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Best Creators to Follow in 2024

Writer’s note: Content creators are one of the leading sources of entertainment and their main selling point is relatable comedy. The influencers were chosen for our April issue to align with the theme of hilarity and fun. These people have magnificent followings and distinct personalities that no one else could replicate. Some have even made history. You are guaranteed to find every one of them to be charming and their sketches will have you scrolling their pages like no tomorrow.

Nirmal Pillai (@mahlyf_mahrulez)

The Chennai-based Malayali stand-up comedian takes his craft seriously. Nirmal Pillai is a multi-faceted 25-year-old internet personality whose comedy and wit took social media by storm. His fame landed him a world tour, including countries like the United Kingdom, Singapore and more. On top of his relatable skits on pop culture, Pillai has an entertaining series on his YouTube channel called ‘The Parotta Act,’ where he explains the weird history of various topics, mostly relating to India, and other pop culture phenomena. Overall, his content never has a single boring moment while also being informative.

Follower count: 747K

Aishwarya Mohanraj (@aishwaryamrj)

Aishwarya Mohanraj is the Mumbai-based Malayali rising star of the stand-up world. YouTube and Instagram are her main platforms where she showcases her ability to switch between comedy genres. Her captivating presence and honed talents in stand-up stem from her days performing in smaller clubs and open mics. Her rise to fame began after she appeared as a participant on Amazon Prime’s ‘Comicstaan.’ She has then gone on to write for shows like Son of Abish, One Mic Stand, On Air with AIB, Comicstaan 2022, and more.

Follower count: 730K

RJ Abhinav (@rjabhinavv)

Abhinav Chand, known as RJ Abhinav to fans, is a Delhi-based comedy content creator whose aura and eclectic nature draws in his audience. Starting as a radio jockey, Abhinav’s story-telling prowess only enhanced his comedic skills. He translated his experience from radio to Instagram reels and YouTube where his career could only go up. Growing up with parents who wanted a more traditional path, Abhinav was given 6 months to pursue his comedy career and fortunately for everyone, his career took off. He has perfected the art of narrating his experiences and never has a dull moment to tell.

Follower count: 4.2M

Krutika Singh (@themermaidscales)

Krutika Singh is an icon amongst influencers, with an incredible climb in fame due to her niche online persona and hard work. While most of her persona revolves around fashion and her love for anime cosplay, her comedy skits will leave you gasping for air. Her expressive personality and hilarious sketches show a whole other side of her and encourage others to showcase their diverse interests. She was not always all glam and glitter but now shows off an impressive portfolio of extraordinary outfits. Spending time on her page will make you begin considering neon eyeliner.

Follower count: 8M

Zakir Khan (@zakirkhan_208)

With a background in music and poetry, Zakir Khan’s rise to fame is one for the ages. On 8th October 2023, the comedian marked history by becoming the first Asian comedian in the world to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, in London. His observational comedy insights a different kind of mirth from his audience, with his strong story-telling skills making him shine. He rose to fame after winning the Comedy Central competition, ‘India’s Best Stand-Up Comedian’, all the way back in 2012. Now he is set to perform around the world, including Madison Square Garden, in New York, on 17th March.

Follower count: 6M

How to Start a Finsta

Have you ever wanted to post whatever came to your mind without thinking about getting judged or reaching the wrong audience? While Instagram is a great app for posting your content to keep up socially, sometimes you wish you could post your unfiltered self. Well, look no further and start your own “fake” Instagram or a Finsta.

Definition of ‘Finsta’ on Urban Dictionary

What is a Finsta?

A Finsta is a colloquial term for fake Instagram accounts to post genuine candids and real posts that they only want trusted people to see. An Instagram account can generally be public or private and usually involves editing pictures. However, on a Finsta, people private their accounts, allowing only trusted people to follow this account, and post whatever they want.

This phenomenon started in 2011. People began to notice how different actual accounts were versus fake accounts. Fake Instagram accounts rose in popularity in 2013 and by 2015, it officially became mainstream. With Gen Z, the term got shortened to “Finsta.”

