WhatsApp Has Rolled Out A New Feature For WhatsApp Beta For iOS, While A New Feature for Desktop App Is Under Development

WhatsApp Beta for iOS just got a new update which has the feature of searching for messages by date. This way if users want to search messages, they can do so quickly by date. The users were waiting for this app for so long as it was under development for two years but now it has fully developed to become a part of your WhatsApp. WhatsApp released this feature on version 22.24.0.77 on the TestFlight app for beta users.

To use this feature, you will have to click on the calendar icon on your chatbox where the keyboard icon is. The calendar icon means that this feature has been added to your WhatsApp for IOS. After clicking on the icon, search for the date you want the conversation and it will show you the chat on that concerned date. This way you can even go to the very first message quickly too. As this feature is still rolling out, it will take some time for the update to reach you if it hasn't already. Over the coming weeks, this update will be completely available for iOS users.

WhatsApp is also working to get more features out for its iOS, Android, and Desktop app. Just recently, WhatsApp spotted working on more features for the WhatsApp desktop app and right now a feature for group chats is under development. As Whatsapp increased the number of members in the app, now users want more advanced features. There will be a mute shortcut available for group chats on the desktop app soon. The mute button will be available on the header of the group chat, which means you won't have to go to the lengths to mute the chat. It will be easy and quick to mute the active chats. Just a few days ago, WhatsApp for Android added a feature that mutes large group chats automatically. This way you won't receive notifications 24/7 and you won't be distracted by them.

With the mute notification available for the desktop app, users will easily go through the group chats without any problems. WhatsApp hasn't said anything about when this feature will be available on the app as it is still under development. Many WhatsApp Beta for desktop users think that this feature won't make much difference however some are waiting for this feature to roll out immediately. Let's see when it will see the light of day.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Research highlights the most commonly shared life events across TikTok and Instagram

Social networks are now an important part of many people’s lives. They use these platforms to share their memories, events, and achievements with their friends and family members.

According to a report from Confused, in which researchers collected data based on which events users tend to share more on their social media accounts. The survey was mostly based on Meta’s Instagram and ByteDance’s TikTok. They even analyzed the hashtag trends to learn more about the specific events that have larger impacts on today’s consumers.

Based on the data collected from Instagram posts, marriage topped the list with the hashtag "wedding" and featured over 200 million posts. Marriage was followed by birthdays with the same hashtag, featuring over 100 million photos and videos. And the third spot was taken by Baby Shower, with the same hashtag as well and hosting over 36 million posts.

The top 3 events were followed by graduation at the 4th rank, engagement at the 5th, and pregnancy at the 6th. Achievements such as a new home or promotion were also on the list at the 7th and 8th positions, respectively. Death and birth also made it to the list.

The data can be useful for advertising companies, as they can market their products based on the events that attract more users.

Information gathered from TikTok had some new names in its top 10 life events. Not only this, but the number of views were found to be way ahead of Instagram.

The short video platform had its birthday as the most celebrated event on its platform, featuring over 44 billion views on short videos. At second rank, the application had pregnancy with over 38 billion content views, followed by separation with 22 billion views.

Death, graduation, and gender reveal came at the 4th, 5th, and 6th ranks, respectively, whereas divorce and engagement came at the 7th and 8th ranks.

By comparing the two lists, it can be seen that separation was more popular on TikTok, whereas it couldn’t be in the top 10 on Instagram. On the other hand, both death and funeral made it to the top 10 list.

The variation among users on both platforms is clearly visible from the results; however, one thing that unites these two applications is their use for major announcements.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

YouTube Announces Lists Featuring Top Creators, Songs, And Videos For 2022

We may not be attaining a YouTube Rewind button before this year’s end, but at least we’re getting insights on who made it big in terms of creators, music tracks, and videos on the app.

The company opted to carry on with its classic tradition that comprised highlighting which songs, videos, and creators were trending in 2022. This includes Shorts that made it big this year and we feel such lists are doing justice in terms of best representing what is popular in terms of creators and content, depending on which region was involved.

The list entails all sorts of videos, creators, and Shorts in the country which can be accessed through such lists that are found on the app. Simply click on your region through the menu which drops down and the results would be in front of you.

First things first, it’s time to see which videos made it big. Well, there are certainly no major surprises as controversies did reign supreme such as the whole Will Smith and Chris Rock slap fiasco at the Oscars. Others included Technoblade- so long nerds and the NFL performance of Snopp Dogg and Dr. Dre with Eminem.

