Gen Z are learning the stock market game through social media
According to new data, 41% of all Gen Z investors educated themselves on the stock market and cryptocurrency through social media - predominantly TikTok and Instagram. It appears the meme-stock mania is no short lived thing, and Gen Z intend to mix it with Wall Street suits for the foreseeable...
Current in Social
Wildlife trafficking increases on Facebook despite ban
Social media platforms are being utilised by dealers in the wildlife trade to connect with potential buyers. Despite Facebook imposing a ban on animal trafficking, the practice has increased online. Like many businesses that were forced to develop a stronger online market presence due to the global pandemic, dealers in...
iOS 15’s face and thumb ID to revolutionise password security?
Apple believes biometrics are the natural successor to our manual passwords, offering increased security and convenience. We’ll soon put that notion to the test with the rollout of iOS 15. If you’re one of life’s rarest breeds: a person who has never forgotten a password, chances are the ones...
Exclusive – Impactr, the app turning social media into social change
Thred has been given an exclusive, pre-launch peek at new app Impactr, the self-proclaimed ‘anti-Amazon’ about to revolutionise online interaction. What’s next in social media? It’s a question people have asked themselves since David Fincher’s The Social Network premiered in 2010, seemingly the swan song of a digital juggernaut that...
Instagram launches ‘hide likes’ feature
The option for users to hide the number of 'likes' on their posts and timeline is now live on Instagram. The company’s CEO calls it an effort to make the platform a ‘safer place on the internet.’ After months of randomised user-testing on the ‘no-likes’ feature, anyone with an Instagram...
TikTok users can now report and delete harassing comments in bulk
TikTok has finally simplified removing and reporting harassment comments in its latest update. Going forward, it aims to regulate content as thoroughly as its social network predecessors. TikTok’s algorithm can rocket both amateur and seasoned creators to viral stardom in an instant, and that throws up obvious red flags when...
Snapchat to shift further into ecommerce with AR features
It looks like Snapchat is headed down the same path as Instagram with its newly announced features intended to boost ecommerce opportunities. Long time Instagram users may remember when it decided to introduce a bunch of new features last year - for better or worse - that promoted shopping and ecommerce from inside the app. Now, in an unsurprising move, Snapchat wants in on the ecommerce hype. Last week it...
How Clubhouse is helping Thailand’s pro-democracy movement
The spontaneous audio chat app Clubhouse is providing a safe space for pro-democracy advocates to question Thailand’s powerful monarchy. In a nation where standing against the monarchy can lead to 47 years behind bars, Thai citizens eager to discuss politically taboo subjects are now flocking to emerging chatroom app Clubhouse. Originally billed as a bougie social media platform where everyday people could join in conversations with celebrity and influencer A-listers,...
Twitter pushes back against India’s social media control
India’s government has long sought to impose a nationwide bill enabling the review and removal of any social media content. With Facebook and YouTube said to be compliant, Twitter is pushing back in the name of free speech. Rumblings of India’s ‘digital media law’ have finally come to fruition, and social media companies are caving at the prospect of losing the world’s second largest market. President Narendra Modi has been...
Snapchat’s ‘Story Studio’ to make stories more professional than ever
Snapchat this week announced a slew of updates at the Snap Partner Summit, chief among them an overhaul of its Story editing software in the form of new standalone app Story Studio. Snapchat is embracing its evolution from a once key player in social media messaging to mobile’s chief creative hub. During its annual partnership summit this week, Snapchat announced a new project to conclude a year of what seems like...