In a welcome move, Instagram, the wildly popular social networking platform has introduced new tools to help users combat online hate, bullying and negativity in general. Instagram users have, for a while now, been demanding the introduction of new features that help them feel more secure online. These demands can be read on forums and in the comments section when downloading the app from Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store.
So what is it exactly that Instagram released today?
As per the post published today on the official Instagram blog, listed below are the highlights we could gather and sum up for you about this latest release.
- Delete comments in bulk:
Instagram has launched a new feature to help people manage multiple unwanted interactions at once. Deleting multiple comments at once was not possible earlier and it was a pain to delete the negative comments one at a time. With this new rollout, users can now delete up to 25 comments at once!
To enable this feature on iOS, tap on a comment and then the dotted icon in the top right corner. Select Manage Comments and choose multiple comments to delete at once. On Android, just long tap on the first comment to select it and then select the other comments you would like to delete with a simple tap. - Block or restrict multiple accounts:
As an extension to deleting the comments, you can now also choose to restrict or block the accounts that have posted the negative comments. Tap More Options to block or restrict accounts in bulk. To block or restrict accounts on Android, select the comments you would like to delete, then tap the dotted icon and select Block or Restrict.
- Pin comments that you like:
Along with discouraging negativity, Instagram has also announced a feature that will promote positivity! You can now pin your favourite comments to the top of your post in order to encourage positive feedback from your community. This has just been announced though and the release is expected to follow sometime in the near future.
- Control who can tag or mention you:
Lastly, it seems that Instagram has finally acknowledged that being tagged or mentioned in unwanted posts/stories can sometimes be annoying. Hence, you can now go into the Privacy settings, then select Tags and choose who can tag you. The three options that should be available are: ‘Everyone’, ‘Only People You Follow’ and ‘No one’.
All you need to do in order to get access to the latest features is simply update the Instagram app on your smartphone and voila!
So what are your first thoughts and reactions to this much-needed feature rollout? Let us know in the comments section below.
(editor@thebigbinge.com)
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