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In the social media ecosystem, Instagram has established itself as a dominant force, boasting over a billion active users and a significant cultural impact. Meanwhile, Threads, an app created by Instagram for more intimate sharing with close friends, has struggled to gain similar traction. This article delves into the reasons why Threads has not achieved the same level of popularity as Instagram and explores the factors influencing its limited adoption. The Appeal of Instagram To understand why Threads hasn't matched Instagram's success, it's essential to first recognize what makes Instagram so popular:

• Wide User Base: Instagram's vast and diverse user base provides a broad platform for social interaction, content sharing, and community building.
• Visual Engagement: Instagram's focus on photos and videos aligns with the trend towards visual content, which is more engaging and easily consumable.
• Feature-Rich Experience: With features like Stories, Reels, IGTV, and shopping capabilities, Instagram offers a comprehensive experience that caters to various interests and needs.
• Influencer Culture: Instagram has become a hub for influencers and brands, creating a vibrant ecosystem for marketing and community engagement.

The Concept of Threads Threads was launched as a companion app to Instagram, aimed at enhancing private sharing among close friends. It offers features like auto-status updates based on location and movement, and focuses on more intimate, real-time communication. Why Threads Hasn't Taken Off

1. Niche Appeal: Threads is designed for a specific use case—sharing with close friends. This niche focus limits its appeal compared to the broader, more versatile platform that Instagram offers.
2. Redundancy: Many of the features offered by Threads, such as private messaging and close friends lists, are already available within Instagram itself. This redundancy reduces the need for a separate app.
3. User Habits: Social media users tend to prefer consolidating their activities within a single app. Switching between Instagram and Threads for similar purposes can be inconvenient and disrupt user habits.
4. Limited Awareness and Marketing: Threads has not been marketed as aggressively as Instagram or other Facebook-owned platforms. Many users are either unaware of its existence or unsure of its distinct benefits.
5. Privacy Concerns: The auto-status feature, which automatically updates based on a user’s activity and location, has raised privacy concerns among users, making them hesitant to adopt the app.
6. Competition: Other messaging apps like WhatsApp, Snapchat, and even Instagram's Direct Messages already dominate the private sharing space, making it difficult for Threads to carve out its own niche.

Potential for Improvement While Threads faces significant challenges, there are ways it could potentially increase its popularity:

• Enhanced Integration with Instagram: Improving the seamlessness of switching between Instagram and Threads could encourage more users to adopt the app.
• Unique Features: Introducing new, unique features that differentiate Threads from Instagram could provide a compelling reason for users to use both apps.
• Privacy Assurance: Addressing privacy concerns transparently and providing users with more control over their data and status updates could alleviate some hesitations.
• Targeted Marketing: Increasing marketing efforts to highlight the unique benefits of Threads, particularly for close-knit communities and private sharing, could raise awareness and adoption.
• Feedback and Iteration: Actively seeking user feedback and continuously iterating on the app based on this feedback could help tailor Threads more closely to user needs and preferences.

Threads has not achieved the same level of popularity as Instagram due to its niche focus, feature redundancy, user habits, limited marketing, privacy concerns, and competition. However, with strategic improvements and a focus on unique value propositions, there is potential for Threads to grow its user base and carve out a meaningful role in the social media landscape. For now, Instagram remains the go-to platform for both broad and private sharing, leaving Threads as a specialized tool for those who seek more intimate, close-knit digital interactions.

With billions of active users across various social networks, social media marketing has become an essential component of any successful digital marketing strategy. This article explores the importance of social media marketing and provides actionable strategies for businesses to maximize their impact.

Why Social Media Marketing Matters

• Massive Reach: Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok have billions of active users. This offers businesses unparalleled access to a vast audience.

• Targeted Advertising: Social media platforms provide sophisticated targeting options, allowing businesses to reach specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. This ensures that marketing efforts are directed towards the most relevant audience.

• Engagement and Interaction: Social media facilitates direct interaction between brands and consumers. This engagement helps build relationships, trust, and loyalty.

• Cost-Effective: Compared to traditional advertising methods, social media marketing is relatively inexpensive, offering high ROI through paid ads and organic content.

