Sixty percent get their news from TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Here’s why that has experts alarmed.
🏛️ Meta, meet another existential court case: Mark Zuckerberg put on his best courtroom tie and took the stand Monday in a trial that could break up Meta’s empire. The FTC basically wants (paywall link) Meta to sell off Instagram and WhatsApp, claiming Meta bought them just to squash the competition. If IG goes, it could gut over half of Meta’s U.S. ad revenue. The trial runs through July, but the vibes are already tense.
🔗 Don’t connect your socials: Unless you’re an influencer, it’s best to keep your accounts separate. Linking apps, like putting your Instagram in your Facebook bio, makes it easier for stalkers to track your life and location. Use different usernames, handles and profile pictures to stay safe.
Scammer ruins a 45-year marriage
What’s worse than your mom leaving your dad for a guy she met on Instagram? Finding out he’s a romance scammer and she knows — but she’s still in love. That’s what happened to Grant Inman. Now, the My Funeral Home Stories host is trying to help his mom see the truth.You, 21 min
📸 DIY stickers: Instagram’s Cutouts lets you turn your photos into custom stickers. Start a new Story or Reel, tap Stickers (square smiley face icon) > Cutouts > choose a photo or video with a clear subject. Instagram will create it for you right away or save it for later. FYI, you can only pick one object at a time.
🛑 Stop creepy DMs: Take charge of who can message you on Instagram. Open the app, tap your profile > More (three lines) > Messages and story replies > Message requests. Choose if you want DMs from followers or others to go to your Message Requests folder or not. Finally, an option between let everyone in and total digital hermit.
Uber drove off with her kid
Her 5-year-old fell asleep in the backseat, and the driver left with her still inside. Uber refused to help until police stepped in. Their apology? A $7 credit. Plus, what’s up with Instagram Edits, Meta’s AI glasses now transcribe your convos, and chatbots place bets on the next pope.
Reel in the views: Want to go viral on Instagram? The algorithm loves Reels with trending sounds. After uploading your video, tap the Music icon on the right. Then, hit the Trending tab for the top 50 tracks right now. Pro tip: Press the Bookmark icon next to a song to save your favorites for later. You’re not basic, you’re just strategically algorithm-friendly.
🛍️ Set up shop: Turn your followers into customers with an Instagram shop. You’ll need a Business profile, which you can create during setup. Just go to the Facebook Shops page, click Get Started and follow the steps. Once approved, tag products in posts, so your followers can buy them easily. Buy my shirt, my ego and the dream I had when I posted this.
How to go viral on Instagram
Want your content to actually take off? Here’s a simple framework to boost your chances of getting it out there.
🔒 Link unlocked: You need 10K followers for Instagram’s “Swipe Up” feature to link directly from your Stories. Not there yet? Just create a new Story and tap the Sticker button (smiling face in a square). Hit Link and add your URL. Pro tip: A call-to-action sticker like “tap here” tells your followers to click.
👨👩👧👦 Eyes on your teens: If your kid is between 13 and 17, set up Supervision on Instagram. You or your teen can send the invite by going to your profile, tapping Menu (three lines) > Family Center > Invite your teen. Find their name and hit Invite. Then, open their account and tap the invite > Next > Allow. Simple.
📅 Social on autopilot: Want to save time on social media? Schedule your Facebook and Instagram posts on Meta Business Suite. Head to the Home tab and tap Create post. Under Scheduling options, select Schedule to pick a date and time. You’re all set. Work smarter, not post from bed at midnight harder.
⏩ Reelly speedy: You can now watch Instagram Reels at 2x speed, like on TikTok and Netflix. Just hold down anywhere on the left edge of your screen or above the heart on the right side while watching a Reel. You’ll zip through it without missing a beat. Bless the algorithm for realizing we’re all too impatient for anything longer than 15 seconds.
Baby, oh no: The internet was in a panic. Did Justin and Hailey Bieber break up? How could Hailey unfollow Justin on Instagram? Take a deep breath. It was just a glitch when Justin deactivated his IG account. They were recently seen on a sushi date. Oh, thank goodness.
🚫 Blocked or not? Instagram won’t tell you if someone blocks you. Here’s how to check: Log out of your account and try visiting their profile. Just type instagram.com/[their username] in your browser. If you can see it logged out but not logged in, they’ve blocked you. Ouch!
🤫 Tired of someone’s posts on Instagram? You can mute them without unfollowing. Next time they post, tap the three dots on their post and select Hide. When the prompt appears, tap Mute and choose to mute either Posts or Posts & Story. Bonus: Instagram won’t tell them you did it!
📈 Have a Business or Creator Instagram account? See when your audience is most active aka when you should post. Go to: Profile > ☰ Menu > Insights > Total Followers, then scroll to Most Active Times to see peak hours.
Run a business account on Facebook or Instagram? Apply for Meta’s AI for a 24/7 support pilot program. It’s free right now. Customers will be able to chat with your ads or send DMs to get more info. I’m going to try this out myself.
Tell Instagram to stop tracking you: Go to your profile and click the three-line icon > Accounts Center. Choose Ad Preferences > Manage info > Activity information from ad partners. Tap Review Settings, then No, don’t make my ads more relevant. Press Confirm. Voila.