Leading YouTuber MrBeast was another favorite where his video of designing an entire chocolate factory like Willy Wonka was viewed and loved by millions of fans. Another enticing video was a payback stunt featuring a Glitterbomb by Mark Rober. Similarly, seeing Millie Bobby Brown needing a milkshake was another highlight as was Kane Pixel's backroom footage.

Moving on to the leading YouTube Shorts content that made it big this year, we had the likes of a diver cracking eggs at 45 ft deep sea level and Sarah Trust Challenges where she was doing hingaflips.

Right after that, we saw the likes of Jay and Sharon taking the gap between a car seat and center console being viewed a lot as was Adrian Bliss’ Shorts video of welcoming to the stomach.

Next up, it was time to see which creators on YouTube really made it big and no surprise to see MrBeast cinch the top position on the list. After that, it was NichLmao and Airrack, followed by the likes of Ryan Trahan and Isaiah Photo who also had a great year.

Brent Rivera and Ian Boggs also managed to make it to the top ten list of trending creators for 2022.

The list of Breakout Creators for this year comprised Airrack, David the Baker, NichLmao,dayta, and Devin Caherly Shorts.

The list of trending songs for the year 2022 included the likes of Encanto Cast whose song ‘We don’t talk about Bruno’ did great and was loved by millions around the globe. Kodak Black’s Super Gremlin and Jessica Darrow’s Surface Pressure were other tracks that turned out to be massively popular on the platform. Bad Bunny had two famous tracks make the list.

You can download the entire list by visiting the website. YouTube really made sure the world knew that December means tallying the best performers in terms of content and that’s exactly what we have in front of us.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Smartphone addictions seems to be cause for less self-control and other psychological ailment

We all love smartphones, don’t we? It's good to access any valuable data or to initiate a conversation without even leaving your couch. Almost each and every individual has their own personal smartphone device and due to the hype, smartphones are getting more innovative than ever before.

Since smartphones have become an important part of our everyday life, according to the International Journal Of Environmental Research and Public Health, the excessive use of smartphones can be a reason for negative thinking and less self-control.

Moreover, Researchers like Rosa Fabio, Alessia and Riccardo Lo Faro initiated research to find if excessive smartphone usage is the reason behind aggressive behavior and loss of self-control. In order to start the research Fabio and college mates gathered data from around 111 participants.

There was a small percentage of college students and the rest were everyday workers. Each smartphone device was equipped with the software called SocialStatsApp in order to keep track of daily consumption with regards to social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.

To calculate the risk of smartphone addiction. The smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version (SAS-SV) was deployed and turned out to be successful in terms of research.

As the Research was diverse and complicated, this study was broken down into three phases, an initial phase, an experimental phase and an after-test phase, for the first one researcher checked the visibility of the participants on social media apps through SocialStatsApp that was initially installed onto their phones.

For the sake of second phase of the test, the participants were told to limit their online social media activities to one hour a day for a time period of approximately 3 days, meanwhile the day before and after the second phase, a test for memory, attention, self-control etc, was taken in order to have a good understanding of the changes. And for the last stage, participants were instructed to use their smartphone devices as much as they want for 7 days.

According to results, participants who were having smartphone addiction were ignoring the second phase and were consuming a lot of screen time via their smartphones as per their usual usage. Study also shows, due to their excessive use of smartphone usage they were having a low visual reaction time and worse working memory as well as less self-control as compared to the other individuals who were limiting their smartphone usage.

Moreover, some of the participants even left the research as soon as they came to know about limiting their smartphone usage.

Beware! Smartphone addiction is real and could result in many worse scenarios, try to limit your smartphone usage by setting a timer.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Snapchat Rolls Out Exciting Voice-Powered AR Experience With New Balance

Leading digital platform Snapchat is making head waves in the world of AR technology with its latest offering.

The company has launched a new AR-based experience that’s voice-powered. And hence, we can soon see that turning into a great ad push for the festive season.

This project will entail VoiceML which is another term reserved for audio prompts that discovers different products. As can be seen through such an endeavor, the feature is a collaboration with New Balance Lens.

Therefore, Snapchat users may now be able to promptly answer a long list of questions on the app that uses their own voice. You can think of it as a substitute for typing and that would assist them in discovering some of the greatest product matches for a particular purpose.

The company released a statement on the matter where they mentioned how Snapchatters could answer questions about a particular person that they happen to be shopping for. With the help of VoiceML, all users of this app would now have the chance to utilize their own voices and answers for a match to attain the ultimate gift idea. This may be for themselves, a colleague, a friend, or any loved one too. After the questions are rightly answered, the user can unveil product recommendations with the help of the best unboxing experience.

