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Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
RIP to the old Instagram Threads (2019 - 2021).

You’d be excused for noticing that the name of Meta’s new Twitter competitor is very familiar. It already launched a different clone app tied to Instagram under the same name in 2019.

Like Google Currents (which entered the Google Graveyard in 2014 and in 2023), Instagram’s Threads name is being recycled after the first iteration was a messaging platform made for “close sharing” that was supposed to do battle with Snapchat until it shut down at the end of 2021.

Hopefully, this version of Threads has a better outcome.

Instagram’s latest assault on Snapchat is a messaging app called Threads

Casey Newton
The Instagram Threads launch countdown jumped forward and is now targeting 7PM ETThe Instagram Threads launch countdown jumped forward and is now targeting 7PM ET
Wes Davis
Wes Davis
The Government of Canada is pulling its advertising on Facebook.

Responding to Meta blocking news on its platforms there over a new law requiring platform owners to negotiate with and pay news publishers for content, Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez announced the country will no longer buy ads on Facebook:

We cannot continue paying advertising dollars to Meta while they refuse to pay their fair share to Canadian news organizations.

Two major Canadian firms, Quebecor and Cogeco Communications, also announced they and their subsidiaries are suspending advertising on Meta’s platforms.

Instagram’s Twitter competitor, Threads, briefly went live on the webInstagram’s Twitter competitor, Threads, briefly went live on the web
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Instagram Threads won’t be available in the EU at launch.

The Twitter alternative from Meta appears set to launch on July 6th, but the Irish Independent reports that Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has been in contact with the company about the new product and confirmed the launch won’t extend to the EU “at this point.”

No Instagram Threads app in the EU: Irish DPC says Meta's new Twitter rival won't be launched here

[Independent.ie]

Seven big tech companies say they’re platform gatekeepers under EU lawSeven big tech companies say they’re platform gatekeepers under EU law
Instagram’s Twitter competitor launches July 6thInstagram’s Twitter competitor launches July 6th
Jay Peters and Jon Porter
Instagram’s Twitter competitor, Threads, briefly showed up on Google PlayInstagram’s Twitter competitor, Threads, briefly showed up on Google Play
Wes Davis
Wes Davis
Meta’s Twitter competitor, Threads, briefly showed up on the Google Play app store today.

Twitter user Alessandro Paluzzi, a developer who’s been publishing leaks about Meta’s upcoming Twitter clone, tweeted early this morning that the app had been released, but it was taken down sometime later.

Paluzzi included screenshots showing the posting UI and the ability to login with Instagram.

The app is no longer available as of this writing.

Meta explains how AI influences what we see on Facebook and InstagramMeta explains how AI influences what we see on Facebook and Instagram
Nilay Patel
Nilay Patel
“In no small part, Mastodon’s culture is exclusionary.”

The eponymous Bloonface recently shut down their Mastodon instance, with a blog post discussing in detail the current culture clash gripping the decentralized social network as various folks contend with the launch of Instagram Threads, which will eventually interoperate through the ActivityPub protocol.

[T]he people who are broadly “in charge” of Mastodon, as much as anyone is “in charge” of it, are those who are happy with it as is. So things like the follow UX do not matter to them, because they are already on big servers and have big follow lists already, so they have no insight into what new users go through. The new users have no real feedback mechanism, so they just leave and get frustrated, so things will never change.

To strain the analogy to breaking point; rather than a nice desktop login screen, a new user to Mastodon on pretty much anything except a big server gets presented with the equivalent of the blinking white-on-black text of a barebones Debian login screen. This is not fine. No wonder people left.

Why did the #TwitterMigration fail?

[Café Lob-On]

Instagram and Messenger parental controls now show way more about what kids are up toInstagram and Messenger parental controls now show way more about what kids are up to
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Meta thinks teens need help to stop using Facebook.

A new batch of parental supervision features have been created to protect minors on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.

The new tools allow parents to view how much time their child spends on Messenger, and who can interact with their account. Minors will also be encouraged to log off from scrolling Instagram Reels at night, and after spending 20 minutes on Facebook... which is adorable,

Wes Davis
Wes Davis
Mark Zuckerberg wants more fans?

A write-up in The Washington Post says the Zuck’s latest attempt at image rehabilitation (remember the “only eating meat from animals he’d personally killed” phase?) is, in part, a bid to win over Musk stans.

Zuckerberg has appeared on podcasts hosted by provocateur Joe Rogan and AI researcher Lex Fridman, both popular among fans of Twitter owner Musk. He has posted sweaty action shots on Instagram displaying his jujitsu skills. And this week, he accepted Musk’s challenge to a cage fight after news reports on Meta creating a Twitter competitor.

