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In an effort to combat online bullying, Instagram has introduced new features that allow users more control over their accounts.
Under the motto "Fighting Online Bullying," Instagram has unveiled important innovations on its own blog. The changes are intended to improve the overall user experience and provide more control. Users can now decide for themselves who can tag or mention them in comments, captions, or stories. It will also now be possible to delete multiple comments at once. The new update states: blog post:
Today we're releasing the fifth edition of our Community Standards Enforcement Report, which tracks our progress on keeping Facebook and Instagram safe. In addition to this report, we're announcing new features that continue our efforts to lead the industry in the fight against online bullying.
Delete multiple comments at once
An important feature is the management of multiple comments at the same time. Up to 25 comments can now be deleted at once - this is how the new feature works:
To enable this feature on iOS, tap a comment, then tap the dotted icon in the top right corner. Select Manage Comments and choose up to 25 comments to delete at once. Tap More Options to block or restrict accounts in bulk. To block or restrict accounts on Android, press and hold a comment, tap the dotted icon, and select Block or Restrict.
More power in interactions
Another particularly important change is in the area of privacy. Users can now decide for themselves who can mention them. Options include "Everyone," "Only people you follow," and "Nobody." Instagram's statement on this change is as follows:
We've seen that tags and mentions can be used to bully or victimize others, so we're introducing new controls to let you control who can tag or mention you on Instagram. You can choose whether everyone, only the people you follow, or no one should be able to tag or mention you in a comment, caption, or story.
More features to follow
Today's update, however, won't be the last in the fight against online bullying. The social media giant promises that further changes to the comments section are to come. Specifically, this concerns "pinned comments." Users will be able to pin a select number of comments to the beginning of their posts. Exactly when the new feature will be available remains to be seen. The test phase is yet to begin. (Photo by Burdun / Bigstockphoto)
