Facebook And Instagram Users Can Now Schedule All Reels Through Meta’s Creator Studio App

Meta is giving all of its users the chance to schedule their reels through its Creator Studio application. This is valid for both the Facebook and Instagram platforms, the company mentioned.

Reel scheduling through Meta’s Creator Studio gives users the chance to add a little more capacity to include their short clips at a time that they find most suitable to them. This way, they can maximize the response generated from their intended audience.

As can be seen in the clip put out by Meta recently, Reels can be scheduled for all users with the Creator Studio. This combined with different tools used for formatting really does go a long way in making content customized.

Through a simple click of a button, users get the chance to schedule posts directly from their desktop. How cool is that?

We’ve seen the company roll out the scheduling of Reels for its Instagram app for quite some time now, like the past few months via the Creator Studio. Therefore, some users would already be having access to the feature. However, the rollout now is for all.

On the other hand, we just got a glimpse of Meta launching a new tool for video edits through the app. The feature is designed to assist users in cutting out longer video clips so they can be converted into a Reel. Therefore, as you can see, Meta’s goal of promoting short-form video content is definitely taking center stage.

We find both of these features to be handy tools and a great strategy employed to have short-form content up and running against similar posts or updates through the app.

Meta also recently went public with the announcement of their Reels API. The tool is designed to help users schedule all of their Reels using third-party tools for the future too. And don’t forget, we also have Meta’s own Reels scheduling tool which is going to be launched for Instagram very soon.

This way, users are going to get a wide variety of options in terms of how they wish to align their Reels. The trend of short-form videos is definitely not slowing down so we think this is surely going to be the new norm.

Hence, we recommend you get right to it and try out these tools as well as other options along the way.

For more updates on the tools, do check out Meta’s Creator Studio.

Read next: Meta Releases New Survey That Highlights The Growing Trend Of Business Messaging

by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Snapchat+ Treats Premium Users With New Features As App Hits 1 Million Subscriber Mark

If you happen to be a Snapchat+ user then we’ve got some great news for you. The app is treating its premium subscribers to some new additional features after the platform struck the one million subscriber mark.

The news was confirmed thanks to a blog post released this week. And that’s when the company revealed a new plan called the ‘Summer Drop’ that is solely exclusive to premium users only.

So, what’s in store? Well, we were just as curious as you and that’s when he found out that the latest addition includes highlighted story replies for high-profile members. This is applied to celebs and content creators, whom the app designates as its Snap Stars.

The whole idea is to help distinguish replies added by subscribers from those produced by non-subscribers. But wait, that’s just the start.

Snapchat+ also plans on giving its members features that are more aligned with customized visuals. For instance, you can now alter the icon seen on the home screen of the Snap app. Therefore, those irritated by the bright yellow would surely love this amazing new feature.

At the same time, users will get the chance to personalize the types of emojis on display for their contacts, after the immediate opening of the snap. Therefore, pals of those who are non-subscribers would end up seeing outlines in red, blue, and purple. However, if your Snap friend is a subscriber, he would be seeing emojis picked out by a premium subscriber, other than the Avatar itself.

Other than that, the platform is giving it's premium users another chance to avail the most unique Bitmoji backgrounds of the bunch. As amazing as it sounds, sadly regular users aren’t offered the same.

The subscription was launched earlier this past year and is available in most parts of the world at just $3.99 for monthly plans.

Read next: Snap And GWI Conducted A Study To Determine How Snapchat’s Community Interacts With Other Social Media Platforms
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

51% of IT Companies Plan to Increase Expenditures Despite Inflationary Pressure

We are undergoing one of the worst periods of global inflation in recent memory, but in spite of the fact that this is the case the IT industry doesn’t seem to be feeling the heat. Researchers at Spiceworks Ziff Davis recently conducted a survey that revealed that 51% of IT firms plan to increase spending year on year, with just a meager 6% claiming that they intend to reduce expenses due to the economic crunch being brought about by inflation.

