SOCIAL
Facebook Outlines Coming Mental Health Support Tools


There’s no other way to put it – 2020 has been tough, and we still have three and bit months to go, which, ideally, will deliver some form of good news and/or relief. But nobody knows what’s coming, more so than ever, and that uncertainty has had significant impacts on the mental health of many people, as they work through the various concerns and try to manage the outcomes as best they can.
Really, we all need to give each other a break, and seek to reach out to friends where we can. The lack of in-person interaction takes its toll, in many ways, and while tensions and frustrations are running high, it’s worth trying to maintain a level of compassion, in all situations. Because it’s tough. People are facing major, ongoing challenges and battles, many of which you can’t possibly know about.
Recognizing this, Facebook, as part of World Suicide Prevention Day, has today announced a range of new mental health support tools that it’s looking to roll out in the coming months.
As per Facebook:
“Since the pandemic began, we have taken a number of additional steps to keep people safe, including providing people with tips we developed with global experts, localized resources and easy access to over 100 local crisis helplines through our COVID-19 Information Center. Experts have made clear that making these tips and resources easier to find is key to those seeking help.”
Expanding on this, Facebook will soon also be adding:
New rules around the sharing of self-harm related content
Facebook already has a range of rules in place in regards to self-harm related content, with Instagram expanding its ban on images of self-harm late last year. Now, Facebook’s also looking to implement restrictions on content that may relate to self-harm, but doesn’t violate the current regulations – “such as depressing quotes or memes”.
“We’ll share our approach to address this content soon. These issues are complex and nuanced, but we are committed to doing all we can to address potentially harmful content without stigmatizing mental health.”
This is a difficult area – for some people, it could be that posting memes actually helps them deal with such challenges. But Facebook’s working with various mental health organizations to improve its approach on this front, which will see it extended its parameters around self-harm content in the next few months.
Crisis support via chat
Facebook’s also looking to provide a new, real-time assistance option via Messenger chat.
“Getting people help in real time is especially important when they are in distress. In the coming months, we’ll make it easier for people to talk in real time with trained crisis and mental health support volunteers over Messenger.”
This could be a critical initiative, with the non-invasive, and less confronting nature of a Messenger chat likely to be appealing to many people in need.
Combine this with the fact that some 1.3 billion people currently use Messenger, and that Messenger will also soon be integrated with Instagram Direct chats and WhatsApp, and it could facilitate connection with many at-risk individuals.
Expanded resources to help young people
Facebook’s also expanding its online resources for educators to help them provide assistance for students in distress.
“[We’re] adding Orygen’s #chatsafe guidelines on how to help young people talk safely online about suicide to Facebook’s Safety Center. These will be available first in English, and seven more languages next month.”
Facebook has continued to expand its digital literacy resources, which is crucially important given more students are now having to spend increasing amounts of time online.
This is another key element for educators to watch for, and these new resources could be critical in connecting students with better support structures.
Instagram Wellness Guides
Facebook’s also looking to expand on its wellness guides on Instagram to cover more aspects of suicide prevention and mental health:
“We’re launching localized guides that address ways to prevent suicide and support those who might be struggling. For example, in the US, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention created a guide to help people understand the warning signs of suicide. In India, the Suicide Prevention India Foundation’s guide focuses on how to foster social connectedness; in Hong Kong, Samaritans HK’s guide shares ways to check in on your friends; and in Nigeria, Mentally Aware Nigeria’s guide focuses on having safe conversations about suicide.”
Evolving industry guidelines
Finally, Facebook’s also working with suicide prevention experts to continue to revise and improve its approach to suicide and self-harm content.
“We welcome the guidelines Samaritans launched today, which are designed to help the tech industry address these issues as sensitively and effectively as possible.”
Keeping constantly updated with the latest info is key amid the ongoing pandemic, and its impacts.
This is a key area of concern – in the US, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death overall, claiming the lives of more than 48,000 people every year. But more critically, in the case of Facebook, according to the CDC, suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34.
Younger users generally over-index on social platforms, which is especially true on Instagram, and with the pressures of comparison against people’s highlight reel updates online, coupled with the added impacts of COVID-19, this is something that needs more focus, and anything that can be done to assist is a positive.
As such, Facebook should be praised for seeking new ways to help those at risk.
SOCIAL
TikTok’s Future Remains Under a Cloud After CEO’s Appearance Before Congress

