Snapchat introduces competitor to TikTok and Instagram Reels

First there was TikTok.

Then, during what appeared to be an impending ban on TikTok, Instagram unleashed Reels — a direct competitor to TikTok’s scrollable video feed.

Today, Snapchat jumped into the fray by releasing Spotlight, a feature on the company’s app where users can vertically scroll through videos.

Let’s dive into the new social media product:

What is Spotlight?

According to Snapchat, Spotlight will showcase “The best of Snapchat.” Each day, the top videos by users will be shown on Spotlight.

It sounds like TikTok, but there are a few differences. As TechCrunch explains,

…on TikTok, only users with public profiles can have their videos hit the “For You” feed. Spotlight, meanwhile, can feature Snaps from users with both private or public accounts. These Snaps can be sent to Spotlight directly or posted to ‘Our Story.’ The company says the Snaps from the private accounts will be featured in an unattributed fashion — that is, no name will be attached to the content. There will also be no way to comment on these Snaps or message the creator, Snapchat explains. …

Should we be worried about his age?

It was during the 1984 presidential debate when Ronald Reagan delivered one of the most impressive lines of his political career.

President Reagan, running for reelection at 73 years old, was asked by the moderator whether age was an issue of the campaign. Should Americans be concerned about the advanced age of the president?

In a classic moment of wit, Reagan quipped:

“I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience…”

Reagan ended up winning the 1984 election in a landslide, defeating Walter Mondale in 49 out of 50 states. He would go on to serve another four successful years in the White House, leaving the office at the age of 77 years and 349 days. …

Your story has been turned down. Now what?

My writing gets rejected often.

More times than not, I’ll submit an article to a publication on Medium and, a few hours later, return to my article to find a note attached to my writing. And, more times than not, the note will say: “Thank you for submitting, but we’re going to pass on this.”

I get it. Writing is hard and requires a lot of work to succeed.

But it’s frustrating, isn’t it? An article that I might call my best writing will often not even see the light of day.

This year, I’ve written approximately 85 articles on Medium. …

Examining a question that has plagued biographers for centuries

For many years after his death in 1804, Alexander Hamilton remained a recognizable but slightly obscure figure in American history. His face adorned the $10 bill, he was credited with the creation of the country’s financial system, and he was an author of The Federalist Papers — but few Americans would have known the details of Hamilton’s life.

That all changed with the release of Hamilton: An American Musical, a wildly-popular Broadway show that thrust Alexander Hamilton back into the limelight. Suddenly, Americans began devouring every detail of Hamilton’s life. …

Recently, I was standing in line at the Starbucks on my campus and noticed something that probably sounds familiar to any American. There were six students standing in line behind me, and there were two students in front of me. Of the six students behind me, all six were looking down at their phones.

Directly in front of me, the student who was waiting for his turn at the register was looking down at his phone. The student who was ordering at the register was, thankfully, not looking down at her phone. Nevertheless, her phone was in her hand.

Immediately after ordering, the student was looking down at her phone again. …

Have we forgotten basic human values?

Have we forgotten what it means to be kind?

It’s tempting to believe that we have.

A pessimist would say that we’ve lost our sense of kindness. It seems that people are increasingly unable to empathize with others, doesn’t it?

Maybe I’m too optimistic, but I’d like to think that we still have our grasp on kindness. There is no doubt that our nation is more polarized and divided than in recent years; there is also no doubt that division makes for better headlines and articles than acts of human understanding and kindness.

When you look around you, though, don’t you still see kindness? …

A reminder from Ronald Reagan

There is an old story from the presidency of Ronald Reagan that has stuck with me for years.

On his desk in the Oval Office, Reagan kept a small plaque that contained the following words:

“There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he does not mind who gets the credit.”

How often are we burdened down by wishing that we received credit?

I’m just as guilty of those thoughts as anyone else. When I work and study diligently, I want to be rewarded for my actions. …

Lessons of persistence from our 34th President

In the quiet town of Abilene, Kansas, past the old public library and a collection of empty restaurants, a small white house sits upon a neatly-manicured front lawn. There is nothing significant in the appearance of the house. It is, in many ways, the stereotypical American home of the early twentieth century.

But while the building itself may not bear architectural significance, its historical prestige as the boyhood home of Dwight David Eisenhower calls for attention.

It’s been 51 years since our 34th president, popularly referred to as “Ike,” passed away. Much has changed in the past half-century, but it is advantageous to look back on Eisenhower’s life — specifically his boyhood spent in Abilene — and learn from the lessons his life offers. …