Key Strategies for Social Media Marketing Success Define Your Goals Establish clear objectives for your social media marketing efforts. Common goals include increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, generating leads, and boosting sales. Know Your Audience Understanding your target audience is crucial. Conduct research to determine their demographics, preferences, and behavior on social media. Use this information to tailor your content and engagement strategies. Create Engaging Content Content is the heart of social media marketing. Develop a content strategy that includes a mix of promotional, educational, and entertaining content. Use high-quality images, videos, and infographics to capture attention. Consistency is Key Maintain a consistent posting schedule to keep your audience engaged. Use social media management tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to plan and automate posts. Leverage Influencer Marketing Collaborate with influencers who align with your brand. Influencers can amplify your reach and credibility by promoting your products to their followers. Utilize Paid Advertising Invest in social media ads to boost your reach. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer powerful ad targeting options that can help you reach specific segments of your audience. Engage with Your Audience Respond to comments, messages, and mentions promptly. Engage with your audience through polls, Q&A sessions, and live videos to foster a sense of community. Analyze and Adjust Regularly analyze your social media performance using analytics tools provided by the platforms. Monitor key metrics such as engagement, reach, and conversions. Use these insights to refine your strategy and improve results. Case Study: Successful Social Media Campaign Consider the case of a small fashion brand that leveraged Instagram to boost its online presence. By collaborating with fashion influencers, creating visually appealing content, and running targeted ads, the brand saw a 200% increase in followers and a significant boost in sales. Consistent engagement with followers and timely responses to inquiries further enhanced their reputation and customer loyalty. Social media marketing offers businesses an incredible opportunity to connect with their audience, build brand awareness, and drive growth. By implementing effective strategies and staying attuned to audience preferences, businesses can harness the full potential of social media to achieve their marketing goals. In a world where digital interactions are increasingly important, mastering social media marketing is essential for staying competitive and relevant.

THE IPHONE 12 PRO AND 12 PRO MAX GET APPLE'S NEW RAW PHOTO FORMAT CALLED PRORAW. IT LETS YOU HAVE THE CUSTOMIZATION OF A RAW FILE BUILT ATOP THE IPHONE'S COMPUTATIONAL PHOTO SMARTS.

APPLE WARNS THAT EACH PRORAW FILE IS APPROXIMATELY 25MB IN SIZE. THIS FORMAT STORES MORE INFORMATION AND DYNAMIC RANGE, GIVING YOU ADDITIONAL FLEXIBILITY WHEN EDITING EXPOSURE AND WHITE BALANCE. ACCORDING TO APPLE, PRORAW ALLOWS YOU TO COMBINE APPLE COMPUTER PHOTOGRAPHY FEATURES LIKE DEEP FUSION AND SMART HDR WITH THE TRADITIONAL BENEFITS OF RAW SHOOTING.

PRORAW WORKS ON ALL FOUR IPHONE 12 PRO AND 12 PRO MAX CAMERAS. IT USES ADOBE DIGITAL NEGATIVE FILE FORMAT AND CONTAINS INFORMATION FOR 12-BIT COLOR AND SUPPORT FOR 14 STOPS OF DYNAMIC RANGE. PRORAW FILES ARE CREATED FROM MULTIPLE IMAGE FRAMES AND CONTAIN THE DATA FROM THE BEST PARTS OF THOSE PHOTOS.

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF PRO RAW PHOTO:

THE DIFFERENCE IS OBVIOUS, ISN’T IT? MORE INFORMATION READ AT HTTPS://WWW.CNET.COM/NEWS/APPLE-PRORAW-REVIEW-IPHONE-12-PRO-PHOTOS-BECOME-EVEN-MORE-IMPRESSIVE/

THE TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP DOCTORS PREVENT NEUROLOGICAL DAMAGE, SAVE LIMBS AND DETECT STROKES. IT MAY ALSO ALLOW HEALTH CARE TO BECOME MORE PERSONALIZED AND EFFICIENT. WITH 5G, TECHNIQUES LIKE X-RAY VISION AND ROBOTIC, REMOTE SURGERIES, ETC., CAN BECOME A REALITY.

FOR EXAMPLE, USING 5G, A PHYSICIAN CAN EASILY AND QUICKLY SEND IMAGES FROM BIOPSIES - AT AN AVERAGE SPEED OF 1 GIGABYTE PER SECOND. THIS ALLOWS COLLEAGUES IN DIFFERENT BUILDINGS OF THE HOSPITAL COMPLEX TO QUICKLY VIEW TEST RESULTS AND MAKE A DIAGNOSIS IN THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME. PREVIOUSLY, THE PROCESS TOOK LONGER AS DOCTORS HAD TO MOVE BETWEEN BUILDINGS TO OBTAIN TEST RESULTS.