This data comes from the State of IT report that this firm puts out every year, and with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that this year’s edition involved a survey of around 1,400 IT industry leaders across North America and Europe. Businesses in this industry are expected to increase spending by as much as 21% on average because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up helping them acquire new equipment and train their staff.

A major aspect of this increase in expenditure is the shift to remote work. Cyber security needs to be improved in order to make remote work viable, and that indicates that IT is one of the most inflation resistant industries out there in the present era.

Last year, only about 33% of firms planned to increase spending, and this has gone up to 53% for 2022 and 51% in 2023. That seems to suggest that IT companies have seen returns on their investments, and they would be willing to keep funneling more money into their IT budgets with all things having been considered and taken into account.

Additionally, fewer companies are planning to reduce their IT budgets. In 2022, it is estimated that 7% of IT companies want to decrease expenses, and this is going to fall to just 6% by next year. An increasing proportion of IT companies are also using an unchanged budget, so they might be reaching some kind of an equilibrium that facilitates ideal growth in the current economic scenario.

Read next: People have started cutting down on expenses they don’t need and you might be surprised to learn that it isn’t because of inflation
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Foldable Smartphones See 73% Sales Growth YoY

The smartphone industry is one of the most profitable in the world, and a unique development and innovation within this industry is seeing a lot of growth as of late. This innovation is that of foldable smartphones, and while these devices have their fair share of detractors they are also seeing some tremendous success in terms of global units being sold with all things having been considered and taken into account.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that global shipments of foldable smartphones have crossed 16 million units so far this year. That represents a solid 73% growth rate, and it lends credence to the investments that companies like Samsung have made in this sector. Samsung already has a 62% share of the global foldable smartphone market, with its Galaxy Fold devices driving much of the growth in this category. It is expected that their share of the market will increase to as much as 80% with the latest versions of Galaxy Fold smartphones and Flip 4 products being released later this year.

According to a report released by Counterpoint Research, the global market for foldable phones is expected to see even more growth by next year. Based on this analysis, the foldable smartphone industry will see around 23 million units being sold by 2023. Competitors such as Huawei and Vivo are making an entry into this market as well, but in spite of the fact that this is the case their influence will be rather limited because they are mostly focusing on Chinese markets whereas Samsung has more of a global appeal.

Smartphone sales have generally remained consistent despite severe economic strife all around the world, and foldable phones are introducing a new product segment to the market. This new product is important because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up keeping the industry healthy during a period of increased inflationary pressure which may have limited the growth of this industry if steps had not been taken to mitigate that.

Read next: Google’s Updated Distribution Numbers Reveal Android 12 Is Running On 13.3% Of Devices
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Meta Releases New Survey That Highlights The Growing Trend Of Business Messaging

It can be stated without any doubt that messaging platforms today are very different from what they were years ago.

Today, half of our communication relies on messaging through smart devices, not to mention the great speed, convenience, and reliability such forms of connectivity provides to users around the globe.

But it’s not only regular consumers who are benefitting from the ordeal but also businesses who can’t help but stress how big of a relief business messaging is in today’s fast-paced world.

To help put things into better perspective, we’ve got users sending around 20 billion texts to brands worldwide each month through apps like Facebook Messenger only.

We get to see quick replies and the service on such apps is user-friendly. Also, it's great for the best direct interactions. And on average, more than half of the world’s population would prefer a text over a phone call to a brand, any day.

Keeping all of these pointers in mind, leading tech giant Meta has joined hands for a survey with the Boston Consulting Group in this regard. The survey comprised nearly 6,500 respondents that were seen taken from the APAC region.

The entire goal here was to get a glimpse of what respondents felt about using messaging when conducting responses to different brand queries. And also, the results would show us how brands would take such information and better align themselves through such shifts.

While the report is massive, entailing a staggering 29 pages, you do bear witness to so many different kinds of insights.

For starters, the report delineates how the trend linked to business messaging has changed over time, especially after the pandemic. As was witnessed, the lockdowns really had the eCommerce sector booming and that’s why it’s a little surprising to see the consecutive rise in business messaging in the recent past.

