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Instagram is Testing a New Option That Would Allow Users to Rearrange Their Post Display on Their Profile

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Instagram is developing a new option that would allow users to rearrange their profile photo grid, converting previously posted photos into any arrangement they choose.

In this case, app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi demonstrates how the new “Edit Grid” option would be displayed in your profile settings, allowing you to re-arrange your profile gallery as you choose.

This might be a thought-provoking option, given that it’s another method to direct visitors’ attention to the IG postings you want to highlight.

Users could be able to choose certain postings to appear at the top of their grid if Instagram adds a “pinned post” option, according to Mosseri.

The capability to re-order your posts entirely takes this a step further, and it’ll be fascinating to see whether Instagram goes through with it, given the platform’s long-standing ordering and presentation process.

Instagram is definitely willing to experiment with its core feed and account settings, which perhaps correspond with user demands, while it may also be a response to users using their main feed less than ever before.

Mosseri has also stated that video will become Instagram’s main emphasis, along with messaging, and eventually, the traditional feed, as we know it, will be de-emphasized in order to better link users to the app’s video content types.

I predict that Instagram will replace their current post format with a full-screen Stories/Reels main feed display in the near future, removing themselves from the traditional static post feed and as such mitigating Instagram’s hesitation to experiment with the traditional post format – because if they’re going to move away from it soon anyhow, why not try new things first?

Another aspect of your profile presentation that may be modified is the order in which photos appear. With the increased emphasis on video, Instagram appears to be more willing to experiment with new concepts as it gradually shifts focus displays anyway.

There’s no telling if this will ever be implemented, along with post pinning, but it does appear that Instagram will test it out in the near future. This might make it simpler to show your finest posts – and social media expert Matt Navarra believes that if you create multi-post, linking images for your process, they may become a great element.

They will keep us updated on any developments.

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The Evolving Gaming Conversation was Explored Further, Thanks to Tweets that Reached New Heights in 2021

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After two years of lockdowns that have forced kids to seek other methods of social connection, particularly via gaming platforms, gaming is a key pillar of online culture.

Children today spend more time playing games like Fortnite and Roblox than ever before, which allows them to interact with friends while also keeping them engaged. Such platforms provide a platform for people to socialize and collaborate in a variety of ways, providing limitless possibilities.

Indeed, it’s likely to be the next generation that fully embraces the metaverse change, and it’s fascinating to watch how gaming culture is changing and what trends are driving the next wave of consumers in this field.

That is where the most recent gaming data from Twitter comes in.

Twitter explains:

“2021 was another record year for gaming chatter on Twitter, as Twitter continued to serve as the go-to place for game publishers, gaming media, popular streamers and entertainers, esports leagues, teams, players and commentators. In 2021, there were more than 2.4 BILLION Tweets about gaming, up 14% year over year and a more than 10x increase from 2017. And, Q4 2021 was the biggest quarter for gaming conversation ever on Twitter.”

Again, if you want to see how online connections will develop in the future, and what the metaverse will look like, I’d suggest focusing on games rather than NFTs, crypto, or other peripheral elements.

The most popular games on Twitter, according to the conversations around them, include some of the aforementioned open space settings as well as other well-known game brands.

It is surptising that Roblox isn’t included, given its current 43 million daily active users, but Minecraft, Fortnite, and Animal Crossing are all similar socially-integrated and collaborative environments that align with the metaverse shift.

The Twitter community in Japan was the most engaged in the gaming topic, followed by those in the United States and South Korea.

Asia has a major gaming scene, with popular titles like Genshin Impact and Apex Legends. The Japanese now have Twitter’s second-largest regional user base, only trailing the United States.

It’s also fascinating to think about the popularity of gaming producers, with top gamers now matching or exceeding the popularity of top sports figures in many areas.

In some areas, such as the South of England or the United States, playing video games has become more like a religion. Many children now spend more time gaming than they do doing anything else. While previous generations visualized themselves kicking the game-winning goal, the next is just as likely to anticipate receiving the game’s winning elimination in their favorite first

This is a new reality, and with gamers now being able to make millions for their gameplay abilities, it’s only natural that many youngsters see this as a viable option for their future.

