range of video interviews with various brand and marketing leaders, in which they explain how they’ve been able to maximize their success by using Meta’s various promotional tools.

The Performance Talks video interview series sees Meta speaking with professionals, from all different sectors, to discuss their key tactics and tricks in maximizing Meta’s tools. You can check out a heap of videos on the site, which are filterable by region, with each also including links to relevant guides and explainers on the topics and elements discussed by each expert in the clip. The videos range from super short, to around 7 minutes or so in length, so they’re easy to get through and could provide some quick takeaways for your strategy.

There’s currently around 50 videos up on the site, but it won’t take you long to get through them and absorb various tips and notes to get you thinking. It could be a handy site to bookmark for the holidays, for whenever you have a second to spare, with pointers on Meta’s automated Advantage+ ads, Reels, audience growth tactics and more.

Some of them are in different languages, while some are only available in certain regions. So that’ll make it even easier for you to get through them. And while they won’t all offer relevant, useful insights for your approach, there will be some gems in there that could specifically align with your thinking.
Worth a look if you want to get more out of your Facebook or IG marketing efforts next year.

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Instagram locks out developers of third-party consumer apps
#news #Insta

Meta's recent changes to its developer tools are affecting third-party consumer apps that previously integrated with Instagram. Notably impacted are Tinder and Hinge, which allowed users to link their Instagram profiles to share posts with potential matches. The journaling app Day One, owned by Automattic, will also lose its ability to import Instagram photos and posts due to the shutdown of the Instagram Basic Display API, effective December 4, 2024. This API enabled third-party apps to connect with users' Instagram accounts.

Developers are encouraged to switch to the new Instagram API, but these APIs only support business accounts and lack the necessary functionality for apps like Day One. Consequently, Day One users will no longer be able to automatically import Instagram content, although existing journal entries with Instagram photos will remain accessible. This feature was previously a significant selling point for Day One's Premium version.

Day One expressed disappointment over the change, acknowledging the integration's value to users. Other affected services include Discord, which has already removed its Instagram connection, and apps that embed Instagram posts, such as Spotlight and SnapWidget, which are also advising users to switch to business accounts.

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