Bitmoji Comes to Life with Snapchat World Lenses: Snapchat just took Bitmoji to a whole new level by allowing users to place their customized characters into the real world as 3D animated cartoons. It’s pretty fascinating to watch what was once essentially a sticker now doing things like riding a skateboard, doing yoga, hanging around the water cooler, etc. The update further solidifies Snapchat’s decision to acquire Bitmoji last year. You have to try it. Have to. (LINK)

Facebook ‘Snooze’ Button: Sick of a friend’s non-stop vacation photos or political rants? Bored of hearing about some business Page’s big launch? Now Facebook has a Snooze button that lets you temporarily unfollow friends, Pages or Groups for 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days. To initiate the feature, users can simply tap the drop-down arrow in the top right of someone’s post. Now instead of just an unfollow option, it looks like there may be a “Unfollow or Snooze” feature coming. (LINK)

Crayola Debuts New Crayon Color: Crayola announced the name of its new blue crayon Thursday, which colored our news feeds this week. Bluetiful was the top pick of fans during two months of online voting, beating out Dreams Come Blue, Blue Moon Bliss, Reach for the Stars and Star Spangled Blue. The crayon maker received nearly 90,000 name submissions before narrowing it down to five. Bluetiful will make its debut later this year. It’s replacing the recently retired color, dandelion. Nice strategy for staying culturaly relevant, Crayola. (LINK)

Geniuses Who Think Google’s Facebook Page is a Search Engine: A video has emerged online compiling mistaken posts on Google’s Facebook page. Surprising or not, many users have come to think that simply entering text on the wall of the brand-specific page will yield the results they desire from the actual search site. Unfortunately for them, their queries have simply provided an odd window for the rest of the world to watch what is going on inside their minds. The video even includes a custom soundtrack to further detail these strange posts, like “Can baking soda improve my face?” (LINK)

‘Monkey Selfie’ Legal Fight Finally Settled: A photographer has settled a two-year legal fight against an animal rights group over a “monkey selfie” picture. Naruto the macaque monkey took the image in the Indonesian jungle in 2011 when it picked up a camera owned by David Slater. U.S. judges had said copyright protection could not be applied to the monkey, but PETA said the animal should benefit. Slater said he put in a lot of effort to take the photo which was more than enough for him to claim copyright. Say “Bananas!” (LINK)

UNO’s Color Blind Redesign: Mattel made headlines this week as they released a color blind friendly version of the classic card game, UNO. As we all know, UNO requires and relies on the identification of colors to play. This has been accomplished with the implementation of ColorADD, a symbol-based system where each color is represented by a unique icon. The rules remain the same, but with 350 million color blind people around the globe, this is definitely a game changer (pun intended!). (LINK)

The 3 A.M. Challenge: Remember telling your friends ghost stories in the middle of the night as a kid? Well, there’s a new trend that’s keeping kids awake, and it’s probably not what you think. YouTube creators have been uploading videos of themselves attempting to interact with the paranormal at 3 A.M. (the devil’s hour) and it’s catching on. These videos are getting millions of views from young thrill-seekers looking to get scared while their parents are asleep. Speaking of scary, are you up on the Dear David thread? Hope you’re not a fan of sleep! (LINK)

Instagram tests a feature that lets users share Stories directly to Facebook: Instagram Stories have been a massive hit for brands and individuals alike, but as you might have noticed, the same cannot be said for Facebook Stories. On a daily basis, most people post to their Instagram Stories, while Facebook’s own version is only seeing a fraction of the action. In hopes of remedying this engagement problem, Instagram is testing out a feature that would allow users to upload their stories from Instagram to Facebook. We think “stories” as a content vehicle are here to stay, but mainstream adoption has been slow. So we’re watching this test closely. (LINK)

Taylor Swift Tix: You know TFW you go to buy tickets on Ticketmaster at the moment they go on sale, only to see the show is sold out in a time that seems humanly impossible? It was probably because it wasn’t entirely humans, or fans for that matter. In an attempt to combat bots snatching up tickets before true fans can get their hands on them, Taylor Swift has teamed up with Ticketmaster to introduce a verified fan program that incentivizes people to buy merch, music, and share to get a better place in line. After reading comments and reactions, it appears as though some fans aren’t wild about the model. We can’t see this standing in the way of Swifties by any means. (LINK)

Smile-to-Like Social Engagement: A few months ago Facebook quietly filed patents that would secretly use your phone’s camera to track your emotional reactions to your newsfeed and then serve up similar content, and another that generate emoji reactions to posts you’re reading based on your facial expression. Although Facebook claims this may never be released to the public, this week we’re testing out Polygram, a new photo-based social network that gauges your facial expressions and tallies up responses based on smiles or frowns. Creepy and cool, right? Wait, are you smiling or frowning right now? This email software must be too dumb to tell. (LINK)

RIP Mosquito: This one hits close to home for us Minnesotans. A Twitter user had his account permanently deactivated for angrily gloating over the corpse of a mosquito he had killed. The user had tweeted the following in Japanese: “Bastard! Where do you get off biting me all over while I’m just trying to relax and watch TV? Die! (Actually you’re already dead).” Cyberbullying and online abuse is a huge problem for Twitter, who recently announced it would increase action against abusive accounts 10x over last year. We’re guessing their AI moderators flagged the account based on the combination of words like “bastard” and “die.” (LINK)

