While you get dressed up for Halloween tonight, tech experts are stripping down your favorite social media platforms. This week Facebook made it easier for you to avoid messages from spooky strangers and simplified the way you share content. Also out this week, a new search engine that’s catering to those who are literally at a loss for words. Here’s a look at what you might’ve missed in social media news this week.
“Other” Isn’t an Option
On Tuesday, Facebook announced it’s now phasing out one of their messaging features and rolling out a new and improved version. The “other” folder is getting the boot and the “Message Requests” feature is headed to a computer screen near you! You may irreverently remember the “other” section as a place where random people would try to send you messages and it often took weeks to realize they were even there. Now when you receive messages from out-of-network users, you will see it appear in the Message Request section. This new feature allows you to look up information like the sender’s name, city, and mutual friends. If you do decide to respond to these relatively mysterious messages, the thread will automatically move to your regular Messages inbox.
Sharing Just Got Simpler
Facebook flaunted their new system for sharing content from third-party apps on Wednesday. The new iOS extension makes it easier for users to control what they share and whom they share it with. The update allows you to easily tag friends, post publicly or with a select group of people, and view a full preview before you publish your post. Facebook officials say more than 50 billion pieces of content were shared from third party apps last year.
Searching For Videos Goes Symbolic
What do you get when you combine an emoji of a bikini, slice of pizza, skis, and a brown haired girl? A fitness video of course! This week a new search engine known as Emoji2Video debuted. The symbols-only search engine is advertised as something you can comprehend no matter what language you speak, or whether or not you can read. To use the site just select a group of emojis and YouTube videos matching your description will pop up. There are currently 45,000 YouTube videos in the database but researchers say they’re just skimming the surface.
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