Meta has quietly released a new standalone app for Facebook Groups, called “Forum.” The company seems to be positioning Forum as a platform that functions similarly to Reddit, describing the app as a “dedicated space built for deeper discussions, real answers and communities you care about.”
https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/22/meta-quietly-launches-a-new-reddit-like-app-called-forum/
Instagram announced on Wednesday that it’s globally launching “Instants,” a new feature for sharing authentic, disappearing photos after testing it with select users. Unlike Instagram, which is about curated and polished content, Instants is designed for quick, real-life snapshots. With Instants, you capture a photo with Instagram’s in-app camera and aren’t allowed to edit the image. The format doesn’t allow uploads from your camera, and, although you can add text to your “instants,” you can’t modify them any further. Meta said in a blog post that the idea behind this format is to share authentic moments as they’re happening.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/13/instagrams-new-instants-feature-combines-elements-from-snapchat-and-bereal/
Digg is back from the dead. Again. This time around, the site is focused on ranking news — specifically, AI news to start. In an email to beta testers, the company said the site’s goal is to “track the most influential voices in a space” and to surface the news that’s actually worth “paying attention to.” AI is the area it’s testing this idea with, but if successful, Digg will expand to include other topics.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/11/digg-tries-again-this-time-as-an-ai-news-aggregator/
Bluesky has created another app, Attie, that uses AI to build custom feeds. Attie already has a Bluesky account, naturally, where it posted on Saturday that it's currently in an invite-only closed beta. "You can use it to build your own feeds, create software that works the way you want it to, and find signal in the noise."
https://mashable.com/article/bluesky-announces-attie-ai-app-for-custom-feeds
Discord is about to force some of the people who use its messaging app to make a choice: Use the platform with restricted features, or prove their age. It’s a move that platforms have been slowly approaching, but Discord’s teen-by-default rollout is a stronger clampdown that could offer a glimpse at an age-gated future on the web worldwide.
https://www.theverge.com/policy/876131/discord-age-verification-mandates-web-future
Jack Dorsey backs diVine, a Vine reboot that includes Vine’s video archive of six-second, looping videos. A new app called diVine will give access to more than 100,000 archived Vine videos, restored from an older backup that was created before Vine’s shutdown.
https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/12/jack-dorsey-funds-divine-a-vine-reboot-that-includes-vines-video-archive/
Founded in 2021, Fizz is available at more than 620 campuses across the United States, with over 27 million posts shared to date. The social platform allows students to connect anonymously with others at their university. Fizz also features a marketplace where users can buy and sell items locally. The partnership will allow students to order anything from late-night snacks to weekly groceries directly within the Fizz app in as fast as 15 minutes, Fizz says.
https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/03/college-social-app-fizz-expands-into-grocery-delivery/