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Despite being a social platform for the common man, Instagram has doubled as a multi-billion dollar industry that has turned the heads of advertisers, sponsors, e-commerce platforms and other businesses. There are so many variables that are in play to become a viral hit, and there is no perfect strategy to attain that kind of success - but there are clear guidelines that will expand your reach and presence: here is how to be a popular Instagram influencer. Tips and Tricks To Be Famous in Instagram Choosing Your Niche The ideal kind of audiences are the ones who will come back to your content, i.e followers. The best way to do this is to find a niche that will have others looking forward to your next post, and being generic will make it difficult to incentivise commitment. Because of this, finding a niche is crucial to arrow in the kind of audiences you want to view your content. Finding a niche could vary from food, fashion, gaming, movie, cosmetics and so much more. The most important thing to remember when thinking about this is identifying something you are passionate about. This is important for a few reasons: one, being that a passion-driven page will give you the motivation to post content regularly. This is synonymous with having a good understanding of your niche. With knowledge, your post will have substantiated preferences, informative bios and the trust of future investors or partners. Read How to Earn Money from Instagram Creating A Memorable Bio At the end of the day, Instagram, like other social media platforms are meant to be more personal than formal. Because of this, fans who are emotionally invested would appreciate knowing the background behind the creator of their favourite content. When they can establish a common ground with you, their motivation to support your content will naturally become stronger. Since Instagram is accessed primarily for leisure, showing a bit of your personality through your bio would genuinely matter to them. Generic quotes aren’t the way to go if you want to establish originality in your bio. Being genuine with your story and what makes you passionate about the content you are posting is grounded enough for audiences to appreciate. With more authenticity, audiences will feel that they are interacting with your page at the angle of a relationship, rather than being a consumer of your content. The bio sets the introductory tone to your content and should be perfected before moving forward. Read Quarantine Income Opportunities: How to Earn Money during lockdown period Insta-stories Are A Must There’s more to Instagram than just photos: Insta-stories are a great way to deliver concise video content that give people a “live” update of what you’re up to. It keeps audiences involved in your life and can appear to be way more authentic than a carefully edited photo if done right. Showing off your expensive car or expensive items that you have just bought is not the way to go, because showing off can often be interpreted as the content creator actively trying to one-up his or her audiences- which is not very tactful. Instead, making a quick reaction of news within your niche or something within your niche that currently has your attention are simple, but effective ways to set the tone of your page in that period of time. Overall, it isn’t rocket science to post something genuine, and it can easily be done with the niche you are passionate about, or even something even more personal when your fanbase has properly been cultivated. Read How to Earn Money from YouTube Channel Consistency In Your Grid Presentation at a glance holds an immense amount of power that decides whether people are going to bother even exploring your page or scroll right through. There’s no shame to edit your pictures to be aesthetically pleasing, but the filters, editing style and overall tone should be consistent so that your collage of photos are coherent and can give audiences a sense of understanding of what they can expect from your future uploads. Applications like Visco or Lightroom can do wonders to up your editing game, but over-editing may pose a risk of robbing authenticity off your images. Audiences appreciate truth in their content and having images that are edited too much may hamper the audience’s perception of the truth behind each uploaded photo. Ultimately, the best way to approach this is to edit just enough for aesthetic appeal and consistency, but not to cast any doubt on its authenticity. Read How to Earn Money from Facebook Knowing Your Hashtags Now we’re entering a slightly more business approach to your Instagram profile. Keywords are a critical component to ensuring that your page gets the right kind of exposure in its field. This is where finding a niche will save you; when having a niche, your keywords become much more specific and that allows your page to land on the “recommended” feed for potential audiences. On a reach perspective, this is possibly one the key components to allow more exposure. Naturally, you’ll want to scout other specialists in the same niche to see what hashtags are used. Do keep in mind that if the hashtag is too common, it might get lost in the crowd, but going for something too niche may also make it hard to reach audiences, as the algorithm needs to know where your page should land. Read Monetising Your Blog Consistency Is Key Posting frequently is the other component that affects your reach as a content creator. Ensuring that your posts are uploaded at high-traffic times will be the way to go so that you can cast your net wide to attract as many eyes as possible during the day. Posting twice a day is good as it tackles the two time slots with peak user activity while avoiding bombardment of content. Ultimately, finding the perfect balance of hashtags, a relatable bio, perfect edits and other factors is a daunting task and is extremely difficult to get right. Instead of setting your eyes on getting viral and tracking your numbers constantly, the best way is to post frequently about things you enjoy with the aforementioned tips in mind - if done so, there’s a good chance people will start to see the authenticity behind each post. Read Tips and Tricks to Increase YouTube Subscribers organically