Fundamentals to first think of:

Username: The first step is to always choose a unique username, does not need to involve your name or last name, and many create a pseudonym.
Profile icon: A picture of anything but you. This assures your anonymity, otherwise it defeats the purpose.
Only exchange your Finsta information with the people you want following the account and maintain a low follower count.

Lorde’s finsta is dedicated to onion rings

How to create a Finsta:

Open the Instagram app on your smartphone or any device.
By holding the bottom right corner, your accounts should pop up. Select ‘Add Instagram Account.’
Select ‘Create New Account’ and enter your details.
Do not link your primary or more public account.
Now you can begin posting!

Remember that Finsta is technically not pretending to be someone else entirely. You will still be posting your candids and judgement-free material that you wish to post with people close to you. It is not meant for malicious intent nor typically used illegally. Making a Finsta is up to you and your social media usage.

Instagram all set to compete Twitter with new application

Twitter has been going through a dramatic meltdown ever since Elon Musk took command of the platform. Just recently, Musk revealed that Twitter will be limiting how many tweets a user sees down to just a thousand for non-paying users. It won’t be wrong to state that Twitter is no longer the platform is used to and the changed leadership has caused more damage than one could’ve initially imagined. Taking advantage of a failing platform, Facebook parent Meta is all set to launch a microblogging app of their own titled – Threads.

Twitter competitor on the way

Threads, Instagram’s text-based conversation application is expected to be released on July 6, 2023. This platform will allow users to follow the same people they follow on the photo and video sharing platform of Instagram along with having the same username. The launch comes merely days after Twitter announced the restrictions on their app.

The application is already live on Apple’s App Store. The description for the same read – “Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow. Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world.”

while Threads is closely connected to the Instagram platform, it is a standalone application which is an interesting approach, to say the least. There is no definitive information on how the application will operate as of now. However, it looks like users can like, comment, repost, and share posts on it. It will be interesting to see if Meta is able to migrate hardcore Twitter users to their platform. The general consensus about the new Meta platform has been rather underwhelming on Twitter with many users straight up saying they’re not interested in it. One of the tweets I read was something along the line of – “It’s a Meta product, so we won’t use it” which was followed by a good chunk of likes and replies.

Meta Verified: Validation in the Digital Realm

It is human to seek validation. Social media validation, on the other hand, gives people a sense of superiority. There’s a reason why people heavily document their international vacations or even a weekend getaway on their social media through stories or posts. Showcasing that you’re living a better life than the average Joe has become the twisted reason why people post on social media nowadays, or at least, that’s what my pessimistic worldview says to me. To add fuel to the fire, social media also has a class divide. The verification badge!

A simple blue tick beside your name sets you apart from the masses. For years, the verification badge on your profile was something you earned by standing out from the crowd. An entertainer, a philanthropist, a businessman, or a content creator amongst many other notable professionals were awarded the verified status on social media. Well, those were different times and the new age of social media has allowed users to buy verification badges!

Meta Verified comes to India

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced on his broadcasts channel that the paid verification system has now launched in India. The US, Australia, and New Zealand were the first countries to receive the paid verification now followed by India, the UK, and Canada.

The verification subscription in India is directly available for purchase on Instagram or Facebook. People can purchase a monthly subscription for ₹699 on iOS or Android. Whereas, users with legacy blue ticks will maintain their verified status. This is a different approach from that of Twitter which decided to yank away the verification status of legacy users in the hopes of turning them into paid subscribers. So, what do you get besides a verified blue tick if you decide to buy the subscription?

After providing a government ID to confirm their identity, subscribers gain access to proactive impersonation protection along with direct access to customer support. Additionally, users also get benefits like badges and exclusive stickers on Facebook and Instagram along with 100 Stars per month on Facebook to support other creators.

Paid Verification: Double-edged Sword

The implementation of paid verification has garnered mixed reviews. The supporters of this subscription model believe that increases the platform’s dependability and openness. This translates to users being more likely to identify between real users and/or impostors. The Meta Verified subscription could lead to solid protection against identity theft, fraud, and fake news.