On Twitter, you may discover information on the top gaming creators as well as those who are actively creating a presence in the industry.

Gaming is now an essential aspect of internet culture and trends, and if you’re not up to speed on gaming trends and behaviors, you’ll be out of touch with many current developments.

So, from a marketing perspective, we’re looking at ways to leverage these unique qualities for the best return on investment. The metaverse is already being used in tandem with social networks and chat apps. It will only grow more essential as we approach the next major change when more activity is required in online environments. Kids are already doing this; they

This is when the metaverse truly takes hold and develops from youngsters who are learning to engage in social interactions.

Understanding this will become more critical over time, but keeping an eye on gaming changes now might help you develop more resonant, relevant strategies in your marketing.

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Is A Constitution Needed In The Metaverse

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If we want to keep our virtual world free and open, we must set some limits. Alternatively, firms like Meta (Facebook) will provide them for us.

The United States Constitution is the basis of American society, ensuring rights and responsibilities for each citizen. The metaverse, as we speak, is another new world being created. We are afraid that the metaverse will fail as a public, open system and merely reproduce social media’s glaring faults with steroids if it does not adhere to some of the same principles

With little warning, Facebook has evolved into a powerful tool for election manipulation and Twitter has been mired in controversy over its role in public safety and censorship. The metaverse might become something far more frightening if it is not properly managed.

We must not be enslaved by the metaverse. Rather, it should serve our needs. It will need a constitution to achieve this.

First and foremost, the fundamental building components must be open standards and open source code. Second, all data rules must be both transparent and comprehensible. Finally, any metaverse-based research should be made immediately available to the general public.

We must first describe it. The metaverse is “a fully immersive virtual world where individuals may socialize, play, and work.” When the metaverse is restricted, many people believe that Merriam Webster’s definition of the metaverse sums up their entire reality; there is simply nowhere else to connect with others.

It’s also vital to note that the metaverse isn’t run by a single entity and wasn’t built by Facebook. Rather, the renaming of Facebook as Meta is intended to Appropriate, if not dominate, the metaverse.

Facebook committed $10 billion to the project in 2018. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, the metaverse market may reach $800 billion by 2024. We have no idea how it will end. What we do know is that it’s on its way.

No one could have predicted that social media would be utilized to topple governments when it first appeared. We are now at the point where we’ve opened Pandora’s Box with the metaverse.

That is why we are putting forth a metaverse constitution. We think it’s critical to establish a few simple regulations that will help us avoid making the same mistakes we’ve made in the past.

Before we go into the modern metaverse, let’s establish who has access to its essential components. When Tim Berners-Lee created the internet, he made certain key parts available as open-source code, which was freely available to everyone.

By the mid-1990s, Tim Berners-Lee was developing web software to give people greater control over their information and create a more democratic online world. His aim was for the internet to become a public good, like public lands in America; that is, a place that is continuously possessed by everyone but no one. The metaverse and future

The second metaverse principle is that data policies must be both transparent and comprehensible. Facebook, Twitter, and Google can all make reference to their data waiver. However, as anybody knows, no human mind could possibly comprehend or read the notorious script.

Personal data mining and extraction in the metaverse, if unchecked, may become the most powerful surveillance technology ever devised. Companies might collect unfathomable quantities of eerie biometric data using the metaverse and its associated headsets. We must first know who is watching us and how before we allow ourselves or our children to enter this digital world.

A metaverse constitution may seem lofty, but there are ways to implement it. Governments can enact legislation and rules for a fair playing field in the metaverse. By law, a company’s profits must be made public, and a company’s research in the metaverse would be subject to the same regulations.

An internal Facebook study revealed that 64 percent of those who joined an extremist group on the social media site had been recommended that group through the algorithm, even though these findings were never disclosed. There’s no good reason why this type of concealment shouldn’t be considered a crime by law.

Companies must play their part in the balance of power equation. It is typical for groups of people and businesses to agree on a set of baseline rules (usually a patent pool or an agreement to openly share data with the group) and develop new standards that the sector as a whole agrees to follow. It all comes down to joint effort.

Even large enterprises have a leader: the public. Apple’s privacy efforts and Facebook’s rebrand illustrate that no matter how big the corporation is, public sentiment reigns supreme. If the general public shows enough interest in a metaverse charter, Big Tech will be unable to intervene.