Netflix-branded Weed: This week the streaming giant partnered with a pop-up dispensary in West Hollywood, Calif. to promote its new series, Disjointed. The promotion featured 12 strains of marijuana based on 10 Netflix shows, including Disjointed, Orange Is the New Black and Mystery Science 3000. The dispensary sold over a hundred jars of the Netflix marijuana (or roughly a pound), and although Netflix didn’t actually touch the pot, the stunt created an international news cycle that filled our feeds with munchie-fueled jealousy. (LINK)

Meme of the Week: A man walks down a city street with his girlfriend, head turned backward, ogling a woman walking the other direction. This is the “distracted boyfriend” stock photo, an image that launched a thousand memes. The meme has been remixed to make statements on things like dogs, Jessie’s Girl, solar eclipse, and even some brands have gotten into it – like Penguin Random House. Wired tracked down the stock photographer to get his take on the history of the photo. Which came from a photo shoot looking to create “infidelity concept in relationships in a playful and fun way.” Because that’s a thing. (LINK)

Are We Talkin’ PSLs Now, or Nah? In an attempt to capitalize on the inevitable social buzz that accompanies peak pumpkin season, companies have been releasing their pumpkin offerings earlier and earlier each year. It’s a delicate move, because launching too early reeks of greed and launching too late, well, won’t have that intended “buzz-driving” effect. One thing’s for certain though, people are still digging pumpkin. Sales of pumpkin products, are still growing year-over-year (though the rate is beginning to taper). Happy Halloween? (LINK)

Hurricane #FAKENEWS:  We all know social media can be incredibly helpful during natural disasters for organizing aid efforts and letting friends and family in on your whereabouts. However, it’s also when madness ensues, boys cry “Wolf!” and #FAKENEWS imagery is spread. Next time you’re wondering if there really is a shark in the streets of Houston, save the image and take it to Tineye or Google Image Search. Either of those will confirm or debunk the image in question. (LINK)

Instagram Turns Photo Replies into Stickers: Building on a recent update, Instagram just released another new feature that makes photo replies more customizable, using the content being replied to from either a story or DM. The photo you’re replying to essentially becomes a sticker that you can superimpose over your own photo, adjust its size, doodle on, or add other stickers. Reply on, sticker junkies. (LINK)

Facebook Newsfeed Tweaks: Facebook has made it easier to view and read the content in the newsfeed. In addition to cracking down on video clickbait, the platform has become more user-friendly with welcome tweaks to the UI. The adjustments make conversations about a given piece of content stand out and Facebook hopes it will entice users to add their own thoughts to the discussion. Hashtag engagement, amirite? (LINK)

Crowd Surf on Snapchat: A new feature called Crowd Surf turned heads this week, as Snapchat tested out a feature that uses AI to stitch snaps together at events like concerts to create a unique video experience. While not widely available at this time, it was introduced at Lorde’s recent concert in San Francisco. The finished product is a seamless video from various phones and angles of those in attendance. Snapchat continues to drive innovations other socnets quickly steal, so we’re paying close attention to this one. (LINK)

Confessions from Wendy’s Former Social Media Manager: The community manager behind the success and controversy of Wendy’s Twitter account shares how she changed the brand voice in a single tweet. Earlier this year, Wendy’s responded to a troll who was calling out the line “Fresh, never frozen” and it garnered a lot of attention. The rollercoaster that Brown has been on over the past six months has brought some unwelcomed personal attention, and there are some takeaways here for any brand looking to use voice to drive cultural relevance with its followers. (LINK)

Silence Never Sounded So Good: There is a completely silent song making waves in the music world this week. Ever get into your car, plug in your phone to listen to that latest and greatest playlist you’ve been building, only to have that one song that always autoplays come on? This annoyance was used as inspiration for a 10-minute track that’s completely silent and has an alphabetic advantage in your music library. Who would have thought a music-less song would be topping the charts in 2017? Put that hit on repeat. (LINK)

Can’t Get More Culturally-Relevant Than This: Did you know that fidget spinners were disrupting classrooms over 4,000 years ago? No, not really. However, the comparisons have been drawn between an artifact and the modern version. We’re guessing bands weren’t putting their albums on spinners back then. Either way, it’s super wild if you ask us. LINK

Twitter Subscription: Earlier this week, Twitter revealed plans for testing a subscription-based version of the platform. Not to be confused with their promoted tweets tool, this new feature enables users to receive better visibility of their content in the feeds of their followers along with a higher frequency of their profile appearing in searches – all of which is decided by Twitter. This is an interesting move that appears to be targeted at small to medium-sized businesses and influencers looking to get better reach and engagement. But I’m not sure we’re shelling out $99 bucks for Twitter just yet. LINK

