If you use WhatsApp for your personal and professional messaging, it can quickly become pretty busy. It also means that any professional contacts can see your photos, status updates, and where you are. To keep things separate its a good idea to use a different phone number for each, but having two numbers doesn't mean you'll need two phones.
For today's young people, online content isn't a backdrop to daily life-it is daily life. Streaming platforms, short-form video, and social media don't just entertain; they influence how young people see themselves, their health, and what behaviors are seen as normal or aspirational. Movies, television, and streaming content still have influence, but as the digital ecosystem expands, so does its power to shape choices-for better and for worse.
According to a screenshot shared by mobile developer Alessandro Paluzzi, who reverse engineers Instagram to reveal prototypes, the app is being called "Instants." "Share disappearing photos with friends," Paluzzi's rendering says. The Meta spokesperson said the stand-alone Instants app is not testing externally. Instagram has also been testing a feature called Instants, which was previously called "Shots," with some users of its main app. It has been a limited test available to "some countries globally," the Meta spokesperson said.
iPhone users claim they're immediately turned off when they realise a potential partner uses an Android, in a concept dubbed the 'green bubble ick'. 'The thought of green texts makes me feel sick,' one user said on TikTok. Another added: 'The green text bubble gives the ICK hardddd!' And one joked: 'Texts back in green...suddenly I can't read.' The nickname is linked to the fact that iPhone users receive green text messages from Android users, rather than Apple's blue iMessage bubbles.
You know that friend who always texts back within seconds, no matter what time of day? I used to be that person. My phone would buzz, and before I'd even consciously registered the notification, my thumbs were already typing. It took me years to realize that my lightning-fast response time wasn't just about being helpful or friendly. It was broadcasting something much deeper about my relationship with boundaries.
Etiquette is always based on the idea of care and consideration for others. So it helps to think about how the recipients might be affected by your message. That means, for example, not wasting other members' time by asking questions that could be easily answered by doing a Google search, or scrolling up or searching through the previous posts.
People who prefer texting over phone calls aren't broken or antisocial. In fact, they often possess unique strengths that phone-lovers might actually envy. I discovered this firsthand during my freelancing stint after getting laid off. Without the constant barrage of office calls and impromptu meetings, I found myself gravitating toward written communication. And something interesting happened: my work got better, my relationships became more intentional, and my anxiety levels dropped significantly.
You can find them anywhere there are people and inclines: train platforms, gyms, grocery stores. They come in different shapes and sizes, they represent every age and demographic, but they all move in the exact same way - slow-motion shuffle, scroll, lift foot, poke screen, land foot, repeat. The worst ones get to the top (or bottom) of the stairs and suddenly stop. This would be justifiable if they received notification of a nuclear warhead careening towards the city. But it's usually just a Slack they have to read extra carefully.