Facebook Invests $1 Billion into New Sub-Sea Cable Link to Improve Internet Access in Africa

Facebook

Facebook has reportedly committed more than $1 billion to the development of a new sub-sea cable link designed to improve connectivity in Africa, and connect more people to the internet – and subsequently, connect more users to Facebook. The plan’s part of Facebook’s broader mission to connect with the world, with over 3.5 billion people reportedly still unable to access … Read more

You Can Now Share Your Instagram Live Broadcasts to IGTV

Instagram

Instagram has been rolling this option out over the last few weeks, but today, it’s officially announced that all users can now save the video of their Instagram Live broadcast to IGTV, and keep it available for viewing for as long as they choose. Up till now, Instagram Live broadcasts have only, technically been available … Read more

Facebook Acquires GIF Platform GIPHY, For About $400 Million

Facebook

Facebook has announced that it has acquired GIF platform GIPHY in a deal reported to be worth around $400 million. GIPHY is the most popular GIF database on the web, with its 500 million daily active users viewing more than 11 million hours of GIFs every day through various surfaces. GIPHY has been able to maximize its usage by offering API integration to … Read more

Facebook updates its ‘Messenger Rooms’ Multi-Participant Video hangouts Option Available to All

Facebook

After first announcing the option late last month,  Facebook is now making its new Messenger Rooms multi-participant video hangouts option available to all users globally. Messenger Rooms enables users to host video chat rooms of up to 50 people, with friends able to see when you have a room active at the top of their Facebook … Read more

TikTok has Changed their Rules on Music Usage by Businesses

TikTok

A common question we’ve been asked about TikTok usage for brands is whether businesses can add whatever songs they want to their TikTok clips, free of constraints or costs. And the answer thus far has been yes; as such usage was seemingly built into TikTok’s existing agreements with music publishers, many of which stemmed from … Read more

Instagram Launches A New Anti-Bullying Measures, Including Bulk Comment Actions and Mention Controls

Instagram

Instagram has announced some new tools to give users more control over their on-platform experience and reduce the impact of trolls and abusive actions within the app. First off, Instagram’s rolling out a new bulk comment removal process, which will make it easier to manage your post comment streams. As explained by Instagram: “We know it can … Read more

Twitter Officially Launches A New ‘Retweets with Comments’ Listings on iOS

Twitter

You may have noticed this in your retweet display over the past few weeks, but now, Twitter is making it official – on iOS at least. From now on, your retweet count will include both basic retweets AND retweets with comments, and you’ll also be able to see which is which in a new listing within … Read more

Snapchat Updates Analytics Layout, Adds a New ‘Quoting’ Option to Respond to Replies

Snapchat

Snapchat has rolled out an update to its in-app analytics for Creator accounts, while it’s also added a new ‘Quoting’ feature which will enable Creators to respond to replies in their public Stories. As shared by Mike Metzler of Conviva, the new analytics layout provides more specific insight into your Snap performance, and the updated format makes it easy to … Read more

Houseparty Adds A New Co-Watching Feature with Celebrity-Fronted Event Series

Houseparty

Group live-streaming app Houseparty is using a three-day, virtual ‘In The House’ festival, which includes a range of celebrity guests, to showcase its latest co-watching feature update. I mean, that’s obviously not the only reason – with Facebook and YouTube running star-studded graduation events for the Class of 2020, Houseparty, which is primarily used by young students, is also … Read more