So, you're scrolling through Instagram Stories, right? Suddenly, you see a super cute sticker that totally stops you in your tracks. It's, like, not just any sticker – it's your own fur-baby, all cropped out and ready to make your stories epic. But wait, how'd they pull that off?

Recently, Instagram unveiled its secret weapon: custom AI stickers. These little gems are powered by Meta's advanced artificial intelligence, and they're about to revolutionize your Stories game. Buckle up, because we're diving into the magic behind Instagram's sticker wizardry!

The Magic Behind Custom AI Stickers

Meta's Segment Anything AI model is like a digital wizard with a wand (minus the pointy hat). It can take any photo—yours or one from the app—and automatically highlight the subject. No more manual cropping or awkwardly snipping out backgrounds!

Let's say you snapped a pic of your fluffy cat, Mr. Whiskers. Upload it, and voilà! The AI recognizes Mr. Whiskers as the star of the show. But what if the AI gets a little camera-shy? Fear not, my friend.

Fine-Tuning Your Sticker

Sometimes, the AI needs a gentle nudge. You can manually adjust the sticker—resize it, rotate it, or even add a funky filter. It's like having a mini art studio in your pocket.

When you're happy with your creation, tap "Use Sticker." Boom! Your customized masterpiece is ready for prime time in your Reels or Stories.

Imagine the possibilities: your pet, your favorite quote, or even a slice of pizza (because why not?). It's sticker-making freedom! Crazy Ideas and Filters

Remember when Mark Zuckerberg typed out wild ideas like "Hungarian sheepdog driving a 4x4"? Yep, that's the same tech behind these stickers. So go ahead, slap a sheepdog on your next Story—it's practically tradition now.

Filters Are Back: Filters aren't just for selfies anymore. Instagram reintroduced photo filters, from subtle color tweaks to full-blown artistic styles. Suddenly, your morning coffee pic looks like it belongs in a gallery.

Nostalgia Alert: Filters were Instagram's OG feature, and now they're back in the spotlight. Cue the warm fuzzies.

Other Cool Updates

Undo and Redo: Perfect your Reels without the pressure. Made a mistake? Undo it. Feeling bold? Redo it. It's like having an "oops" eraser.

Media Clip Hub: Want to create memes? Add audio clips to your Reels. You'll be the meme lord of your friend group.

Text-to-Speech Voices: Ten new voices to choose from. Go ahead, let your Stories speak up—literally.

Fonts and Styles: Variety is the spice of Stories. Mix and match fonts, play with styles, and keep your audience guessing.

Remember when Pinterest was just a bunch of pretty pictures? Dreamy houses, yummy food, crafts you never actually made – that kind of thing? Well, forget that! Pinterest is moving faster than the latest TikTok craze, and they just launched something awesome: video boards! Gen Z is freaking out, and for good reason.

What's the Buzz?

Pinterest, always keen on staying relevant, has taken a cue from TikTok's playbook. The company now allows users to transform their meticulously curated boards into short videos. Imagine your favorite recipe board coming to life with sizzling pans and tantalizing food shots, or your travel inspiration board whisking you away to exotic destinations through moving visuals.

How It Works

1. Tap the Share Icon: Head to any of your public boards and tap that little share icon in the top right corner.
2. Voilà, Video! Like magic, a video auto-generates, showcasing your pins in a dynamic format.
3. Share Away: You've got options—click "Add to Story" for an Instagram Stories share or hit "Download" to spread the video love elsewhere (hello, TikTok!).

The MeCore Trend

Pinterest calls this trend "mecore." It's all about sharing your unique style, interests, and individuality. Think of it as a digital mood board with a twist. And guess what? Searches related to mecore have skyrocketed by 565% on Pinterest. Clearly, Gen Z is all in.

The Power Players

To kick things off, Pinterest teamed up with none other than Avril Lavigne and Tierra Whack. Avril's board oozes fashion inspo and promotes her tour (rock on, Avril!), while Tierra Whack's eclectic interests find a home on Pinterest.

