With cyber-crimes and hacking incidents on the rise more than ever before, Instagram is rolling out a new security check in the app, which aims to keep users’ Instagram accounts safe and secure. The Facebook-owned social media app will prompt users with previously compromised accounts to update their profile info and settings.
Instagram users were recently exposed to a text scam that put their accounts at risk in the hands of hackers. In April this year, a Facebook data hack even put CEO Mark Zukerberg into a severe cyber threat. In a similar series of events, Twitter was also left to deal with a massive Bitcoin scam last year, where few users had their private messages accessed.
Today, the social media giant announced a security checkup, aiming towards users whose connected email address or phone number was changed recently, resulting from potential hack rather than their actions.
The new Security Checkup feature will guide users through various security steps, including confirming accounts that share login information, reviewing profile information and login activity, and keeping up-to-date recovery contact information. Once the user completes the Security Checkup procedures, the account will be much safer and more protected against future cyber attacks.
Stay Safe
A recent wave of password reset emails has made its way into people’s DMs. These messages claim to be directly from Instagram to get people to share their passwords. Instagram issued a reminder stating that if any user receives direct messages claiming to be from Instagram, it is most likely not them.
“Instagram will never send you a DM: Over the past few months, we’ve seen a rise in malicious accounts DMing people to try and access sensitive information like account passwords. They may tell you that your account is at risk of being banned, that you are violating our policies around intellectual property, or that your photos are being shared elsewhere. These messages are often scams and violate our policies.”
Instead, Instagram says that they will do it via Email if they ever want to reach you. To review authentic communication from Instagram, one can go to the ‘Emails from Instagram’ tabs in their settings.
Hacks and scams are common nowadays, and it is essential to keep your data safe online. One should refrain from putting up useful or personal information on the web as much as one could. Fortunately, social media apps are adding security features to make the user experience more secure.
A meme is universally recognized as a reason to smile. Mere images posed in funny angles or clever snippets of film dialogues inserted in correct situations can turn any situation comical. In the times that we are currently living in, it is difficult to find reasons to be happy. With sadness and despair running rampant, we can safely say that the world needs a laugh. Luckily for us, we have some entrepreneurial geniuses who are keen on pushing away the fog of gloom and opening up to sunny skies. One such entrepreneur is Kyle Fernandes, the CEO of MemeChat. In an exclusive interview with Exhibit Magazine, he revealed some of his efforts from the beginning and some of his plans for the future.
What is one truth you believe that most people disagree with you on?
Memes will eventually become powerful enough to sway the opinions and judgments of Gen Zs and millennials. Memes are what they relate to, and it’s going to be a potent tool.
How has the journey of MemeChat been so far?
The journey of MemeChat has been very empowering in terms of our learning because we’ve been able to take an app from 0 to a million monthly active users despite a small team and limited resources. It’s a learning process that I would imagine very few people can access since it requires a lot of money to reach a million monthly active users.
One thing you believe is necessary for sustained growth.
The only thing necessary for growth is constantly evolving your app or your product based on what people want to use and see while removing features that fail to meet the test of functionality and usability. Creating relatable, trendy, and newsworthy content is a significant factor for growth in our industry.
How difficult is it to maintain a work-life balance?
There is no work-life balance; life is work. It is work if you are thinking of it as a means to reach a number or a goal, but that’s not how we feel about it. We have fun doing what we are doing: it’s fun to analyse user insights, data insights, and growth strategies. So for us, work is life, and life is work.
How does meme marketing help on a commercial level?
Companies are skillfully leveraging meme marketing because Gen Z and millennials trust a brand associated with memes. That gives you higher sales, higher conversions, leading to organic growth. Meme marketing will become an even bigger tool for companies in the future.
How does the meme world pose as a vocational aspect for youngsters?
If AI doesn’t take over, businesses will get creative professionals to make memes for their companies. We will see more copywriters and meme creators who will be creating content for a company’s social media handles and various other outlets because that will be the language of the future. As a meme platform, we are also paying creators to make memes.
How do you plan to take things ahead in the coming years?
In the coming years, we are going to push the social networking elements of a meme. We will use it to bring that entire viral effect and widen our network. We are excited to see our plans come into effect. We are currently growing at a pretty good pace, but we will see something incredibly new and exciting when our strong network kicks in.
