Instagram Shows Facebook How To Deal With Crisis & Japan Are Setting YouTube Trends

Instagram Showing The Big Dogs How It Should Be Done

Instagram is back in the news this week, but unlike Facebook it is here for positive reasons; also unlike Facebook it is because they are making efforts to avoid problems, rather than having to explain them.

It has been revealed today that in an effort to avert any crisis of its own, Instagram has now banned a number of drug-related hashtags – a move, many critics say, the company has taken way too long to make, but at least they are making it.

As Facebook continues to battle crisis after crisis, Instagram can’t afford to get involved with any scandals of its own and are, no wonder, trying to stay away from anything negative at the moment.

So, when a woman confronted two Facebook executives on Twitter recently about Instagram’s role in drug sales and drug abuse, instead of brushing it under the carpet, Instagram moved swiftly.

There were some accounts that were removed altogether, and searches for hashtags like #opiates, #fentanyl, or #narcos now bring up fewer results. A search for the hashtag #oxycontin brings up no results at all.

Any search for these hashtags will bring up a message that states, “Recent posts from [the hashtag] are currently hidden because the community has reported some content that may not meet Instagram’s community guidelines.”

While the Twitter complaint greatly increased the discussion around online drug sales, the FDA has also been involved.

Either way, it’s clear that users and lawmakers want tech companies like Facebook, Instagram, and even Google and Microsoft, to clean up their act. And with the latest scandal dragging Facebook through the mud lately, this should help change come more swiftly.

Instagram Will Soon Allow You To Download Data

Great news for the social media buffs out there. In response to the European GDPR privacy legislations coming into effect next month, Instagram is building a “data portability” tool that will allow you to download a copy of what you’ve shared on the platform.

“We are building a new data portability tool,” Instagram said. “You’ll soon be able to download a copy of what you’ve shared on Instagram, including your photos, videos, and messages.”

The announcement is good news for those seriously thinking of deleting Facebook. When this tool debuts, you’ll theoretically be able to download all the photos, chats, and other information you’ve shared to Instagram.

It will also be a useful tool for those who have been using Instagram not just as a social media tool but also as an online repository for old photos.

Those of you who may have failed to back up old phones on more than one occasion and lost photos in the process, this could be your saving grace, as Instagram may be the only place these images exist now.

The move is a 360 turn for Instagram, which typically makes it very hard to copy, re-gram, or otherwise download posts—whether they’re your own or those of others.

The app is still yet to make this update live, so keep your eyes peeled for when this happens in the next couple of months!

Leave It To Japan To Set The Oddest YouTube Trends

Japan has started a new YouTube trend in the form of ‘Study Clips’. The videos feature creators quietly studying for as much as an hour at a time, and are intended to be consumed by viewers who are also doing homework. One such video by the popular Japanese creator Hajime Shacho (6.1 million subscribers), for instance, has racked up more than 3 million views.

While this wasn’t a first, other “study clips” have appeared since then, with more and more popping up of late. The trend has even crossed over borders and hit the UK with several English YouTubers also sharing “Study with Me” clips.

In a way the clips are spreading a positive message for young people in education. Maybe someone feels alone or feels they study better with a “partner” whether they are virtual or real. If this is what it takes to get young people studying hard and taking pride in their education then we salute the trend setters.

If nothing else at least it stops young people if only for a second watching inappropriate content, that is often available on YouTube.