Instagram is testing new ‘Favourites’ to organise feed

  • Instagram is testing a new Favourites feature to organise feeds.
  • Favourites will let users categorise Instagram accounts (friends and creators) as priorities, so that their posts appear higher on the feed.
  • Instagram aims to give users more control over their feed by allowing certain accounts like close friends and family to be prioritised over others like brands or creators.
  • It’s not clear if Favourites will become an official feature on Instagram or if plans will change before its global rollout.
  • The feature will be found in the account menu just below ‘Close Friends’, a feature which allows users to control who can see their stories.
  • For tips on staying safe on Instagram, check out our safety card.
  • Full story, here.

 Twitch sues two alleged ‘hate raiders’

  • After months of ongoing hate and harassment targeting marginalised streamers, Twitch has filed a lawsuit against two alleged ‘hate raiders’.
  • This follows the virtual walkout known as #ADayOffTwitch, hosted by streamers where content creators took a day off streaming.
  • The suit was filed on the 9th of September and names two defendants, CruzzControl and CreatineOverdose, as responsible in part of the ‘hate raids’.
  • Their involvement included allegedly creating over 3,000 bot accounts deployed to target black and LGBTQIA+ streamers with racist, homophobic, sexist, and other harassing content.
  • The lawsuit doesn’t identify the users beyond their usernames.
  • While organisers of the #ADayOffTwitch event claim that this lawsuit doesn’t address the larger issues around these ‘hate raids’, it sends a message to those involved.
  • Full story, here.

A survey finds that UK is failing on childcare

  • A survey of more than 20,000 working parents reported that the government is failing them with inadequate childcare policies that leave them at a financial disadvantage and create an obstacle in their careers.
  • 96% of parents surveyed believed ministers were not doing enough to support parents with the cost and availability of childcare and 97% reported childcare in the UK was too expensive.
  • One-third of parents surveyed claimed they had spent more on childcare than on rent or mortgage payments.
  • This rose to 38% for those in full-time employment or single-parent families and to 47% for respondents from a black ethnic background.
  • This survey was triggered after a petition for an independent review of childcare funding and affordability reached 100,000 parent signatures.
  • Results from the survey support data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showing that the UK has the third most expensive childcare system in the world, averaging out at £12,376 for a full-time placement.
  • Full story, here.