Are you on Instagram? Of course, you are. Instagram has more than 1.2 billion users worldwide, and that’s nearly 15% of the whole planet’s population. Such a vast audience, right? Amongst all these Instagrammers, 95% of them use the platform as a time-killing app, but have you ever thought that this one app can help you build a promising career?
If you’re in a field that benefits from having an audience, especially if you’re into a creative field like photography, modelling, fitness, cooking, etc, your Instagram feed can become your modern-day portfolio. Instagram is a rapidly growing platform that you cannot ignore as it helps you influence worldwide and gives you the freedom to do something that you always wanted. But how can one grow as a personal brand? Take a deep breath, sit back, and I’ll guide you in brief.
Username:
You only have a few seconds to make a good impression, so knock it off and make a good one. The first thing people will notice is your username, so keep it as short and simple as possible. As you’re a personal brand, it’s a great idea to use your real name, or you can personalize an attractive name that will suit your feed and profession. Whatever it is but don’t complicate your username with any unnecessary symbols or numbers; it’ll help you stand out. Mention what you are, where you are from, and what’s your profession in bio, but in a decent and short text, don’t overdo it, and keep changing over time.
Know Your Audience:
In a world where social media matters more than anything, having the right audience is the key to success. It’s important how you connect with them visually; you have to be clear about what you’re going to add to their daily feed. If you’re into a creative field, then create a specific tone-vibe and use relatable but interesting captions to bring them to you as at the end of the day, they’re going to remember you by your work. The same applies to the rest of the fields; know your audience, know what they’re looking for and create your page accordingly.
Instagram Aesthetic:
What kind of difference do you notice when you visit your favourite Influencers feed and a regular Instagrammer’s feed? Yes, what you’re thinking is absolutely right, the aesthetics, the way they’ve composed their pictures. A well planned Instagram feed can visually convey brands in a second, as it shows how professional and passionate you’re about your work. You can learn how to set the aesthetic just by visiting your favourite profiles, are they bright and lively, or are they following some patterns? Note such things down and decide which one is suitable for you. These little things will not only give you a decent account but also helps you in building a fanbase. If you want to stay ahead of the game, then pre-plan your feed with Later’s Visual Instagram Planner because staying organized is always a great option.
Creative Editing:
The film is made in the editing room, so the Instagram feed. The essence of every art is editing, and learning it is like adding one more feather of art to your portfolio. Adopting the same or set of filters and following the same editing rules will help you keep your photos looking consistent. Adobe Lightroom, Snapseed and VSCO are the most helpful and must learn apps if you plan to level up your Instagram photos and work on aesthetics.
Amongst these, Snapseed and VSCO are pretty easy to use; if you’re looking to edit your images in less than three-four taps, then these two are best, but if you want a more professional look for your pictures, then I would recommend Adobe Lightroom, by far one of the most powerful photo editing tools out there. Also, keep these things in mind while editing your photos on an app, the temperature, brightness, and contrast, maintain these things to keep your feed consistent.
Replying to Comments:
If you have thousands of followers, then it’s not humanly possible to reply to each of them, but if you’re just started or into a developing phase, this will work great. Just a simple thanks will work wonders, even if they’re trolling you.
Hashtags:
Your personal brand is the intention behind your outward-facing interactions with the world, and you might think that with aesthetics and creative editing, you can create a decent fanbase, but what about a worldwide reach? Well, a hashtag is an answer to that. Research on what your fellow Instagrammers are hashtagging, create your hashtag to get noticed quickly, appeal to your audience about using the same hashtags, and add tagged picture stories to make them happy; these little interactions will help you go beyond the boundaries. If you’re looking for a hashtag generator, use Tailwind’s Hashtag Finder, the site will help you with the best hashtags to use for Instagram. Also, if you’re posting some brand-related content, even if it’s non-sponsored, don’t forget to tag the brands; who knows, they might feature or repost you in their next post.
With all these tips, you can have a fair head start over your competition, so don’t wait for the right day; go on, seize the opportunity.
Ex: Your upcoming flick Pitta Kathalu is about a dystopian tech society plunged into chaos! Do you think such a dark future awaits us as well? Shruti: We are already a tech society. How distorted that gets depends on our ability to use technology wisely as a tool of communication and connection with others. Technology is a driving force in our everyday lives and it needs to remain a positive one rather than replace real human connection and warmth.
The narrative the director has put across in Pitta Kathalu is not an unbelievable scenario – it is possible but it’s also avoidable.
