WhatsApp Channels: A New Way to Get Updates from People and Organizations

WhatsApp announced today that it is expanding its Channels feature to all users in more than 150 countries over the next few weeks. Channels are a new way to get updates from people and organizations you follow, such as your favorite businesses, celebrities, or news outlets.

Channels are one-to-many communication channels, which means that a single admin can send messages to an unlimited number of followers. This makes them a great way to share news, updates, or information with a large audience.

Channels are also private, which means that only followers can see the messages that are sent. This helps to protect your privacy and security.

When you follow a channel, you will see the messages that are sent in your WhatsApp feed. You can also react to messages with emojis, and you can forward messages to other people or groups.

WhatsApp is also adding some new features to Channels with the global launch. These features include:

The ability to edit messages for up to 30 days: This is a useful feature for admins who make mistakes or who need to update information.
An improved directory to find channels: This will make it easier to find channels that you are interested in.

The ability to see how many people have reacted to a message: This is a fun way to see how popular a message is.
WhatsApp Channels are a new and innovative way to get updates from people and organizations you follow. If you are looking for a way to stay up-to-date on the latest news, or if you want to connect with your favorite businesses or celebrities, then Channels are a great option.

Channels are a great way to reach a large audience with your message.
Channels can be used to share news, updates, or information about your business, organization, or cause.
Channels can be used to connect with your customers, fans, or followers.
Channels can be used to build relationships and grow your audience.

If you are interested in creating a WhatsApp Channel, you can do so by following these steps:

Open the WhatsApp app.

Tap on the three dots in the top right corner of the screen.
Select “New Channel.”

Enter a name for your channel and a description.

Add people to your channel by tapping on the “Add People” button.

Start sending messages

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Social Tech

Meta Announces Generative AI Stickers and AI Editing Tools

by George Mensah 2023-09-28

At its Meta Connect event today, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced two new AI-powered features: generative AI stickers and AI editing tools.

Generative AI stickers

Generative AI stickers are a new way to express yourself in Meta’s messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook Stories. With generative AI stickers, you can create unique stickers by simply typing in a text prompt. For example, you could type “Hungarian sheep dog driving a 4×4” and Emu, Meta’s new foundational model for image generation, would generate a sticker that matches your prompt.

Generative AI stickers are currently in beta testing and will be available to English-language users over the next month.

AI editing tools

AI editing tools are a new way to edit your photos and videos using AI. With AI editing tools, you can change the style of your photos and videos, remove objects from the background, and even create new images and videos from scratch.

Meta demonstrated two new AI editing tools at Meta Connect: Restyle and Backdrop.

Restyle lets you reimagine the visual styles of an image by typing in prompts like “watercolor” or “collage from magazines and newspapers, torn edges.” Backdrop lets you change the scene or background of your image by using prompts.

AI editing tools will be available soon on Instagram.

Meta’s commitment to responsible AI

Meta has pledged to develop AI responsibly and ethically. The company says that it will indicate the use of AI in its images “to reduce the chances of people mistaking them for human-generated content.” Meta is also experimenting with forms of visible and invisible markers to help people identify AI-generated content.

Meta’s generative AI stickers and AI editing tools are exciting new features that have the potential to revolutionize the way we communicate and express ourselves. With these tools, we can now create unique and personalized content that is tailored to our specific needs and interests.

Social Tech

X Expands Community Notes to Video Content, but Experts Question its Effectiveness

by George Mensah 2023-09-24

X, formerly known as Twitter, has expanded its crowdsourced fact-checking system, Community Notes, to support video content. This means that approved members can now attach written notes to videos that contain misleading information. The notes will be visible to all users, providing them with additional context about the content they are viewing.

The expansion of Community Notes to video content is a welcome move, as it could help to reduce the spread of misinformation on the platform. However, some experts have questioned the effectiveness of the system, due to a few fundamental flaws.

One flaw is that, for a Community Note to become visible, it must first be approved by members on both sides of the discourse. This can create a situation where harmful or misleading content can go unchecked for a while before it gets tagged with the proper disclaimer, if at all.

Another flaw is X’s disproportionate implementation of its moderation, safety, and security features. For example, X has been repeatedly called out for censoring critical voices targeting the government in markets like India and the Middle East. This raises concerns about whether Community Notes will be applied fairly and consistently across all types of content.

Finally, some experts have criticized the fact that X is indirectly passing the onus of fact-checking to its most prolific users, rather than having a dedicated trust and safety team do the job. This is especially concerning given that Elon Musk famously gutted the company’s safety team soon after he took over.

Overall, the expansion of Community Notes to video content is a positive step, but it is important to be aware of its limitations. The system is still under development, and it remains to be seen how effective it will be in reducing the spread of misinformation on the platform.

In addition to the flaws mentioned above, here are some other concerns about the Community Notes system:

It is unclear how X will ensure that Community Notes are accurate and unbiased.
The system could be used to harass or silence certain users.
It could be used to spread misinformation itself, if it is not carefully monitored.

Overall, the Community Notes system is a promising experiment, but it is important to be aware of its limitations and potential risks. X should carefully monitor the system and make adjustments as needed to ensure that it is effective and fair.

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