Perhaps you’ve noticed the recent trend on TikTok and Instagram, with street photographers approaching people, complimenting their style, and asking for a photo. I suddenly started seeing a gazillion Reels and TikTok videos like this, and there’s now a trend that mocks it… And it’s absolutely hilarious. I found a couple of videos to share, and I hope they will make this Monday a little better for you as they did for me.
Is BeReal losing its point?
When it first showed up, BeReal seemed like a breath of fresh air among all those social media filled with filtered faces, staged lives, and fake smiles. This app was dubbed “anti-Instagram,” as its goal was to have the users share the genuine, unstaged moments of their lives.
But is BeReal losing its point only a few months after its launch? I have some thoughts about it, and I believe there are two main reasons why this app might fail before it even properly takes off.
Instagram Model incites ridicule as she gets annoyed by passers by getting in her shot
A video of an Instagram model trying to shoot a video in a busy London Underground station has sparked an online debate about photo and video shoots in public places. The video shows the finished video for social media versus what it took to shoot it, with passers-by continually getting in the shot. The model is visibly getting more and more frustrated.
Model and influencer Antonia Freya Lydia was trying to shoot a video of her wearing a black cocktail dress with the tube train rushing past in the background. It’s actually kind of a cool, idea, particularly when put with Kate Bush’s 80s hit “running up that Hill” which leapt to fame again due to Netflix’s Stranger Things.
TikTok Now is the latest attempt to copy BeReal
It looks like TikTok isn’t just the app other social media are trying to copy. This time, it’s TikTok that’s copying features from another app that’s been rapidly growing in popularity.
That’s right, I’m talking about BeReal. After Instagram, now TikTok now has its own version of real-time dual camera view. It’s called “TikTok Now” and it lets you share “your most authentic moments” with your followers.
YoloLiv goes vertical with the Instream, letting you stream directly to Instagram and TikTok
YoloLiv has created a nice little lineup of all-in-one video switcher/encoder/streamer/recorder/monitor devices, starting with the original YoloBox, the YoloBox Mini and more recently, the YoloBox Pro. Now, they’ve taken that principle and applied it to the rapidly growing world of Instagram and TikTok live streaming with the new YoloLiv Instream.
The 7″ box lets you mix multiple HDMI and USB camera devices and features many of the usual features you’ve come to know from the exiting YoloBox products, such as overlays and multiviews to let you directly stream vertically to social media. And it’ll let you do it without a computer or even your smartphone.
TikTok launches text-to-image generator in app
TikTok has launched a new text-to-image generator which you can access directly inside the app. The generator lets you type in a short description which then generates a fairly abstract and colourful AI impression. The effect is called AI Greenscreen and can be accessed via the camera part of the app.
If you haven’t already heard of text-to-image generators recently then I’m not sure where you’ve been hiding. Dall-E2, Google and Midjourney have all made headlines with their AI-generated images, some being more realistic than others. The technology was first introduced in 2021 and has been improving at an alarming rate. The inclusion into an app such as TikTok just further goes to show how this technology is becoming mainstream.
After user backlash, Instagram gives up on becoming “Tinstatok”… For now
I don’t remember people complaining more about Instagram ever since its algorithm-based Feed replaced the chronological one. But it looks like users are fed up with the app’s efforts to become a poor copy of TikTok. So fed up, in fact, that it made Instagram ditch the changes it’s been making to the app recently. Or at least they’re ditching them until the dust settles.
This hilarious video says what we all think about Instagram’s “evolving”
After users’ backlash over Instagram’s “evolving” into TikTok, its CEO Adam Mosseri responded to users’ concerns in a video he posted on Twitter. It didn’t take long for Dan Toomey to make a parody video, and I just had to share it.
In the video, Dan pretends to give an announcement about Instagram’s latest changes. But unlike Mosseri, Dan is saying what I believe we’re all thinking – and he does it in a truly hilarious manner.
Meta doesn’t even hide anymore that it wants to be TikTok
I think it’s clear to all of us that Meta is trying its best to look as much as possible like TikTok. Reels, auto-generated captions, and expanded search are only some of the features Meta copied for Instagram and Facebook. But now, the company has taken an extra step to look more like its biggest competitor. And this time, it’s wearing seven-league boots.
Meta is changing Instagram’s video preview (again) to look more like that on TikTok. And Facebook’s reportedly changing the entire algorithm to compete with the Chinese platform.
TiktTok expands its “take a break” features to help you stop scrolling
I think we can all agree that it’s easy to lose a track of time when scrolling through TikTok or Instagram. But in the latest attempt to seem like they care about wellbeing, TikTok has introduced some new features that will help you stop scrolling before you lose the entire afternoon staring at the screen.
From now on, TikTok will have additional time control features. Among the existing options, there are now a screen time dashboard and a “well-being guide” for teen users. Both are aimed to help people manage how much time they spend scrolling, and there are also prompts to take a break if you overdo it.
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