WHEN YOU CAN'T MAKE IT TO A MEDICAL FACILITY OR WANT TO AVOID THE CROWDS IN AN EMERGENCY ROOM, 5G COULD BECOME THE KEY TO GETTING TREATMENT. AR AND VR COULD ALSO BE USED TO TRAIN MEDICAL STUDENTS. SUCH A THING IS POSSIBLE WITH OLDER TECHNOLOGY, MICROSOFT'S PRICEY, BUT 5G MAKES THEM MUCH MORE RESPONSIVE AND REALISTIC. CONTINUE READING AT HTTPS://WWW.CNET.COM/NEWS/5G-COULDNT-HAVE-COME-TO-HEALTH-CARE-AT-A-BETTER-TIME/?ADTARGETING_CAMPAIGN=5G

NOW APPLE MUSIC SUBSCRIBERS CAN LINK THEIR APPLE MUSIC ACCOUNT IN THE GOOGLE HOME APP, WHERE GOOGLE ALSO OFFERS INTEGRATION WITH SPOTIFY, YOUTUBE MUSIC, PANDORA, AND DEEZER. NOW IPHONE AND APPLE MUSIC USERS WILL HAVE MORE OPTIONS THAN EVER FOR STREAMING THEIR FAVORITE SONGS AT HOME. READ THE ARTICLE AT HTTPS://WWW.CNET.COM/NEWS/GOOGLE-HOME-APPLE-MUSIC-COMES-TO-DEVICES-LIKE-NEST-AUDIO-NEST-HUB/

APPLE MUSIC ALREADY BEGAN ROLLING OUT ON NEST AND OTHER ASSISTANT-ENABLED SMART SPEAKERS AND DISPLAYS IN THE US, UK, FRANCE, GERMANY AND JAPAN.

FEATURES OF ITUNES AUDIO CONVERTER:

• RECORDING ITUNES M4P MUSIC, AUDIOBOOKS, APPLE MUSIC;
• CONVERTING APPLE MUSIC FILES TO MP3 / AAC / FLAC / WAV;
• CONVERTING ITUNES AUDIO 10 TIMES FASTER WITH LOSSLESS QUALITY;
• PRESERVING ID3 TAG INFORMATION AFTER CONVERSION;
• EASY TO USE WITH AN INTUITIVE AND STREAMLINED USER INTERFACE;
• ENJOY FREE UPDATES AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT.

ACCORDING TO THE LATEST JOBS MARKET REPORT FROM THE EMPLOYMENT WEBSITE CV-LIBRARY, THE NUMBER OF JOB VACANCIES IN THE UK FELL BY 62.7% IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2020.

TODAY, DIGITAL SKILLS ARE REQUIRED IN ALL INDUSTRIES, FROM E-COMMERCE TO AUTOMATING PROCESSES IN FACTORIES.

"IT IS ENCOURAGING THAT WE ARE SEEING INDICATIONS OF GROWTH FOR ROLES LIKE IT PROFESSIONALS AND DESIGNERS, WHICH WILL BE CRITICAL FOR MANY FIRMS AS THEY ADAPT TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF A CHANGING MARKET," SAYS NEIL CARBERRY, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE RECRUITMENT AND EMPLOYMENT CONFEDERATION (REC), WHICH MONITORS THE NUMBER OF ACTIVE JOB POSTINGS IN THE UK. THE SOURCE: HTTPS://WWW.BBC.COM/NEWS/BUSINESS-53414413

THE FULL ARTICLE: HTTPS://WWW.REUTERS.COM/ARTICLE/EU-TECH-RULES/BIG-TECH-FIRMS-TO-FACE-6-FINES-IF-BREACH-NEW-EU-CONTENT-RULES-IDUSKBN28L27Q

ACCORDING TO REUTERS, BIG TECH FIRMS SUCH AS GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK WILL FACE FINES OF UP TO 6% OF TURNOVER IF THEY DO NOT DO MORE TO TACKLE ILLEGAL CONTENT AND REVEAL MORE ABOUT ADVERTISING ON THEIR PLATFORMS UNDER DRAFT EUROPEAN UNION RULES.

THE TECH GIANTS WILL HAVE TO DO MORE TO TACKLE ILLEGAL CONTENT SUCH AS HATE SPEECH AND CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIAL, MISUSE OF THEIR PLATFORMS THAT IMPINGES ON FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND INTENTIONAL MANIPULATION OF PLATFORMS, SUCH AS USING BOTS TO INFLUENCE ELECTIONS AND PUBLIC HEALTH.