However, there are also people like me who believe that the service is a class divide between Instagram and Facebook users. The elite hierarchy of a verified badge could breed toxicity among social media users. Some creators on social media often look for shortcuts through unethical bot followers and fake engagement. In a way, Meta has enabled such users by introducing a paid subscription model. Creators who worked hard to achieve a verified status are clearly distraught by Meta’s money-spinning move. It won’t be long before everyone walks around with a verified status on social media and we’re all notable social media personalities!

Meta launches paid verification for Instagram and Facebook at $12 per month

It was just last year before November when a verification mark on your social media profile was a status symbol. Elon Musk introduced Twitter Blue verification where users could pay a certain monthly fee to gain a verified mark, and the celebrated blue tick became accessible to everyone. The controversial decision to allow every user to have a blue tick by just paying a certain amount was termed the democratization of social media by Elon Musk. Now, it looks like Mark Zuckerberg is borrowing a page from Elon Musk and introducing his own verified subscription service titled ‘Meta Verified’

Meta launches ‘Meta Verified’ service

Meta announced yesterday that its launching ‘Meta Verified’ subscription service at $11.99/month on web and $14.99/month on Apple’s iOS. The company will launch in Australia and New Zealand this week with more countries to be added soon. Mark took to Facebook on Sunday night and shared a post revealing the plans for ‘meta Verified’ Check out the excerpt from his post below –

“this week we’re starting to roll out Meta Verified — a subscription service that lets you verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support. This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services. Meta Verified starts at $11.99 / month on web or $14.99 / month on iOS. We’ll be rolling out in Australia and New Zealand this week and more countries soon.”

Simultaneously, a blog post was also shared by Meta where the details of the subscription service were shared. Here are a few benefits users will get with ‘Meta Verified’ –

A verified badge that will help users/creators to confirm they’re the real person and not an impersonator. The verification badge will be provided once the account is authenticated via a government ID
Protection from impersonation with proactive monitoring of notorious users who target people with a growing online following
Easier access to help with common account issues
Increased visibility and reach
Exclusive features which include exclusive stickers for Facebook and Instagram and Facebook Reels with additional free stars a month on Facebook to show support to other creators

Snapchat hits new milestone with 750 million monthly active users

A couple of days ago, I heard two of my colleagues talking about the Snapchat streak, and that led me to install the app, and today, Snapchat hit a major milestone, crossing 750 million monthly active users. The achievement highlights the growing popularity of the social media platform, which was first launched in 2011.

Snapchat’s unique features, such as disappearing messages, filters, and lenses, have helped it stand out in a crowded social media market. It has also evolved to include new features such as Stories, Discover, and Snap Map, which have helped keep users engaged and interested in the platform.

Snapchat has also made efforts to attract new users and retain existing ones. The app has expanded its user base by targeting younger demographics with features like Bitmoji, allowing users to create and personalise their avatars and partnerships with popular celebrities and influencers.

The platform has also worked to improve its advertising capabilities, offering a range of ad formats and targeting options to advertisers. The COVID-19 pandemic has also played a role in Snapchat’s growth. Social media usage has increased across the board, with people spending more time at home and looking for ways to stay connected.

However, Snapchat still faces competition from other social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, as they have features similar to those offered by Snapchat, such as Instagram Stories and TikTok’s filters and effects. To stay ahead of the game, Snapchat will need to continue innovating and offering unique experiences for its users.

Crossing 750 million monthly active users is a significant achievement for Snapchat. It demonstrates the platform’s ability to attract and retain a large, engaged user base. With its ongoing commitment to innovation and user experience, the platform is expected to reach 1 billion+ in the next 3 years.

Facebook-parent Meta planning mass layoffs

It looks like the tech industry cannot seem to catch a break. It was only a few days back when reports about Twitter laying a big chunk of its global employees after Elon Musk took command of the platform. The layoffs have also affected Twitter employees based in India. Now, it looks like Facebook-parent Meta is also gearing up to scale down on its workforce. As per reports doing the rounds on the internet, Meta is planning to begin large-scale layoffs as early as this week!

Meta mass layoffs

Wall Street Journal was one of the first portals to report on this shocking development. As of September 2022, Meta reported a total of over 87,000 employees worldwide across multiple platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and messaging platform WhatsApp. This number will witness a considerable nosedive after the mass layoffs start happening. As per reports, company officials have already notified employees to cancel any nonessential travel from the start of this week.

