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December 7, 2016

The Rundown: December Edition

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As we move into 2017, it’s worth highlighting some end-of-year updates for all things social media-related. Here’s some of the most exciting news we’ve gathered from the past few weeks.

Filter your Instagram account… literally

Instagram’s embracing holiday vibes and spreading cheer through its most recent update. The company is reworking its app so that users can like each other’s comments and posts, in a move to make the community one that’s a “welcoming and safe place for everyone.” On the other hand, you can also delete comments, turn off commenting on posts and remove followers from private accounts without having to block them. This update reassures us that we can now support positive engagements and filter out any Internet trolls if need be. For celebs like Justin Bieber, this update must be a sigh of relief.

Snapchat Spectacles eyes consumers who don’t have 20/20 vision

People with less than perfect sight need not fear: Snapchat Spectacles is working with lens manufacturer Rochester Optical to create prescription lenses for their camera-equipped glasses. Not only will the glasses be available with prescriptions, they will also have add-ons such as anti-reflective coating and polarization. For those who haven’t gotten ahold of Spectacles, you can now place online orders for them on the Rochester Optical website, and pick them up at the address provided. This is a big leap in tech-fashion and with Snapchat’s popularity, we’re wondering if Spectacles might turn into the new Ray Bans. We’re just hoping they flatter all face shapes and we don’t end up looking like this.

Facebook is working with you to filter clickbait

In the wake of a newsworthy election season, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg decided to take steps to identify fake news Facebook users might be subjected to seeing on their timelines. Following criticisms that the social media mogul was facilitating the spread of propaganda, Facebook unveiled a tool that asks users to rank on a scale of one to five the extent to which they think a specific article uses misleading language. This is one of the few steps Facebook is taking to tackle fake news on its site, and it’s comforting to know that they trust their users to work with them.

A year in review brought to you by Twitter

So, #ThisHappened on Twitter in 2016: The Olympics, PokemonGo, David Bowie and many more. Twitter’s looking to exhibit its news and real-time capacity by highlighting the biggest moments of 2016 through the hashtag #ThisHappened. The site revealed the most buzzworthy stories of the year and encouraged users to share their own experiences, giving us a map of all the 2016 global social media sensations we might have even missed out on.