In a bold move that provoked controversy and curiosity, the U.S. surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy stood up against the digital giants who rule our lives this week. His plea? To place warning labels on social media platforms, much like the ones we find on cigarette boxes. But why you might ask? And what does this mean for our mental well-being? Let's dive in.

The Mental Health Crisis

Incidentally, Dr. General Murthy calls for social media to be the perfect sunshine and rainbow for the youth. A lot of kids these days are glued to their phones, and it’s bumming them out. They feel anxious, depressed and lonely even though they are constantly connected. This is a serious problem that cannot be ignored.

The Evidence

Those scary warnings on cigarettes, like "smoking kills," aren't there just to freak people out. Turns out, they actually work! They get people thinking twice and can help them quit. That's what Dr. Murthy is saying about social media. Just like warnings protect our lungs, labels on social media could help us stay mentally healthy.

The Proposal

Imagine going on TikTok or Instagram and being greeted with this message: "Warning: This platform is associated with significant mental health issues for teens." It’s a wake-up call, a push to pause and reflect. Such labels won't magically make social media safer, Dr. Murthy argues, but they are a necessary step. They remind us that the digital world isn't all rainbows and filters.

Personal Story: The Scroll of Doom

Let me share a personal anecdote. Last summer, my teenage niece, Lily, fell into the social media rabbit hole. Late nights turned into early mornings as she swiped through curated lives, flawless selfies, and unattainable standards. Her laughter faded, replaced by a quiet sadness. When Dr. Murthy's proposal hit the news, I thought of Lily. Maybe those labels could have nudged her toward healthier choices.

Intrigue your followers with these five simple tips to help you get immediate Instagram likes. Find out how to boost engagement with these Instagram-friendly tricks!

Want to make a lasting impression on Instagram? Looking for ways to get more likes and engagement from your followers? Here are five simple tips to help increase your Instagram likes fast! Follow these strategies to engage your followers and boost your visibility on the platform.

Post at Optimal Times.

When it comes to getting free Instagram likes, timing can be everything! Posting during peak times when your followers are more likely to be online and active can significantly increase the chances of receiving engagement. Research your target audience’s activity and find suitable optimal times when to post content. Consider scheduling posts ahead of time using Instagram's scheduling feature to ensure that you don’t miss out on any opportunities.

Unfortunately, Instagram does not provide any direct way to know when your followers are online. However, there are some third-party tools available that can help you track when your followers are most active. These tools use analytics to track when people are engaging with your posts, as well as when they are online viewing your profile.

Utilize Captivating Hashtags.

Hashtags are one of the most underrated engagement tools on Instagram! Utilizing related yet specific hashtags can increase your chances of popping up in many various feeds, creating more opportunities to engage with new audiences. When brainstorming for hashtags, think about your content and make sure that it reflects what your followers are already interacting with online.

The hashtags you use on Instagram should be related to the content you’re posting. You should use hashtags that are both popular and relevant to your post. Additionally, try using a mix of both broad and specific hashtags. This will help your post reach a wider audience, while still allowing it to be seen by people who are interested in the content you’re posting.

Engage with Other Accounts.

Another easy way to get more free Instagram likes instantly is by engaging with other accounts. This strategy requires a bit more work on your end, but you will be rewarded when followers like and share your posts. Interact with your target audiences using targeted comments and hashtags, leave thoughtful replies and compliments on their photos, and ask questions that they may respond to. This type of engagement will go a long way in growing your account organically! Additionally, you can use Instagram Live or Stories to connect with your followers in real time.

Leverage Reposts and User-Generated Content.

Reposting content from your followers can be an effective way to quickly gain free Instagram likes. Not only does it show your audience that you value their contributions, but it also gives them a platform to showcase the great things they’ve created. The best part is that when your followers see that you shared or liked their photos or videos, they will likely like and share yours in return! You can also curate and feature user-generated content on your profile to increase engagement with followers.

