Instagram Testing New Ads Overlaid On Stories
Instagram is reportedly in the midst of testing a new, intrusive ad format, this version displaying advertisements within—and overlaid upon—your Stories.
According to 404 Media, the social platform appears to be testing ads that pop up under your friends’ stories, “unskippable” ads that do not let users scroll or tap past until the timer has counted down. Users have been complaining about the ads on X, referring to them as “annoying,” while others have wondered if they’re in fact a virus.
No word on whether Instagram plans to roll out the ads to all users.
TikTok Adds Image Search In TikTok Shop
In a continuation of its efforts to make TikTok an online shopping destination, the social platform is adding elements to enrich its user experience.
TikTok has recently expanded its test of image search functionality, enabling users to search for product listings in the app based on a visual example.
While the app has yet to re-create the in-stream shopping popularity it enjoys in China, a new report says that TikTok Shop is now the ninth-largest online beauty and wellness retailer in the U.S., and the second largest in the U.K.
It remains to be seen whether TikTok will even remain in the U.S. in the coming months, but the new update signals that it’s still forging ahead with its quest for e-commerce revenue.
BeReal Sold For $500 Million
BeReal, the once very popular real-time photo-sharing app, has been sold to video game and app developer Voodoo for $500 million.
The app, which was formerly the talk of the town (or at least of Gen Z), experienced a massive surge of popularity back in 2022 before seemingly showing it didn’t quite have the staying power of its social counterparts (though, according to BeReal, it still reaches 50 million daily participants, down from 70 million at its peak).
It is not yet clear what Voodoo plans to do with its new acquisition.
Photo: Getty Images Plus/pressureUA
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