Apple said it has reached an agreement with the right-wing social app Parler that could lead to its reinstatement in the company’s app store. Apple kicked out Parler in January over ties to the deadly Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol. In a letter to two Republican lawmakers in Congress, Apple said it has been in “ substantial conversations ” with Parler over how the company plans to moderate content on its network. Before its removal from the app store, Parler was a hotbed of hate speech, Nazi imagery, calls for violence (including violence against specific people) and conspiracy theories. Apple declined to comment beyond the letter, which didn’t provide details on how Parler plans to moderate such content. In the letter, Apple said Parlor’s proposed changes would lead to approval of the app. Also read: Judge says Amazon won’t have to restore Parler web service Parler said it has implemented “several new safeguards” designed to detect posts that “would not fall within the protections of the First Amendment,” but added that it did not make broad policy changes. “While the App Store version of Parler will prohibit some posts that Parler allows, those posts will still remain visible on the web-based and Android versions of Parler,” the company said in a statement. The First Amendment does not apply to private companies such as Parler — it prohibits the government from making laws that impede free speech. But this has not stopped people from claiming that social media companies violate their free speech rights by moderating content, or from “free speech” apps such as Parler from popping up to fill a perceived void of “censorship-free” discussion sites. As of midday Monday, Parler was not yet available in the app store and Apple did not give a timeline for when it will be reinstated. According to Apple’s letter, Parler proposed changes to its app and how it moderates content. Apple said the updated app incorporating those changes should be available as soon as Parler releases it. Also read: Apple CEO escalates battle with Facebook over online privacy Google also banned Parler from its Google Play store in January, but Parler remains available for Android phones through third-party app stores. Apple’s closed app system means apps are only available through Apple’s own app store. On Monday, Google reiterated its January statement that “Parler is welcome back in the Play store once it submits an app that complies with our policies.” So far, this has not happened. Parler remains banned from Amazon’s Web Services. Amazon said in January that Parler was unable to moderate a rise in violent content before, during and after the insurrection. Parler asked a federal judge in Seattle to force Amazon to reinstate it on the web. That effort failed, and the companies are still fighting in court. Republican political donor Rebekah Mercer has confirmed she helped bankroll Parler and has emerged in recent months as the network’s shadow executive after its founder John Matze was ousted as CEO in February.

Instant messaging app imo has introduced a new "SecretChat" feature with end-to-end encryption to protect users' data. The new feature will enable users to connect and communicate more securely on imo. It comes with facilities such as message self-destructing after the session and dissemination control, which means the entire conversation will be wiped out instantly after exiting the chat session, thus ensuring no trace of the conversation. The secret chat feature is available in the attachment bar of the chat interface with a specific contact. Read India unveils WhatsApp alternative, Sandes Chat sessions of the users will be protected through end-to-end encryption. The most important aspect of this new feature is the dissemination control functions. Under this function, no one can copy, forward, share, download, screenshot, or record any private chat conversations. This feature will enable imo users to communicate with greater confidence and security when sharing their private matters. To ensure an enhanced security experience for the users, imo has rolled out a series of security measures over the last few months. Read Top WhatsApp Alternatives for Free Calling and Group Chatting In December 2020, the global instant communication platform introduced a new enhanced phone number verification system for Bangladeshi users to protect user information, especially when the user is switching numbers. This verification system does not allow the old phone number to access the associated imo account. So, the relevant data remains intact and secure.  Around 150 million free calls, videos, and pictures are exchanged using imo every day in Bangladesh, said the platform. Read A clear Signal that Indians are increasingly shunning WhatsApp? Apart from that, 96 billion messages and 26 billion audio and video calls were made by Bangladeshi imo users in 2020, it added.