This isn’t new ground; Tim Berners-Lee has already urged for a worldwide “bill of rights” for the internet. We’d be wise to follow his advice right now, at this crucial moment in the web’s history.

Emerging technologies have a way of resolving old issues while simultaneously introducing new ones. “Web-based life is like street-based life,” Tim Berners-Lee observed, “with its rough and smooth edges.” A metaverse constitution would smooth those rough edges while also protecting us from the dangers inherent in such a vast space.

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Instagram Has Started a Limited Test of Algorithm-Free, Reverse-Chronological Feed Options In-Stream.

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Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s head of product, has today revealed a taste of how the new choices on this front will operate, following last year’s introduction of a reverse chronological, algorithm-free post feed.

Instagram is planning to introduce two distinct chronological feed alternatives: ‘Favorites,’ which would show a list of accounts based on those you add to your ‘Favorites’ list, and ‘Following,’ which will present the accounts you follow in reverse timeline order without any additional recommendations.

The key takeaway is that your algorithm-defined “Home” feed will include “more and more recommendations over time,” as Instagram strives to increase content discovery and get users to spend more time, and money, in the app, according to Mosseri.

So that’s good, right? You’ll soon have the option to view your posts in reverse chronological order once again, with an easy switch to toggle between the different feeds. That’s what users have been asking for for years, right?

Well, kind of.

The issue with Instagram’s solution, which has been in testing since early December, is that you won’t be able to make your choice the preferred option, therefore you’ll have to manually change over to your ‘Favorites’ or ‘Following’ feed every time you use the app.

Now, in the realm of Instagram feed management, that is not a major burden – simply tapping on an additional feed toggle will provide you with easy access to an algorithm-free Instagram experience if that’s what you want. However, while Instagram recognizes that most people will not bother, it also knows that the majority of users would rather just use the algorithm-defined feed as they always have, making it a win-win situation for the platform in terms of positive user PR and without any significant decreases in overall engagement since most consumers will continue to utilize the algorithm-provided feed

Why should Instagram be confident? Because Facebook also offers the same choice, with the option to return your Facebook News Feed to chronological sequence, just as it did in years past when people used to poke and express their emotions in their postings.

Users have been clamoring for a switch-off option in the News Feed algorithm since 2016, and ever since, Facebook has refused to provide it..Facebook has experimented with a variety of methods to give this, and you may easily switch to a ‘Recent’ feed in settings. In 2020, Facebook tried out a test that would have made it more upfront by allowing you to choose whether you wanted your feed set up like Apple’s or Google’s.

Yes, Facebook already offers the same choices as Instagram is now suggesting, with News Feed sorting based on “Favorites,” which are determined by the individuals and profiles you select, and “Recent,” which features the most recent material from people you follow.

Users have access to these options right away, while others must delve deeper in their settings. However, even if you have permission, you’re probably not utilizing them because while you may prefer seeing your feed in reverse chronological order, you’re not going to manually choose the display option every time you log in. Right?

Facebook and Instagram are well aware of this. As a result, while it’s nice that Instagram is attempting to expand choices, and that it will undoubtedly work to reduce user complaints about lack of control, because these options will be readily accessible, in reality, not many individuals will use them.

So it’s not exactly a return to the Instagram of old, and it isn’t intended to eliminate the algorithm entirely. Social media platforms have all seen significant increases in interaction as a result of algorithmic sorting, which has caused them to resist letting you just turn them off so quickly.

Most people don’t read all of their main feed postings anyhow, and if you switch away from the ‘Home’ feed display, you could miss vital information. This will lend further credibility to its preferred algorithmic approach, which will ensure that even more users forget about these choices.

In essence, it’s a conciliatory approach rather than one focused on usefulness; it’s an attempt by Instagram to appease some of the more vocal critics of its algorithmic approach while still obtaining optimal gains.

This isn’t necessarily a negative development, since it could be that the algorithm feed is superior, even if users don’t believe it. However, it’s worth noting that this isn’t Instagram’s promise of returning user control.

In a statement, Mosseri says that the brand’s new feed choices are now being tested with a view to widespread adoption “by the first half of this year.”

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