Some experts are looking at this as another angle to the entire AR experience. And that is what provides some of the most immersive and engaging experiences for a natural connection when compared to just typing.

While some might feel this shift is not too massive, considering the number of people who love to type, we do see where the app is going with this. There are some great considerations for how such decisions could invite people toward a more enhanced AR experience. And in addition to that, it builds further engagement for the entire process too.

As is, the world of AR is really turning into the most valuable complement for online shopping and it assists consumers in making faster and some of the most beneficial decisions too. Who knows, you can now avail the best offerings from the world of AR, thanks to great engagement and promotions.

As anyone can probably imagine, creating AR isn’t very simple. But it’s not as complex as one would imagine. And thanks to Snap, we’re going to be seeing it offering some AR courses that are free of cost, alongside some great innovative tools too.

We feel this might be something that’s actually worth taking a look at and investing your time in while exploring various options.

Snapchat says that this new and exciting Balance Lens endeavor may soon go live only in the US for both iOS and Android devices. The expected date for the launch would be the end of this month. To gain access, you can simply log into the Lens Carousel on the application.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Majority Of The Countries All Around The World Are Working Together To Make Rules To End Plastic Pollution

Many governments from different countries around the globe are on the same page to end plastic pollution by the end of 2024. For this purpose, they all have agreed to draw some global rules which will not only help with plastic pollution but will also help in its useful production. Plastic consumers also believe that now it is important to make these rules because plastic is affecting the environment of this world.

Ipsos surveyed plastic consumers in 34 countries of the world. 23,000 adults did this survey in the light of Ipsos in collaboration with WWF and Plastic Free Foundation. 70% of people included in this survey agree that there should be worldwide rules to end plastic pollution. They also said that these rules should be given out to governments of the countries so they can easily apply them.

According to this survey, the most plastic consumers who want some global rules to end plastic pollutants were from Peru and Indonesia. They both showed the highest percentage of 81% to support the regulations that should be implemented.

After these countries, Columbia and Spain were the countries with the most positive responses with 78% applying some rules for plastic pollution. 74% of people in France also wanted the rules. The response in the UK and Brazil was 71%. 63% of people in Denmark were supporting this decision. China, Japan, and the United States were the ones with the least percentage of support for the poll. One of the biggest reasons for this was that many people didn't choose a specific answer. Most of them chose "Don't know" which means they were confused about this. Japan had the lowest percentage (41%). Another reason for this could be that people aren't in support of low plastic use as plastic is cheaper than any other material.

The survey also stated the points people want to add to the global rules. The majority of them said that they want the governments to ban unnecessary plastics which are only used once. Many of them also want plastic that is easily recyclable and want the manufacturers to reduce what they produce. It is also important that the manufacturers add labels to the products that can help people know how to reduce, reuse and recycle plastics.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Publishers Are Now Prioritizing Ad Consent More Than Ever

For a really long time, data collection practices were implemented in a way that was quite secretive with all things having been considered and taken into account. A few changes in EU regulations coupled with a new default opt out feature in Apple’s updated iOS meant that third party tracking no longer held the sway that it used to. This is changing the way that publishers think about advertising in general.

The managing director of the Association of Online Publishers, Richard Reeves, recently spoke out about how many publishers are starting to prioritize ad consent more than might have been the case otherwise. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Reeves was referring to programmatic ad consent which is quite different from, say, a user opting in to receive emails from a publisher of their choice.

Personalization engines that are powered by AI can be a useful tool for publishers because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up showing insights that can help them personalize ads without having to infringe on someone’s online privacy. Reeves criticized the Transparency and Consent framework because despite its fulfilment of all GDPR requirements it might be lumping in too many tracking practices some of which are not all that harmful.

Just 51% of ad revenue goes to publishers, and around 15% of ad revenue ends up being unaccounted for, and that suggests that malicious actors may be entering the fray. The more muddled up and confusing regulations are, the bigger the opportunities would be for so called rent seekers to set up shop.

People will always try to find workarounds for regulations, but for now it seems that publishers are trying to find new ways to obtain consent so that they can get vital tracking data to personalize ads for users. Zero and first party data will become ever more prominent, since it can provide a gap between the needs of publishers and the privacy needs of the users that they are going to be showing their ads to.

Illustration: Freepik / jcomp
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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World