A civil rights group is suing Facebook and its executives, saying CEO Mark Zuckerberg made “false and deceptive” statements to Congress when he said the giant social network removes hate speech and other material that violates its rules. The lawsuit, filed by Muslim Advocates in Washington, D.C., Superior Court on Thursday, claims Zuckerberg and other senior executives “have engaged in a coordinated campaign to convince the public, elected representatives, federal officials, and non-profit leaders in the nation’s capital that Facebook is a safe product.” Also read:Facebook acknowledges a bug that blocked coronavirus news Facebook, the lawsuit alleges, has been repeatedly alerted to hate speech and calls to violence on its platform and done nothing or very little. Making false and deceptive statements about removing hateful and harmful content violates the District of Columbia’s consumer-protection law and its bar on fraud, the lawsuit says. “Every day, ordinary people are bombarded with harmful content in violation of Facebook’s own policies on hate speech, bullying, harassment, dangerous organizations, and violence,” the lawsuit says. “Hateful, anti-Muslim attacks are especially pervasive on Facebook.” In a statement, Facebook said it does not allow hate speech on its platform and said it regularly works with “experts, non-profits, and stakeholders to help make sure Facebook is a safe place for everyone, recognizing anti-Muslim rhetoric can take different forms. The company based in Menlo Park, California, said it has invested in artificial intelligence technologies aimed at removing hate speech and proactively detects 97% of what it removes. Facebook declined to comment beyond the statement, which did not address the lawsuit’s allegations that it has not removed hate speech and anti-Muslim networks from its platform even after it was notified of their existence. Also read: US govt, states sue Facebook for 'predatory' conduct For example, the lawsuit cites research by Elon University professor Megan Squire, who published research about anti-Muslim groups on Facebook and alerted the company. According to the lawsuit, Facebook did not remove the groups — but it did change how outside academics can access its platform so that the kind of research Squire did would be “impossible other than if done by Facebook employees.” Facebook’s hate speech policy prohibits targeting a person or group with “dehumanizing speech or imagery,” calls for violence, references to subhumanity and inferiority as well as generalizations that state inferiority. The policy applies to attacks on the basis of race, religion, national origin, disability, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity and serious disease. But in one example from April 25, 2018, Squire reported to Facebook a group called “Purge Worldwide,” according to the lawsuit. The group’s description reads: “This is an anti Islamic group A Place to share information about what is happening in your part of the world.” Facebook responded that it would not remove the group or the content. The lawsuit cites other examples of groups with names like “Death to Murdering Islamic Muslim Cult Members” and “Filth of Islam” that Facebook did not remove despite being notified, even though Facebook policy prohibits “reference or comparison to filth” on the basis of religion. In the latter case Facebook did remove some posts from the group, but not the group itself. The lawsuit also cites an exception Facebook made to its policy for former President Donald Trump, for whom Facebook made an exception to its rules when he posted as a candidate in 2016 about banning all Muslims from entering the U.S. Zuckerberg and other social media executives have repeatedly testified before Congress about how they combat extremism, hate and misinformation on their platforms. Zuckerberg told the House Energy and Commerce Committee that the issue is “nuanced.” “Any system can make mistakes” in moderating harmful material, he said. The plaintiffs seek a jury trial and damages of $1,500 per violation.

The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with Facebook in a lawsuit over unwanted text notifications it sent, rejecting a claim that the messages violated the federal ban on robocalls. The high court’s ruling for the Menlo Park, California-based social media giant was unanimous. Democratic lawmakers and consumer groups said the court opened a gaping hole in the law, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, that would subject anyone with a cellphone to endless automated calls and messages. The case was brought by a man who received text messages from Facebook notifying him that an attempt had been made to log in to his account from a new device or browser. The man, Noah Duguid, said he never had a Facebook account and never gave Facebook his phone number. When he was unable to stop the notifications, he filed a class action lawsuit. Also read:Facebook says it will pay $1B over 3 years to news industry The 1991 consumer law bars abusive telemarketing practices. The law restricts calls made using an “automatic telephone dialing system,” a device that can “store or produce telephone numbers to be called, using a random or sequential number generator” and then call that number. The question for the court was whether the law covers equipment that can store and dial telephone numbers even if the equipment does not use a random or sequential number generator. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for the court that it does not. Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said in an emailed statement, “As the Court recognized, the law’s provisions were never intended to prohibit companies from sending targeted security notifications and the court’s decision will allow companies to continue working to keep the accounts of their users safe.” But Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., said in a joint statement that the court ignored Congress’ intent when it passed the law and now will allow “companies the ability to assault the public with a non-stop wave of unwanted calls and texts, around the clock.” The lawmakers said they would introduce legislation to expressly prohibit Facebook’s practice. “If the Justices find their private mobile phones ringing non-stop from now until our legislation becomes law, they’ll only have themselves to blame,” Markey and Eshoo said. Facebook had argued the lawsuit should be dismissed because Duguid had not claimed Facebook was sending messages that were randomly generated. Facebook said it sends targeted, individualized texts to numbers linked to specific accounts. A trial court agreed, but an appeals court reversed that decision. Also read:Facebook acknowledges a bug that blocked coronavirus news Facebook said it was possible Duguid’s cellphone number previously belonged to a Facebook user who opted to receive login notifications. The case is Facebook v. Duguid, 19-511.

 

 

There is no denying that social media are having a moment as more and more people are opening accounts to be a social butterfly with every passing day. Nowadays, you will hardly find a man or woman who doesn’t have an account on any of the popular social networking sites. The trend is so popular now that even when people go out of their places to have an outing, say for in a restaurant, they remain glued to the screens. It seems, in contrast to the usual reality, social media are controlling the users’ thanks to the irresponsible use of social media by the netizens.

Facebook capped a tumultuous 2020 with soaring earnings in the final quarter, but the company forecast challenges in 2021 that include a coming privacy update by Apple that could limit the social network’s ad targeting capabilities.

Twitter says it has suspended more than 70,000 accounts associated with the far right QAnon conspiracy theory following last week’s U.S. Capitol riot.