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Change is the only the constant, especially when it comes to social media apps. But that doesn’t mean the changes are unique.Instagram is testing out a full-screen feed feature that looks awfully similar to TikTok’s interface. And Snapchat is joining Twitter in adding a paid subscriber tier. Also, if Elon Musk gets his way, Twitter will start to look a whole lot more like TikTok too. It’s the constant news: all your favorite tech platforms are converging into one. Instagram’s New Feed FeatureThe new but not-so-new full-screen feed feature for Instagram is soon to be in testing, according to a Thursday Instagram stories post from Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, himself. He also announced testing for a navigation bar update, although that wasn’t pictured in the image Zuckerberg posted or promotional content from Instagram.“We’re rolling out the test gradually to a limited number of people in our global community,” wrote Meta spokesperson, Seine Kim, in an email to Gizmodo.If you’re in the testing group, videos on the platform will take up nearly your entire screen as you scroll through (though the navigation bar will remain). Other icons for liking, commenting, or sharing and a video description will show up as overlaid…

Image Source : FREEPIK Snapchat testing 'Spotlight Replies' feature for community-building: Know more Snapchat has announced that they are testing a new community-building feature for creators and their audiences, named 'Spotlight Replies'. The new feature enables the audiences to leave a text reply on a creator's Spotlight video that is first moderated before being sent directly to the creator. Post that, the creators will be given the power to control the replies which appear publicly on their video for other viewers to see. 'Spotlight Replies' feature is currently being tested in New Zealand, and the test will expand to more markets over the next several months. "Since launching Spotlight, one of the most requested features from our community has been the ability to reply to content. We're constantly listening to and learning from Snapchatters, and thoughtfully innovating based on their needs," the company said in a statement. The company said that it still does not allow public comments or replies to friends' Stories, "which we think can fuel toxic and inauthentic behaviours". "Allowing creator-controlled replies on Spotlight reflects the difference between the dynamics of friend communications and an entertainment platform, which is more broadcast in nature," said the company. Snapchat last…

PinkNews has won big at the AOP Digital Publishing Awards 2022. (Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images) PinkNews has won Best Use of Video and was highly commended for Editorial Team of the Year: Consumer at the AOP Digital Publishing Awards for its unrivalled LGBTQ+ journalism. The UK’s Association of Online Publishers (AOP), which represents British digital publishing companies, celebrated the industry’s top talent at the Digital Publishing Awards 2022 on Wednesday (15 June) – and that included PinkNews. The judge’s jury, made up of media experts, said they were “impressed” by the LGBTQ+ news outlet’s use of Snapchat to tell vital stories for the community, by the community, in a creative and accessible way. Among the many shows on offer, plaudits were given to the Snapchat show the Queer Catch-Up which rounds up the biggest headlines that readers need to know. “The jury were impressed by how the team at PinkNews overcame logistical challenges to deliver much-needed positive coverage of LGBTQ+ issues, with highly creative content showcasing inspiring stories via Snapchat,” AOP judges said. And PinkNews‘ editorial content, which included in-depth coverage of how the Taliban take-over of Afghanistan threw LGBTQ+ people into jeopardy, received a big nod from…

There's no threat to the public, police said.Multiple school districts in the Kansas City, Missouri, area closed their doors on Wednesday in the wake of a mass shooting threat.The Blue Springs Police Department said someone called Tuesday morning to report a suspicious Snapchat post made by an individual "threatening 'killing people -- mass murdering.'"No specific location was mentioned, police said, but the Blue Springs School District, the nearby Fort Osage School District and others decided to close as a precaution.Lee's Summit High School is part of several area school districts cancelling summer school classes after an FBI-warned threat of a mass shooting.Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILEBlue Springs police said Wednesday morning that a suspect -- a male former student -- is in custody and charges are pending.There's no threat to the public, police said.The FBI in Kansas City said it was notified of the threat but deferred further comment to Blue Springs police.Blue Springs is one of several area school districts cancelling summer school classes after an FBI-warned threat of a mass shooting.Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images, FILE

The Blue Springs Police Department announced in a release Wednesday morning that the suspect behind a concerning mass shooting threat has been taken into custody. Multiple area school districts made the decision to cancel summer school classes Wednesday after an FBI-warned threat of a mass shooting.CLASS CANCELED FOR:Blue Springs School DistrictLee's Summit School DistrictIndependence School DistrictFort Osage School DistrictGrain Valley School DistrictOdessa School DistrictOak Grove School DistrictLone Jack School DistrictHickman Mills School DistrictKC International AcademyThe Blue Springs, Missouri, School District first announced Tuesday night that it would cancel summer school and all school activities "until further notice" due to a possible threat of a mass shooting.The Blue Springs Police Department notified the FBI of a possible threat related to an unspecific mass shooting. The FBI confirmed that the individual in question in regard to the threat was missing. This individual was believed to be dangerous. Police said Wednesday morning that the individual has been taken into custody.So far he has only been identified as a 19-year-old with former ties to the Blue Springs School District. After announcing the arrest, police provided more information on the original threat saying it happened on SnapChat.The post, which did not mention or target a…

