Computer-mediated communication

WhatsApp is going beyond messaging and phone calls with a new channels feature. Channels are a one-way broadcast tool that’ll allow admins to share information with an audience through texts, photos, and videos. WhatsApp says it’s a way for users to keep up with their favorite sports teams, hobbies, or public officials—all in a private way. Meta-owned Instagram launched a similar feature in February. How To Remove Followers From TwitterIn a blog post, WhatsApp says it’s “aspiring to build the most private broadcast…

WhatsApp has announced a much-requested edit feature that lets you alter a message within 15 minutes of sending it. “From correcting a simple misspelling to adding extra context to a message, we’re excited to bring you more control over your chats,” Meta-owned WhatsApp said in a blog post introducing the handy feature. Up to now, the only way to change a WhatsApp message was by quickly deleting it and then creating a new one, though, of course, the recipient/s may have had a chance to read the original message. The…

The social question-and-answer website, Quora, has a new AI tool that will help answer questions, write code for you, or just hang out and chat. It’s called Poe, but it has a few different personalities you can select from, including ChatGPT, and Quora’s own general knowledge bot, called Sage. That’s not all, though, and each of them has different expertise, having trained on different data. Here are the ins and outs of Quora’s Sage and other bots, and how you can make the most of them. What is Quora Poe? Quora’s…

Instagram has finally relented and now offers a simple way to add multiple links to your profile. Before now, you could only have one link in your profile, but on Tuesday the platform started allowing up to five. But take note: The links won’t show individually. Instead, only one will appear on your profile, with the others accessible via a link. While it’s a welcome development for creators, the change will be a blow for “link in bio” providers like Linktree and Beacons who offer a workaround on platforms where…

While it’s still not won mass adoption in the U.S., WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging app, and billions use it every day to chat with friends, family, local groups, and even businesses. But such an enormous user base means not every interaction is going to be positive, and that’s why WhatsApp has a blocking system to prevent you from seeing messages you don’t want to see. It’s entirely possible you’ve been blocked by a few people yourself — but how would you know? Unlike blocking on social media sites…

Nobody likes spam. If you're not careful, advertisements, chain letters, and other forms of spam can easily flood your inbox, and deleting them can feel like an endless game of whack-a-mole. Wouldn’t it be great to know how to stop those emails from reaching your inbox in the first place? It’s important to note, however, that you will never be able to stop all spam mail. Since sending spam is so easy, many scammers will never stop using it, even if it often doesn’t work. Still, if you take the right precautions, you…

If you ever thought Meta Verified was anything other than a money grab, this should change your mind. An unexpected thing happened on Instagram over the weekend. In hindsight, it shouldn’t have been unexpected. I’ve been using Insta since it finally became available on Android in April 2012, and for me, it’s mostly been an enjoyable experience. (That said, I’m spending more time with Glass and Vero, but that’s another thing for another time.) I’ve had a relatively high-profile job since those days, and Instagram has…

Whether it's due to an accidental deletion or purposefully clearing them out to make space, deleting iPhone messages can feel pretty permanent at times. That's because for nearly its entire history, there weren't any solid ways to retrieve deleted iPhone messages. That is, until now. With the introduction of iOS 16, Apple has finally given iPhone users a way to quickly and easily retrieve deleted iMessages. If your iPhone doesn't run iOS 16, however, there are other workarounds for you to use to…

ChatGPT is very simple to get started on. It’s free to sign up for, and you can either use your own email address or log in with your Google or Microsoft account. But you may have noticed that ChatGPT also asks for your phone number. Given all the concern over whether ChatGPT is safe to use, that may have thrown you for a loop, which begs the question — why does ChatGPT need your number after all? Hatice Baran / Unsplash Why ChatGPT requires a phone number Like many things you sign up for online, ChatGPT…

Chatbots have become extraordinarily popular for those looking for help with their writing — or simply mess around with them and have fun. Now, Android users have access to one such chatbot straight from their keyboard. Bing Chat is Microsoft’s chatbot that rivals the likes of ChatGPT and Google Bard, and it has been added as a feature to the SwiftKey keyboard, a predictive keyboard that helps with texting. While Bing Chat can help users compose the body of a message, it can also analyze prewritten text for your tone…