Ex: What was the most fun part about playing a damsel in distress in a technocratic world? Shruti: There’s no fun in playing a damsel in distress EVER so let’s get that out of the way first lol. I enjoy playing the role of various women and telling their stories through cinema- it’s not about me connecting to them as personalities or traits I relate to it’s about me connecting to the feeling of wanting to tell that story. The funny thing is even in a technocratic world basic human emotions never change but it made it more exciting to go through an emotional landscape in an almost cold world taken over by technology.
Ex: You recently bought a PS5, how did you manage to secure one with such an insane demand worldwide? Shruti:Hahahaha thanks to my mates at games the shop for hooking me up with an early pre-order for the console!
Ex: What games are you currently playing on your PS5 and which ones are you looking forward to the most? Shruti: I’m playing Astro’s PlayRoom which is a free game with the Playstation 5 and it teaches you the new features of the PS5 controller which I’m getting used to. I’m also playing Mortal Combat and apart from that, I’ve pre-ordered the new Resident Evil Village which I’m super stoked about.
Ex: Are you a fan of Elon Musk and his Mission to Mars program? Would you like to live on Mars if given a chance and why? Shruti: I admire anyone making forays into unknown territory and exploring the new and being brave through technology and life. I also think we have to be aware of the fine balance of exploration and caution. Humans have an easy ability to be greedy and self-entitled – whichever planet we may explore in the future, let us first be aware that we haven’t been the kindest to our own!
So while it’s exciting to think about exploring another planet it’s so important, to me personally, that we care for and cherish what we have on this earth and conserve and reverse the dire damage we have caused.
Ex: What car do you drive? If we are to arrange any car of your choice on any track /road which ones would you wish you? Shruti: I’m the worst driver EVER in the history of the world so no I don’t drive unless I absolutely have to – so the right answer is I get driven around in my red Range Rover Velar.
Ex: Does the concept of Cryptocurrency excite you? What do you think about Bitcoin? Shruti:I think it’s an Inevitable future- seventy years ago if you said everyone would have a plastic card that’d hold the connection to their money or that you could transfer funds through an app they’d have think of you as insane! The biggest worries are the security breaches and the possibility of having all your “digital money“ stolen. The truth is that you run that risk even now with the instability of systems that we currently use. It all boils down to do you keep your money under your mattress or somewhere else I suppose! It’s all very fascinating. This is a prime example of how currency and financial resources can be decentralized. Yes, the debate is about the change, and as I said it is inevitable.
Ex: Electric car vs Conventional cars? Which one would you choose? Shruti: Definitely electric for the good of the environment !! There’s no question about it – I don’t have one now but look forward to getting my first electric car.
Ex: Whose social media accounts do you stalk regularly and what do you usually look for over there? Shruti: I follow a lot of interesting accounts! I don’t really stalk any of them, they pop up on my timelines and that’s that I suppose! I love looking at what my friends are up to and I love watching how people are using social media to put out their unique personalities.
Ex: Any recent gadget tricks that you discovered for your smartphone or laptop? Shruti:I keep discovering stuff thanks to social media! Changing the exposure time for low light photography – I also realized that if you screenshot a text-based page and use the full page option to save the photo you can see all the text hahaha that made me super excited
Ex: Do you play Call of Duty on your PS5? If yes, then at what time do you usually log in? Shruti: I never played call of duty, to be honest! I’m more into Arcade and story-based games
Ex: Recent books that you read and absolutely loved it Shruti: I’ve been reading a book called “democracy hacked “ by Martin Moore and it’s super interesting as it’s about the relationship between politics and technology and what huge impact technology and social media and the internet have had on changing the face and results of elections and changing the tides both positively and negatively if the political landscape
Ex: Pandemic has been very introspective for most, what have you discovered in yourself or about life in general. Shruti:I’m stronger than I thought and I’m more sensitive than I realized – as always life is all about beautiful paradoxes. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra represents the best of the Korean tech-giant. But is it the best one overall? In this detailed review, we finally tell you our verdict of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and the burning question on everyone’s mind, is it worth its high price tag?
Ex: Lastly, what are you hoping for the year 2021 to bring? Shruti: More clarity about who we are and what we are capable of overcoming – more unity and more love.