Teens are known to be the people who primarily use social media; there are various social media platforms that teens use for fun and even catching up with friends and family by creating memories. If you are updated, you must know the relationship between Snapchat and teens; lately, Snapchat is becoming more popular than TikTok and Instagram. Everyone is asking themselves, why is this happening? This app is changing the way people use social media in many different ways, and that is why you find that even marketers are currently marketing their products using Snapchat. Here are the reasons why Snapchat is becoming the talk of town more than the others:

Snapchat Creates The Urgency Sense

The main difference between Snapchat and other social media platforms is the fleeting nature of the content. Unlike Tiktok and Instagram, where you have to constantly check on the app daily to stay updated with your friends' content, Snapchat allows teens to view their close friends' snaps and chats within ten seconds and stay up to date. Moreover, the content friends share in their stories can disappear after 24 hours of posting.

This nature of the app allows people to share stories of their current situations that they would not want to stay in their lives forever. Simple things like the people you hang out with while having dinner, what you ate, and whatever happened over the day. For this reason, you will find Snapchat and teens being one.

Encourages sharing of full stories rather than highlights

Daily users are likely to spend about 25 to 30 minutes on Snapchat daily; you should not be surprised to know that they get a lot of content from that. It is common for peers to share at least ten moments a day from when they woke up until they slept. For instance, if you take a trip, you might want to take your friends along virtually, and every moment you share, they find it in full rather than just a highlight of their trip.

Live without ads

Snapchat is among the few platforms where you can share live news without ads appearing or popping up every moment. It gives users choices when to view brands' content, thus enabling the selected brands to promote their products and content through Snapchat's Discover. This tab can quickly draw an audience of about 40 million people within 24 hours, and here you will promote whatever you want without disruption.

If you are a fan of Instagram then you already know you can find goods and services via this social networking website. Many business owners advertise their products here and they have excellent reasons to do this. With over 500 million visitors daily, Instagram has the potential to bring serious business to your site. It gets even better. According to reliable statistics, over 130 million Instagram users engage with shopping posts. These are some big numbers right there.

In the past, Instagram users had to leave the site then log on to the seller's website in order to buy goods and services online. Now, this is an inconvenience and a waste of valuable time. The good news is that customers can now buy goods and services directly from Instagram without leaving the site or navigating to the seller's website. BigCommerce has teamed up with Facebook to unlock checkout on Instagram. In simple English, this means that if you are just looking at Instagram pages and you see any product you like, you can buy it immediately without having to log out of Instagram and log on to the seller's website. Below are three advantages of this innovative development.

Meet Customers Where They Are

One of the best things about shopping online is that the seller offers goods and services to the customers in real time. You do not have to commute to some offline shop somewhere and waste valuable time in traffic. Now, checkout on Instagram offers online shoppers instant availability of products. For the 130 million shoppers on Instagram, this feature means that the seller meets the customer where they are. In effect, you have a safe, fast and convenient shopping alternative right here on Instagram.

Simple and Secure Platform

This innovation creates a wonderful social media shopping experience for Instagram users. You probably had some favorite products already but you could not access these products directly in the past. Now, BigCommerce has just given you the opportunity to shop for all your favorite brands directly from your Instagram page. You can even store payment credentials and make future purchases seamlessly on Instagram. This gives you fast, secure and simple transactions all the time. 

Instagram - 8 (Photo credit: BrentOzar)

TOS Lands Instagram In Court

Instagram is not pleased with what Santa left under the tree: a lawsuit. To be more specific, Instagram is now involved in a class action lawsuit after it changed its terms of service, a move that customers are none too happy about. According to Reuters, the suit was started by a California user who is claiming that Instagram breached its contract by changing its service term. Instagram, owned by Facebook, responded by denying any wrong-doing and vowing to fight the suit.

Image via CrunchBase

Users of Google+ can now make their Klout scores rise starting Tuesday. Klout is a company that measures the online influence of users based on their activities in their respective social network site memberships. It has recently added the infant networking site Google+.

Klout allowed its users to add Google+ as one of the social media platforms being calculated to measure their online influence. This was done just a short time after the Google+ was opened for public use. It now has a new system that deals with the scoring model of Google+.