Domino’s entered the next phase of its “Mind Ordering” campaign with two augmented reality lenses on Snapchat tied to the July 1 release of the second volume of episodes of season four of Stranger Things from Netflix. Enjoying your content? You Have 1 Free Article Left. Register to continue reading!

Teens are buying drugs via popular social media platforms and text messaging, often right under their parents’ noses. Experts are decoding the secret terms and emojis used in deals that can be deadly. Becca Schmill, 18, of Needham, Mass. loved playing guitar and visiting presidential libraries and she was college bound, having been accepted into the University of Richmond in Virginia. But underneath that “funny, adventurous and determined” energy, Becca was using drugs, her parents said. In September 2020, Becca died from an accidental overdose, after using drugs laced with fentanyl. “We didn’t realize just how easy it was for her to have drugs delivered basically to our door,” Becca’s father, Stu Schmill, told NBC News anchor Kate Snow on Tuesday. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, fentanyl is “a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent."Becca used a shorthand to find drugs through social media, her parents said.Related: Here's what's really happening on social media According to a May research letter published in JAMA, the overdose death rate for adolescents almost doubled in 2020, then rose by an additional 20 percent in 2021. As reported by NBC News, many of those deaths…

Jordynne Grace’s skills as a female in-ring competitor helped her gain a large fan following. The Impact Wrestling star has a lot of goals she wants to accomplish as well. Grace is also ready to make history with her latest photo drop. For many fans, the Impact Wrestling Knockout is inspiring so many people when it comes to accepting themselves. Jordynne Grace has become a symbol of compassion as well. The Impact Wrestling star has improved her social media game in a huge way. She took to her Instagram and uploaded a couple of photos of herself wearing white underwear. One week out from @impactwrestling – ready to make history in the first ever Queen of the Mountain match We’ll have to wait and see how Jordynne Grace will fare in the Queen Of The Mountain match. Fans would love to see her win the match, as they feel Grace deserves a push. What’s your take on this story? Sound off in the comments!

Patriot Front participate in an anti-abortion march in January 2022 in Washington, DC. ( Los Angeles Times via Getty/ Kent Nishimura) A group of 31 people, suspected to be members of the white supremacist neo-Nazi group Patriot Front, have been arrested at a Pride parade in Idaho. On Saturday (11 June), North Idaho Pride Alliance held the Coeur d’Alene Pride in the Park event in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, a “family-friendly, community event celebrating diversity and building a stronger and more unified community for all”.  There was a large police presence at the Pride event, as Coeur d’Alene police had received tips that there were plans to disrupt it, officials said at a news conference. Just after 1.30pm, police received a call from a “concerned citizen” who had seen a group of people who “looked like a little army” jump into the back of a U-Haul truck with masks and shields. Officers made a traffic stop, and arrested the 31 people inside the truck for conspiracy to riot. The group, made up of individuals from states across the US, was found with riot gear and at least one smoke grenade. “They appeared to be affiliated with the group Patriot Front,” Coeur d’Alene…

Uzbekistan LGBT+ continue to face violent human rights violations. (Photo by Monirul Bhuiyan / AFP) (Photo by MONIRUL BHUIYAN/AFP via Getty Images) A new report has found that the LGBTQ+ community in Uzbekistan is under renewed threat as many face persecution, imprisonment, abuse, and brutal human rights violations. Thirty-six LGBTQ+ people were convicted under the Article 120 of the Uzbek Criminal Code, which criminalises homosexuality in the majority Muslim country, in 2021, found a new report by the International Partnership for Human Rights, Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA), and the Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity (ECOM). Twenty-five of them were imprisoned. Police play a key part in the persecution of queer folk, demanding money in exchange for not outing people to relatives, and torturing and humiliating them. One young man recounted his experience in a detention centre in the report, and said: “They suspended me from the ceiling using handcuffs, beat me severely, and tried to rape me with a truncheon. “I have never been beaten and intimidated like that in my entire life. I wanted to die to free myself from this torture.” The police told him to pay $2,000 (£1,623) or face imprisonment…