So how did TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s appearance before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce go today?
Well, it’s hard to say – amid the regular smattering of accusations framed as questions, and vague queries that seemed to misunderstand how the internet itself works, Chew mostly seemed to provide carefully worded answers, while fending off anything too difficult by saying that he’d look into it.
In a crucial hearing, which could decide the future of the app in the US, Chew provided a passionate defense of the platform, and sought to address US regulatory concerns, with the key issue being the potential of American user data being shared with the Chinese Government.
Chew sought to dispel this notion, while TikTok also posted a public statement on this:
4/ TikTok will remain a platform for free expression and will not be manipulated by any government.
— TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) March 23, 2023
Chew was pressed on various aspects, relating to TikTok’s past actions on censorship (i.e. whether it censors content critical of the CCP), its accessing of US user data to track journalists, it’s algorithm, youth safety aspects, and more.
For the most part, Chew was able to navigate the various questions without making any definitive commitments. But at the same time, his appearance, by various accounts, wasn’t overly assuring, or convincing, in regards to winning over US senators.
In particular, when pressed on whether ByteDance employees have spied on US citizens in the past, Chew deferred, saying that ‘I don’t think spying is the right way to describe it’. Chew also questioned the track record of American companies on user data, when asked about a potential divestment from ByteDance – which seems like a fair comparison, but is unlikely to resonate with US officials.
But the key statement of Chew’s appearance was this:
“The bottom line is this – American data is stored on American soil by an American company overseen by American personnel.”
This was from Chew’s pre-prepared testimony, in which Chew explained that ‘Project Texas’, TikTok’s multi-billion dollar plan to separate US user data from its Chinese parent company, will secure US user data in the US, making it entirely inaccessible to China-based staff.
TikTok’s hope is that this effort will be enough to assure US regulators that American users are safe.
But then again, when pressed on another key point, as to whether TikTok would ever consider selling user data, Chew refused to provide a firm commitment, noting, instead, that he would seek further clarification before providing an answer.
At the end of this, it still remains difficult to determine where TikTok is placed, in regards to the possibility of a full ban in the US. Even worse, the Chinese Government has once again shared its opposition to the forced sell-off of the app, which means that if TikTok is banned by the US Government, a sell-off into local hands may not be an option.
Which, once again, underlines the fact that TikTok’s future hinges on how US politicians perceive Chew’s testimony.
Was he convincing enough in his explanations? Has TikTok done enough to assure policymakers of its intentions? Will Project Texas be enough to demonstrate separation of access within parent company ByteDance?
Really, the next steps are likely out of Chew’s hands either way, as it still feels like the rising tensions between the US and China will be the key determinate. Last month’s spy balloon incident raised the hackles of those concerned about Chinese interference, weighing further against TikTok, while this week’s meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin has further stoked concerns.
In this respect, it feels like TikTok is caught in the middle amidst a much broader disagreement between the two nations, and it another incident of this type could end up being the thing that makes or breaks TikTok in the US.
Any further indication of Chinese defiance, specifically against the US, could force the White House to act. So while Chew may have done his best, maybe there’s nothing he could do within the broader context.
SOCIAL
Persuading Anyone Is as Simple as this Technique Proven by a Leading Psychologist. It Comes Down to 4 Simple Words

You can read this article to find out — but, of course, it’s your choice. Much of what we do in life is an act of persuasion. As a father to two small children, I can tell you that at any moment in my day-to-day life, I am trying (usually failing) to convince the two little ones to do something: …
Source link
SOCIAL
Snapchat Provides Posting Tips on How to Maximize Your Platform Presence

Looking to build your organic presence on Snapchat, and maximize your reach and resonance with Snap users?
This might help – this week, Insider got hold of a pitch deck that Snap has been sending to users that have been selected for its ‘Snap Stars’ influencer promotion program.
Snap Stars, as Snapchat describes, are:
“…public figures or creators who bring some of the best and most entertaining content to Snapchat. Through their unique perspectives, Snap Stars give their audiences unprecedented access into a diverse and global set of interests, including the arts, beauty, news, gaming, music and more.”
By joining the program, Snap Stars are eligible to have their content featured across the app, and once creators are accepted into the program, Snapchat provides them with a range of notes on how to make more effective, app-specific images and clips.
As per Insider, those tips include:
- Focusing on ‘day in the life experiences’ by posting 20 to 50 Snap stories a day, so that subscribers are engaged for longer
- Posting directly to the Snap Map, a feature that allows Snapchat users to see each other’s location, so that users who aren’t subscribed can easily discover your content
- Making a strong ‘tile’ on your feed, which is the most recent Snapchat photo or video taken
- Captivating viewers in the first one to three snaps so they watch the whole story
- Encouraging non-subscribers to subscribe a few times a week, and subscribers to turn on story notifications
- Using captions, since a lot of people watch stories with sound off
- Balancing commercial content with authentic personal content
So, that’s a lot – 20 to 50 Snaps every day is a big commitment, and it’s likely going to be hard for most people or businesses to provide consistently entertaining content at that scale.
But as with all social platforms, maintaining consistency, and building presence is important, and showing up is a big part of that. As such, it’s not surprising that Snap’s pushing regular posting. But even then, it’s a lot.
And do people really like that ‘day in the life’ stuff – like ‘Going to the shops’, ‘At the shops’, etc.?
I’ve seen many wannabe Snapchat do this, and it feels like overkill – but I guess, if you’re entertaining, and you know the platform, that could help to further ingratiate your profile with your audience.
Posting direct to the Snap Map is another interesting tip, which could help to improve discovery, while managing how your profile appears in the app is another opportunity to get attention.
Most of the tips here are pretty straightforward, and what you’ve likely read before. But the output rate that Snap recommends is significant.
Then again, this is for users that Snap wants to turn into platform-specific influencers, so it may not relate to people not in that category. Still, some interesting food for thought.
Time to start Snapping your every activity throughout the day.
-
AMAZON6 days ago
The Top 10 Benefits of Amazon AWS Lightsail: Why It’s a Great Choice for Businesses
-
SEARCHENGINES4 days ago
Google Search Status Dashboard Adds Google Ranking Updates
-
SEO2 days ago
Optimize Your SEO Strategy For Maximum ROI With These 5 Tips
-
WORDPRESS5 days ago
Internal Linking for SEO: The Ultimate Guide of Best Practices
-
SEARCHENGINES3 days ago
Google Search Console Shows If embedURL Page Uses indexifembedded
-
SEARCHENGINES3 days ago
Google Bard Won’t Link To Sources Too Often
-
SEARCHENGINES2 days ago
Google Mars Space Office Design At Belo Horizonte, Brazil
-
SEARCHENGINES3 days ago
Microsoft Advertising Target Shoppers By Browsing Categories With Keyword Boosters