Just back from CES 2021, and not hungover for the first time. It was virtual, and it was not the same. Hopefully, it’s the last time that it will remain like this. Regardless of how technologically advanced we become, business and progress happen when minds meet physically and for a trade show of CES size. It’s just impossible to digest and absorb anything virtually. How many of
you followed it virtually? Don’t blame yourself; you are just average in this “new normal”.
Social media is a disruptive and disturbing place. Hackers and bots have started eyeing major Instagram accounts, and funny things are happening. We have to be very careful before clicking on anything which does not end appropriately after the dot. If it’s .ml or .cs or any other permutation just don’t fall for the bait, even if it’s 8 million dollars waiting for you. These new vices are apart from WhatsApp, ready to invade our privacy and Facebook tracking every move. Owing to the scary combination of bots and AIs and hacking dystopic brains, our digital footprints have to be cautiously navigated. This explains why fake news needs to be authenticated, and this explains the power of print which can’t be adulterated.
We got Shruti Haasan to do a badass shoot after a long stint of 7 years. Now she is raging in the southern industry and is our tech version of damsel in distress. She is a gamer, and in her upcoming flick is inspired by a dystopian tech society plunged into chaos. Exactly how we would like our sushi served. Precisely the kind of films techies like to indulge in and unwrap their popcorn for. The PS5 has been making a lot of news, and the world wants to get its hands on it. Till then, we have had a busy month playing it, that, and many more. Enjoy the issue; Enjoy February.
With tech going in all directions at a pace we can’t even catch up with, newer marketing ideas are on the rise. There are so many social platforms and add to it the formats, duration, diversified audience, ‘storytelling’ and so much more. This can be so overwhelming for a marketing professional. Where’s the success? Which social media platform will spell it for me? Which strategy will work the best? This giant did this but the other one did the exact opposite and both went viral. Confused? Let us decode the M in Tech for you.
Let’s get to the main point first.
The Main Focus
It is not in the ‘what’ and ‘where’ you begin your campaign but in the ‘how’. We already know this but when it comes to current happenings in the marketing world, we completely forget this. Some might argue YouTube is outdated and IGTV is the new lasting trend, others will call YouTube the stepping stone to success. Let’s get rid of the herd mentality.
For instance, if the world is leaving Twitter behind and going all out on TikTok, should you too? If you’re a fitness brand that wants to showcase how cool the new treadmill meter is then yes but if you’re a pharmaceutical company who wants to talk about the importance of chlorine in swimming pools, then maybe not. You get the point, don’t you? While the whole world is saying a ‘no’ to Twitter and you’re a media company churning out fresh news stories by the hour, would you go with the world? If you do, I’m afraid you’d be losing out on thousands of people who are your REAL audience.
Follow Your Audience
Technology enables you to perform and deliver in so many directions, you’re literally spoilt for choice but what choice you make is not based on the abundance of technology that you have in your box but the one that will make you stand out of it. Follow the technology that your audience follows. Period. Market your products and services in a format that your audience consumes the most. If it is videos, create fantastic and visually appealing videos that add value and put them on YouTube, TikTok and Facebook. Make use of IGTV’s vertical format. If it is static images, make them interactive and appealing and create a campaign for Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. If textual content does the best job for you, get on your Twitter now. Use Tumblr to build a community and lure them to your website.
The How
You see the opportunities there? There’s an unbelievable amount of things you can do on the social media side of tech but more than ‘where’ you do what you do, it’s about how you do it too. While we did talk about the ‘where’, it is time to talk about the ‘how’. Formats are very important to understand when it comes to digital marketing. An infographic might create a ‘wow’ factor on Pinterest and drive traffic to your website but it might not be an option for Twitter. Animated GIFS might be good for Instagram and Twitter but not the best for Pinterest or Tumblr. So much happening here? Confused again? Let’s simplify it for you.
When you’re building your digital marketing strategy, here’s how you go about it.
Define your audience
Define the social platforms best suited for your products/services (forget the herd mentality)
Define the formats best suited for the social platforms you choose.
That’s how simple it really is. What will create an impact will be your brand message and the way you communicate with your audience. Technology will keep throwing new apps and social platforms at you but you need to follow the above steps to keep simplifying things for you as a marketer. Keep filtering everything new in order to not get carried away. Use new tech platforms wisely and build your digital strategy without hiccups. Whatever you do, don’t miss out on new stuff and while you do that, don’t forget what your brand is all about!