This planned layoff would mark the first-ever downscale by Meta in the company’s 18-year history. The layoffs in percentage are considerably smaller than the job cuts at Twitter inc. which Thanos snapped almost half of its workforce. However, this could be the largest layoff to date in a major tech corporation. WSJ reached out to Meta for a comment but a spokesperson declined to do so.

The layoff news comes just two weeks after Meta reported that its profits halved to $4.4 billion in the third quarter of 2022. This is a significant drop from $9.2 billion a year earlier. Meta has also revealed that its revenue slipped to US 27.7 billion from USD 29 billion a year earlier. Meta shares at USD 105 now cost less than a third of what they did at the start of the year. The tech corporation is undoubtedly in a difficult position right now facing issues like stagnating user numbers and cuts in advertising budgets. It will be interesting to see whether Meta’s comeback is stronger than its setback!

Instagram has no plans to build an iPad app

Being an iPad user and operating Instagram has always been a frustrating experience. Once you’ve bought the iPad you expect it to be compatible with all the applications present in the iPhone with an even better experience. While that is indeed true for most applications out there, the same cannot be said for Instagram. Being an iPad user myself, it gets frustrating to operate Instagram on a small vertical screen without proper integration of the iPad’s widescreen. Well, it looks like the pains of iPad users are not going to be fixed by Instagram, but there’s a silver lining to this cloud!

iPad Instagram web interface gets better

Our friendly neighborhood tech enthusiasts at The Verge were one of the first people to notice the changes in the web interface of Instagram on the iPad. While there is no specific app design for Instagram on the iPad, a slightly redesigned version of Instagram on the web can be seen. This new design includes a navigation sidebar with links to options like search, explore, notifications, and messages. These options were previously placed unlabelled at the top of the screen.

The Verge received a statement from Meta spokesperson Christine Pai where it was revealed that the company is working on improving the instagram.com web experience for users. The recent changes have been described as updates to ‘modernize’ Instagram web with the inclusion of improved navigation, optimization of video experience, and the introduction of a more ‘immersive’ way to DM.

This surely does not fill the shoes of having a dedicated application designed for the tablet experience but it’s a step in the right direction nonetheless. It was only back in February when Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram had written that creating an iPad-specific Instagram app was not on their priority list. It looks like nothing has changed since then!

Instagram stories under 60 seconds will no longer be split into segments

If you’ve been on Instagram for a long time, you’ve seen a gradual change in the social media platform. The social media app which started off as an image-sharing platform eventually became a confusing mix of photos and videos, then the story format staple to Snapchat crawled its way to Instagram, and finally was Reels which was nothing short of a blatant rip-off of TikTok. Right now, it is visible that Instagram is focussing more on becoming a video platform as more and more short-form video creators make their way. As a way to merge its video products into one, Instagram has announced that Stories under 60 seconds in length will no longer be split into 15-second segments.

Instagram Story Update

An in-app alert was recently posted by social media expert Matt Navarra on Twitter which showcased Instagram’s new story update. The alert read ‘Videos up to 60 seconds long will no longer be broken up into segments.’ Whenever users will update their application they’ll get a notification stating that their Instagram stories will no longer be sliced up into small segments, making it an interruption-free viewing experience. This ultimately benefits the users as they won’t have to tap a story away or move on to another story quickly if they’re not interested.

Instagram has been testing out this new feature for a while with select users. It was a part of the Meta-owned platform’s process to integrate broader video options for users. It was back in October 2021 when Instagram retired its IGTV brand and combined IGTV and feed videos in one format. Whereas, back in July Instagram announced that all videos posted under 15 minutes will be uploaded as Reels. The change in story duration to 60 seconds is not exactly a surprising change. Instagram’s head Adam Mosseri had shared back at the start of the year that the platform will be doubling down and prioritizing its video.

The platform disappointed its users when it rolled out a TikTok-Esque full-screen feed. Users were vocally disappointed with the full-screen Instagram feed which forced the company to go back on the controversial change. Looking at the popularity of video-sharing platforms it is understandable that Instagram is adamant about being one. But it’s yet to be seen if users are interested in another video-focused platform.