Twitter users might finally have an answer to a nagging question: “How many followers does it take to get verified?”
The answer, previously, was “who knows?” But now, according to social media secret finder Jane Wong and TechCrunch, Twitter will have a new “request verification” option that will specifically lay out what it takes to get verified.
Twitter is working on “Request Verification” 👀
(I’m not Twitter employee. I’m not tech support) pic.twitter.com/ED58QsD7kM
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) June 7, 2020
When contacted by Digital Trends, Twitter “declined to comment beyond” what was reported by Wong. It also declined to specify when this new system would be rolling out or what the guidelines would be.
Up until about three years ago, users were able to request verification, but the standards by which Twitter judged who was worthy of the coveted blue check mark and who wasn’t were rather opaque and seemed haphazard.
As TechCrunch reported, after a kerfuffle ensued in 2017 in response to neo-Nazi Jason Kessler being verified, Twitter removed the “request verification” tab and said it would rethink its system.
Twitter confirmed to TechCrunch that Wong’s finding was accurate but wouldn’t comment further on how or when the new guidelines would emerge.
Instagram is testing a new format for long-form videos called Features. It allows select creators to upload horizontal videos running up to 90 minutes long. Instagram has already tested the new format with creators in Brazil, and now, it's expanding to tens of thousands of creators across the US.
How will Instagram's new Features format work?
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
I have lost count of how many times I have gone to bed thinking I will finally sleep on time, only to somehow end up scrolling Instagram or X again. A few minutes turn into an hour, then another, and before I notice, it is 2 or 3 a.m. The next morning, I am usually annoyed with myself because I could have just slept and felt considerably better for the day ahead.
It is also a surprisingly hard habit to beat. Knowing you should put the phone down does not always help once it is already in your hand. Brick Night is a new gadget built around that exact problem. Instead of relying on you to remember to turn on an app blocker, it automatically restricts selected apps and websites when your phone enters your chosen sleep space during the hours you set.