But this is definitely a trend that many brands should take note of as many customers are willing and prefer to interact more through a message and other means of online communication.

This really raises the bar and makes more people expect a lot in terms of interactions with brands so the competition is tough out there.

Next up, the report highlighted the frequency with which consumers message their brands for inquiries regarding anything. And as expected, the results showed plenty of activity. The messaging volume was intense and figures really rose to new highs.

So many customers are carrying out chats with businesses on a frequent basis and not only seeing this as their supplementary means for making a connection. Needless to say, this is slowly but surely turning out to be a great connector that links brands to their clients.

This report also went ahead and highlighted how brands could best make use of messaging in their day-to-day routine. And we feel if you’re interested and happen to own a brand in today’s time, well, then what are you waiting for? Head on over to check out the report on Meta’s website.

Remember, not offering great messaging options today for your business is nothing less than missing out on a golden opportunity.

Read next: Tech Industry Wracked With Layoffs Due to Global Economic and Geopolitical Situation
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Climate Change is Making Summer Nights Too Hot for Survival, Scientists Say

Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing humanity because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up causing disastrous weather events as well as rising sea levels that could make numerous coastal areas impossible to live in. In spite of the fact that this is the case, one of the worst impacts of climate change is actually the increase in average temperatures which are being pushed past livable levels.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that hotter nights are causing a lot of destruction all around the world. According to scientists that published a new study in Lancet Planetary Health, even the most positive predictions for climate change show heat related deaths at night increasing six times over by 2100 with all things having been considered and taken into account.

The hottest average night right now usually has an ambient temperature of about 20.4 degrees Celsius, and according to average estimates this will increase significantly over the course of the century. We might start seeing nighttime temperatures that touch the forty degree mark which is more than ten degrees Celsius higher than what human beings can tolerate without air conditioning.

• Also read: New Study Proves Climate Change Can Make Over 200 Human Diseases Worse

The increase in night time temperatures will likely force people to start using more electricity to cool their homes. This can create a bit of a problem since it could increase emissions and send us even faster down the path to climate change based destruction.

Hotter days are easier to get through, but if these increased temperatures continue into the night the deaths they can cause could increase by as much as 50%. We are fast approaching the point of no return, and there is not much hope to be had if major governments and industry leaders don’t take steps to mitigate climate change. The subtler impacts of climate change are perhaps the most dangerous since we are not taking the requisite steps to prevent them from causing an uptick in preventable deaths all around the world.

Read next: A Stockholm University Research Reveals That Rain Water Has Become Undrinkable Across The Entire World, With Areas Such As Antarctica Being Affected As Well
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Text Based MFA Shown to Have Numerous Security Issues

Password protection used to be the gold standard for keeping yourself safe and secure online, but it has recently fallen out of favor due to brute force attacks making passwords difficult to protect. Multi factor authentication creates a new layer of security which is useful because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up complicating matters for potential malicious actors. In spite of the fact that this is the case, the use of SMS based MFA codes might not be as secure as many assumed.

Researchers at Black Hat recently revealed that there is a technique known as “smishsmash” that can make it very easy for hackers to access MFA codes sent via text message. Smishing is a form of phishing that uses text messaging to send you a link that would give all of your login details to a malicious actor, and with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that it makes MFA considerably less secure.

Spoofing a text message is remarkably easy with all things having been considered and taken into account. Additionally, people tend to trust texts that they receive a lot more than emails, so they would be more likely to enter the requested details without realizing the risk that this can pose to them.

A far more secure method for MFA involves using texts sent through an authenticator app, and the main advantage of this method is that it is quite difficult for malicious actors to spoof notifications if you use one. Companies that require their customers to use 2FA or MFA should be encouraged to eschew SMS based codes in favor of the much more secure authenticator app method.

This just goes to show that security improvements will be moot if they don’t consider all of the various factors. MFA is important, but it will fail to provide the security that is required if malicious actors can use phishing techniques to get their hands on the log in code so it’s essential to make the switch sooner rather than later.

H/T: PCMag

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World