August 2016

Twitter Adds a New Night Mode That is Easier On the Eyes

After several smaller applications have released versions of their apps that are better for those using them at night, Twitter has decided to also jump on board with a new night mode. Their night mode features a darker color scheme perfect for using during the night. While the update was initially only available to Android users, it has been extended to iOS as well.

The purpose of this new mode is to help those who use the Twitter application in the night. There have been many studies over the last few years to show that a blaring white phone screen can damage vision and cause the natural sleep rhythms of the body to become confused. As a response to this problem, Twitter has joined other applications in adding a special night mode to their app. This will allow users to switch from their standard display to a darker one that is better for those tweeting in the evening or late at night.

For now, Twitter’s night mode has to be toggled on and off by hand, but there are hopes that this will eventually change so that Twitter’s display will change as it gets to a certain time in the evening. In the app on Android and iOS, users will be able to change what mode they are in by changing their Twitter settings. It is easy to access the areas where you can turn the screen from one mode to the other.

There is some speculation that this change in Twitter and in other applications may be foreshadowing some of the features of the future iPhone 7. Some wonder if Apple will use this phone as their chance to roll out a new screen that will have the ability to more easily display darker colors without using as much battery life. Of course, for that information, we’ll have to wait for news from Apple.

Instagram Launches a New Events Channel for Video

In the increasingly competitive world of social media, Instagram is working to compete with other social media sites. In a brand new update, they have added an events channel that is going to be used to display videos of recent events and events that are happening at the moment. This will allow users to view videos of events happening all over the world in something close to real time. This section of Instagram will be sorted based on what is recent, popular, and relevant to your own likes.

One of the initial criticisms for this new part of Instagram is that it is obviously a copy of Snapchat’s live stories. The features are awfully similar, so it is clear that Instagram is probably following a similar idea to Snapchat’s feature. Many users of Instagram are becoming frustrated about this since they don’t want these different changes. As Instagram is adapting, people are becoming more frustrated about the changes since the social media site is so different from how it was when they joined.

Some benefits of the new channel include allowing users to connect with Instagram users that they might not be able to see otherwise. They’ll also be able to enjoy big events that they might not get to experience because they are too far away or too expensive for a specific Instagram user. This is similar to the way that Snapchat’s live stories work, but seems to have a more targeted purpose.

In addition to the major update, Instagram has also made a few small updates that will help with the filming of videos in general. They have a few small updates including one that allows for zooming in and out while recording video and one that will allow iPhone users to use both cameras on their phone and switch between the two. All of these updates just show that Instagram is making great strides into the video aspect of social media.

Facebook Changes Code to Block Out Adblock Workarounds

While spending time on Facebook is fun, many people feel that the ads that appear all over Facebook are annoying. This has caused many Facebook users to look for ways to block ads that show up on this particular social media site. As a result, Facebook and Adblock Plus are engaged in a battle to help their users.

A few days ago, Facebook announced that they were going to be restricting software that removed the advertising displayed on Facebook. Shortly thereafter, Adblock came up with a workaround that would allow its users to again use their software to block ads on Facebook. This lead to a further update from Facebook making it so that the workaround was useless.

Facebook claims that part of the problem is that with the Adblock workaround many of the posts from friends were blocked in addition to the ads. Of course, whether this was the case or not, Facebook would not stand to benefit from any software that would block ads as they make money from the ads that display on the page. As a result, they attempt to stop software like Adblock from being used on their site.

While Facebook has currently managed to keep up with changes to ad blocking software, there is no telling whether they will be able to keep up in the same way in the future. It could be challenging for them to continue updating their website to make it so that users cannot use this software in the future. By taking quick action Facebook is establishing themselves as a site that is not to be messed with.

Of course, in all likelihood the battle will continue. The ad-blocking community is upset with Facebook’s latest change and feels that this will make it so that user choice is not a priority. They plan to continue working to make it so that they are able to slip through Facebook’s software blocking. Both Facebook and Adblock will have to work hard to come up the winner in this particular battle.

Twitter Makes Changes for the 2016 Olympics

In light of the 2016 Olympics, Twitter has been working on some new updates that are being made specifically so that users can easily follow the Olympic games and stay on top of the news that matters to them. Much like with the democratic and republican national conventions this will mean having special emoji. Twitter’s goal is to make changes that will improve the overall experience that users have while the Olympics is going on.

To start with, Twitter has added some corresponding flag emoji that will go with specific hashtags that Twitter users use while they are tweeting. This means that if people type a hashtag such as #USA then an American flag will be added to the hashtag as well. For the Refugee Olympic Athletes, they will be using a world held in two hands instead. These emoji will help to add a visual aspect to these tweets.

So that Twitter users will be able to follow the Olympics much more easily, Twitter is going to be adding a special place under Twitter Moments where users can easily follow along with what is being tweeted about the games. There are different accounts that can be followed in addition to recap moments that will make it easy for users to find medal counts, event results, and other important information. Users will be able to follow moments based on their favorite events and their own country.

Twitter owned applications including Periscope will also be on board to make it so that Twitter users are able to follow the Olympics better. Twitter Amplify will be offering many video highlights and Periscope will have an Olympics channel that will cover a wide range of content that will be related to the Olympics as a whole. These will be great places for Twitter users to watch content and get videos from their favorite events and athletes.

By adding these different features to Twitter, the social media site is helping to encourage users to engage in the conversation as this world wide event goes on. The different aspects of their updates are meant to make talking about the Olympics easier and more fun to do. Twitter’s obvious goal is to have people talking about the Olympics and going to Twitter to find the information about the Olympics that they are interested in.