Instagram Stories Surpass Snapchat: As it turns a year old, it was announced that Instagram Stories now enjoy more daily users than Snapchat’s. We’ve all been watching the line become blurred between the two platforms, and with it came a significant portion of Snapchat’s user base. Ultimately, it all came down to the convenience of using the features of Snapchat in Instagram where the majority of people of all ages spend their time. LINK

#Humblebrag: Our own Director of Innovation, Marty Wetherall, talks about conversation design in the age of voice technology. As it moves beyond the techies and early adopters, screenless tech gets us more psyched each month. LINK

TV, Now on FB!  How much time do you spend on Facebook during a day? Well, starting in mid-August you might as well stay logged in permanently, because the company’s foraying into online television in an attempt to command even more of its users’ time and advertiser dough. Amazon and Netflix are also keeping a close watch, because the platform has hired former TV and media execs and has multiple high-end original series in the works. It’ll be interesting to see how this affects targeting and placement opportunities. While we’re on the topic, Facebook also shared how they’re continuing to up their tech ante, with sophisticated enhancements for Live 360 and plans to release a smart touchscreen speaker in early 2018. Can’t slow that roll. LINK

Phelps in Deep Water Over CGI Shark Race: Sorry, we can’t resist the occasional pun. You may have heard the Internet abuzz re:  Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps’ “race” against a shark as part of the highly anticipated Shark Week’s events. What you may nothave known, is that there’s actually a portion of the population that believes in a shark’s ability to comprehend race regulations and swim undistractedly in a straight line next to what looks like a pretty great dinner. Well, once people learned how the sausage—er, CGI shark—was made, controversy ensued. Phelps’ response? “IDGAF.” LINK

Instagram’s Influence Extends to Interior Design:  We’ve been admiring restaurant chain by CHLOE.’s aesthetic for a minute, down to their beautifully branded menus and packaging, but did you know that those details were carefully considered with Instagrammers in mind? Now, businesses are taking this mentality a step further and working with entrepreneurs who specialize in designing Instagrammable spaces. That’s one way to get more buzz, UGC and foot traffic. Also, if you’re in NY, swing by Pietro Nolita for your daily recommended dosage of Pepto—I mean “Millennial”—pink. 💅 LINK

Emojis Made it to a Bigger Screen:  The Emoji Movie was released yesterday and is not receiving great reviews. Whether or not you’ve got plans to see the flick, it’s hard to deny the social and cultural impact of emojis and what they enable in communication. Emojis have become a means for us to express emotion and personality, and research studies even assert that emoji users are more effective communicators—just make sure to keep using your words, too. 🆒? LINK

Oh Happy Day Announces “Color Factory” Pop-Up Exhibition:  Facing unrelenting competition in the blogging world, influencers are finding new ways to connect with their communities beyond the digital realm. The artist and designer behind the popular blog, Oh Happy Day, recently announced the launch of “Color Factory”, a two-story immersive exhibition in San Francisco that’s opening next month. Visitors can explore this massive collaborative work at their leisure, losing themselves in 10,000 colored ribbons, multiple photo stations or a giant yellow ball pit that’s giving us Museum of Ice Cream vibes. We don’t know totally what to expect, but one thing’s for certain:  There will be ‘grams. LINK

Amazon and Google Debut News Feeds: Because what we needed was more places to consume content each day, both Amazon and Google debuted mobile news feeds this week inside their respective core apps. We see this as a continued play by these brands to turn their apps into a destination for browsing, search and shopping. Yay algorithms, amirite?

Snapchat Adds Multi-Snap Recording: This week, Snapchat added ability to record multiple 10 second Snaps continuously, and a new “Tint Brush” that allows you to selectively color specific objects or areas of your snaps. These new features will help brands making content create Snaps that look a little bit more professional and turnt than usual. (LINK)

“Despacito” Just Broke Justin Bieber’s Streaming Record: Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s reggaeton hit has been streamed 4.6 billion times – more than any other song in history, unseating Bieber’s “Sorry,” which sits at 4.38 billion streams. This tweet pretty much sums up how we’re feeling about it. (LINK)

Hot Dogs Take Over Our Feeds: Between National Hot Dog Day, Snapchat’s dancing hot dog filter and Bitmoji’s hot dog themes, we were seeing wieners everywhere this week. This week Heinz rolled out a special “Chicago Dog Sauce” to get around that city’s no ketchup rule, then SURPRISE, revealed it was actually ketchup. But only after sparking a host of social buzz and press attention. For the record, we’re #TeamMustard all the way. (LINK)

NBC News Launches ‘Stay Tuned,’ a Snapchat News Show: NBC News just launched a twice-daily news show on Wednesday morning called “Stay Tuned,” which will appear on Snapchat’s Discover platform — the first daily news show on Snapchat. It will cover national and international news, politics and pop culture. Now if we could just remember to actually swipe over to Discover…(LINK)

The Drive-By Dunk Challenge Is Emerging as the Meme Of The Summer: Earlier this week, Instagram user @t.currie posted a video of him going from house to house dunking on random basketball hoops, and the video has subsequently been reposted by big sports outlets like Bleacher Report, CBS News, and Heavy. The meme is catching on, with people as far away as Australia getting into it. No hoop is safe from the Drive-By-Dunk! (LINK)