📷 Image Credit: Social Media Today 👆By: Andrew Hutchinson TL;DR Facebook is testing a brand new public comment feature on Stories that could create some competition between platforms. Facebook has added another layer of engagement with its brand-new option to reply to stories! The new format splits a user's response into two options; one can either leave a public comment that would be seen by all viewers or leave a message that directly goes to the user who posted the story. The message option was previously there; however, Facebook is testing the 'comment' section. While this may seem a pretty minuscule feature, it could have some significant implications. Other massive social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok have yet to implement this new feature, so this sets Facebook aside in a big way. The public comment section will help solidify engagement between users and companies, overall strengthening connections. Additionally, if users actively respond to comments, others will see that and be more likely to share their thoughts on the story. If the testing goes well, this feature will be a great way to level up your online relationships! This could create some competition between other social media platforms we use. Do you think an app like Instagram will hop on the trend after Facebook? We certainly do. Please let us know what you think in the comments. Sources:Social Media Today Written by: Naia Mader, Intern Edited by: Lisa Knight, COO & Mentor

📷 Image Credit: Teen Vogue 👆By: De Elizabeth TL;DR Ms. Swift has done it again! She just dropped the release of her new re-recorded album, 'Red (Taylor's Version).' Taylor Swift is an absolute powerhouse. Her discography is a force to be reckoned with as she's re-recording her albums to reclaim legal ownership of her music. Taylor plans to gradually re-release her nine studio albums, surprising fans with release dates. She just announced that her new album Red (Taylor's Version)' will be released on November 19th with more songs "from the vault." This means the new album will have 30 tracks! Swifties are going absolutely crazy. Taylor wrote the additional songs before 2012 to release with the original 'Red' album; however, only some of them made the album. She said she couldn't stop writing songs as this era in her life revolved around emotions of being happy, free, confused, lonely, devastated, euphoric, wild, and tortured by memories past. Taylor also added that this writing and recording 'Red' helped to heal her during some tough times. We're looking forward to hearing the re-recordings and listening to how much this pop star has changed and matured over her many years of fame. Not only do we get 30 songs, but Taylor also dropped that we might be getting a 10-minute-long version of the iconic 'All Too Well!' While we don't want summer to pass by quickly, we cannot wait for November 19th; sad girl, autumn is approaching! Let us know what song you are most excited to hear on the re-recordings. Sources:Teen Vogue Written by: Naia Mader, Intern Edited by: Lisa Knight, COO & Mentor

📷 Image Credit: CNN👆By: Jackie Wattles TL;DR Would you pay $28 million to go to space with Jeff Bezos? Learn all about the 11-minute and 62-mile orbit up and around the upper atmosphere. Thinking of traveling to space anytime soon? All you need is a whopping $28 million dollars! That’s the price to pay to be onboard New Shepard’s inaugural crewed mission to space. And...you get to travel into suborbital space with none other than Jeff Bezos. The sought-after spot was snatched up on Saturday when the month-long auction came to a close. Ariane Cornell, Blue Origin’s sales director, confirmed that 7,600 people from 159 countries were able to register and place a bid. How is this high price a good thing? Blue Origin’s ticket sales to the general public for the momentous event, alongside the auction money, will be used to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education for the youth. The name of the lucky passenger has yet to be revealed. Nonetheless, we assume they are excited; who wouldn’t want to go to space with the world's richest man? The New Shepard takes off on July 20th from Van Horn, Texas, and will only be in space for approximately 11 minutes. The company has tested the New Shepard, the 60-foot-tall rocket, roughly 15 times since 2015 to ensure its safety. Due to the shortened time, the rocket will only travel 62 miles above Earth. This condensed launch will give the passengers a brief feeling of weightlessness, similar to the experience of reaching the peak of a roller coaster hill before shooting down again to the lower atmosphere. Is this short trip truly worth the $28 million it was auctioned off for? Would you choose to go to space? Is the money well spent? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Sources:CNN Written by: Naia Mader, Intern Edited by: Lisa Knight, COO & Mentor

📷 Image Credit: The Verge👆By: Tom Warren TL;DR Xbox is back and better than ever with 'Halo Infinite,' which now offers a brand new multiplayer feature! We have the latest intel on the brand-new multiplayer feature for Halo’s Infinite; users will most certainly be excited. The new game will launch on Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, and PC in the later months of 2021. This new mode will allow you and your friends to play the free multiplayer version across countless platforms using cross-progression and crossplay. Halo Infinite will additionally offer a battle pass that essentially never expires after you purchase it, saving people a lot of money! The game also allows users to purchase old season passes and which battle pass they want. The new multiplayer version heavily focuses on armor, weapons, academy, training, and especially more customizations. When players are qualified to earn different customizations, they can even pick details down to their character's voice or prosthetics; how cool is that?! There are also millions of options for customizing players’ weapons and armor. With this, you can switch up coatings, effects, emblems, visors, knee pads, gloves, shoulders, helmets, and more. The catch, users can only get customizations through tangibly playing the game and reaching new levels, so if you want a brand-new gravity hammer or cool gold armor pads, you better get playing! Let's talk vehicles. The vehicle feature has also been updated and becomes centralized to the battle arena on Halo Infinite. The new Razorback vehicle is able to carry multiple weapons at the rear, which could give users a great advantage. Finally, for those who need more experience, there’s an ‘academy mode’ for players to get used to the game's look, feel, and terminology. This helps people get used to the varying levels of difficulty and understand training partners with the multiplayer version. Be sure to keep an eye out for Halo Infinite this fall; we most certainly are! For those who game, what feature are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below. Sources:The Verge Written by: Naia Mader, Intern Edited by: Lisa Knight, COO & Mentor

📷 Image Credit: Social Media Today 👆By: Andrew Hutchinson TL;DR As social media platforms slowly take over our lives, the government is starting to get involved. Are these regulations a good or bad thing? We think everyone is a little wary about how much privacy individuals truly have while online. The U.S. Government just recently made an announcement that could have major effects on how social media is operated. The House of Representatives introduced four separate bills that all have to do with putting potential limitations and restrictions on the abilities of digital platforms. This means that there could be possible obstacles within platforms buying other platforms, operating their ad businesses, and the utilization of user data. These bills could also possibly mean laws against platforms giving preference to their own product. For example, Apple would not be allowed to give bias to Apple Music versus Spotify. Other aspects include a restriction on business mergers in the tech sector, a ban on digital platforms owning subsidiaries that operate on their platform, improved user data portability, and more. When, or if, these laws are passed, they will put massive restrictions on the tech giants we know today, such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, etc. We could possibly see the disappearance of TikTok as the laws will continue to examine the implications of data sharing with China. As social media and the internet have slowly taken over our lives, we don’t find it shocking that the government is trying to enforce some regulations surrounding it. Social platforms essentially influence everything we do and can impact massive global shifts in social, economic, and even political aspects. In fact, 71% of people are now getting some source of news from the internet and/or social media. We expect to see significant changes within the industry as it becomes more powerful. What are your thoughts on these potential bills? Do you hope for them to pass? Let us know your opinion in the comments. Sources:Social Media Today Written by: Naia Mader, Intern Edited by: Lisa Knight, COO & Mentor