But Zuckerberg has really ramped it up over the past year, one of the people said, courting the same “tech bros” who have been captivated by Musk — who is suddenly Zuckerberg’s competition in more ways than one.

The cage match between him and Musk may just be the most recent part of his new pitch, even before Instagram’s “sane” Twitter alternative arrives.

Meta is rolling back its covid-19 misinformation rules in the USMeta is rolling back its covid-19 misinformation rules in the US
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Facebook and Instagram were having some problems.

Over the last hour or so, the Facebook page failed to load, attempts to upload Instagram Stories failed with an error message, while some reported they couldn’t send or receive messages on WhatsApp and Messenger, and Downdetector showed spikes for all of Meta’s services.

Reached for comment, Meta comms director Andy Stone told The Verge:

We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing our products. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience.

Things seem to be mostly back to normal, but we’ll keep an eye out. In the meantime, we also have some fresh advice about the supposedly wonderful opportunities available to people who log off.

Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Meta is rolling out Instagram Broadcast channels globally.

Not to be confused with WhatsApp’s recently added Channels feature or Instagram’s Twitter competitor that was recently shown to employees, Meta is rolling out the Telegram-like Broadcast Channels for use by everyone around the world.

As described below by Instagram boss Adam Mosseri, they’re also testing new features like moderators, a share to stories button, and the ability to take questions. But it’s still not available on the web yet, so you’ll need to install the app to get the updates from Zuckerberg & Co.

Instagram’s status update now includes what song you’re listening toInstagram’s status update now includes what song you’re listening to
Meta is testing Reels on QuestMeta is testing Reels on Quest
Emma Roth
This is what Instagram’s upcoming Twitter competitor looks likeThis is what Instagram’s upcoming Twitter competitor looks like
Instagram’s recommendation algorithms are promoting pedophile networksInstagram’s recommendation algorithms are promoting pedophile networks
Here’s how Instagram recommends the content you seeHere’s how Instagram recommends the content you see
Instagram was down, but now it’s working againInstagram was down, but now it’s working again
This is Instagram’s new Twitter competitorThis is Instagram’s new Twitter competitor
What’s in store for Twitter’s new CEOWhat’s in store for Twitter’s new CEO
Instagram comments can now be overrun by GIFsInstagram comments can now be overrun by GIFs
Instagram is testing songs in photo carouselsInstagram is testing songs in photo carousels
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
EU begins its latest crackdown on online content moderation.

The European Union has outlined 19 platforms that will be subject to stricter regulations under the upcoming Digital Services Act.

Unsurprisingly, it includes Amazon, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and other Google services, all of which have four months to comply with rules about harmful and illegal content. More surprisingly… so does Wikipedia.

Europe names 19 platforms that must report algorithmic risks under DSA

[TechCrunch]

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Meta layoffs hit London.

The employees at Meta’s Instagram office in London could either be cut or relocated as part of the company’s latest round of layoffs, according to a report from Bloomberg. That also means Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri is headed back to the US after moving to the UK last year.

Meta Platforms to Cut, Move Instagram’s London Staff; Chief Shifting to US

[Bloomberg.com]

Your Instagram ‘Link in bio’ can now have up to five linksYour Instagram ‘Link in bio’ can now have up to five links
Social media is doomed to die

After seven years at Snapchat, I finally learned the truth about why our most important apps seem destined to disappoint us.

Ellis Hamburger
Instagram is adding TikTok-like Reels updates for editing and discoveryInstagram is adding TikTok-like Reels updates for editing and discovery
How two insurgents are taking on TwitterHow two insurgents are taking on Twitter
New Arkansas bill to keep minors off social media exempts most social media platformsNew Arkansas bill to keep minors off social media exempts most social media platforms
In celebration of the dumb phone, a rare sanity-saving gadgetIn celebration of the dumb phone, a rare sanity-saving gadget
Instagram now lets you save posts into collections shared with friendsInstagram now lets you save posts into collections shared with friends
Hipstamatic’s new social network looks like an Instagram throwbackHipstamatic’s new social network looks like an Instagram throwback
Instagram has started putting ads in search resultsInstagram has started putting ads in search results
Facebook and Instagram’s paid verification launches in the USFacebook and Instagram’s paid verification launches in the US
Meta is laying off 10,000 more employees in a series of cutsMeta is laying off 10,000 more employees in a series of cuts

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