WHAT IS MORE, THE COMPANIES WILL BE REQUIRED TO PUBLISH DETAILS OF THEIR ONLINE ADVERTISERS AND SHOW THE PARAMETERS USED BY THEIR ALGORITHMS TO SUGGEST AND RANK INFORMATION. INDEPENDENT AUDITORS WILL MONITOR COMPLIANCE, WITH EU COUNTRIES ENFORCING THE RULES.

IN GOOGLE'S MODEL HOME, MOST APPLIANCES ARE EITHER INTERNET-CONNECTED OR PLUGGED INTO A SMART PLUG THAT LETS YOU TURN THEM ON WITH A VOICE COMMAND. COMMUNICATION IS CONSTANT AND EVERYWHERE — BETWEEN ROOMS AND FAMILY MEMBERS WHO AREN'T IN THE HOUSE.

DO NOT BE MISTAKEN ABOUT GOOGLE'S VOICE ASSISTANT USAGE (THAT IT IS AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY IN SMARTPHONES RUNNING ANDROID), BECAUSE ONCE YOU ENTER THE APP STORE ON YOUR IPHONE, YOU CAN ALSO USE IT. ARE YOU READY TO GIVE UP SIRI AND TRUST GOOGLE ASSISTANT ENTIRELY? HMM ... THERE IS SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. BUT, OF COURSE, WE WILL BE ABLE TO USE THE ASSISTANT NOT ONLY IN SMARTPHONES, BUT ALSO IN OUR TABLETS, WHICH IS NO LESS CONVENIENT.

THE FUTURE GOOGLE IS SELLING CAN SEEM UNNECESSARY AND SOMETIMES PRICEY, BUT IT COULD BE INCREDIBLY CONVENIENT FOR A BUSY FAMILY. UNLESS THE POWER GOES OUT. THEN THEY'D JUST HAVE TO SWEEP AND PARENT ON THEIR OWN.

READ MORE ABOUT SMART HOUSES AT HTTPS://EDITION.CNN.COM/2018/11/14/TECH/GOOGLE-DEMO-HOME/INDEX.HTML

THE SOURCE: HTTPS://EDITION.CNN.COM/2020/12/04/MEDIA/THE-DAILY-PODCAST/INDEX.HTML

"THE DAILY" REACHED TWO MILLION DAILY DOWNLOADS IN APRIL 2019, THE TIMES REPORTED AT NEWFRONTS, THE ANNUAL EVENT FOR DIGITAL PUBLISHERS AND ADVERTISERS. IN OCTOBER 2020, DURING A PANEL AT ADVERTISING WEEK NEW YORK, THE TIMES REVEALED IT HAD DOUBLED THAT AVERAGE TO FOUR MILLION.

ON TUESDAY, APPLE (AAPL) AND SPOTIFY (SPOT) RELEASED THE RANKINGS FOR THEIR TOP PODCASTS OF 2020, AND "THE DAILY" IS AMONG THE TOP ON BOTH SERVICES. IT IS THE THIRD MOST POPULAR PODCAST GLOBALLY AND SECOND IN THE US ON SPOTIFY. ON APPLE, "THE DAILY" IS THE THIRD MOST POPULAR PODCAST IN THE US.

PART OF ITS GROWTH CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF NEWS, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENTS OF THE PANDEMIC, ACCORDING TO SOME STAFF MEMBERS AT THE TIMES WHO SPOKE TO CNN BUSINESS FOR THIS STORY.

THE JOYS OF ATTENDING CONFERENCES PRE-COVID WERE SPONTANEOUS MEETINGS, CORRIDOR CHATS, AND PARTIES WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE. THIS WAS ALL BUT GONE AFTER THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC CAUSED EVENTS TO BE CALLED OFF AND GATHERINGS LIMITED TO ONLY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE.

ACCORDING TO DW, THE BENEFITS OF IN-PERSON EVENTS SHINE THROUGH IN TERMS OF HUMAN INTERACTION, WHICH HAS BEEN SORELY MISSED DURING LOCKDOWN. HOWEVER, ONLINE CONFERENCES BRING MORE PEOPLE TOGETHER, WITHOUT THE LIMITS OF SPACE, ALL WITHOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE OF FLYING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO ONE PLACE. THERE IS A FULL ARTICLE: HTTPS://WWW.DW.COM/EN/LIFE-AFTER-LOCKDOWN-VIRTUAL-EVENTS-COULD-BE-HERE-TO-STAY/A-53982711