#GeekyGossip The Lowdown on Instagram Direct Messaging

We’ve all seen the memes accusing Instagram’s new DM feature of becoming the et all end all to relationships that are probably already on the rocks due to infidelity. But aside from creep life that shall await us, advertisers and spam might be lurking in our IG Direct as well.

Via Mashable:

While Instagram may not be planning ad initiatives for Instagram Direct just yet, cofounder and CEO Kevin Systrom did note during the event that marketers can potentially use the messaging feature to college images for contests. Less than two hours later, Gap did just that, soliciting comments on an Instagram post and messaging the first 15 commenters with a limited edition Gap product. 

…Instagram Direct may allow brands to deal with customers on Instagram the same way that they deal with customers on Twitter. Tipograph can also imagine Gap using the new feature to communicate with employees and perhaps even stage some "surprise celebrity moments," where customers might compete to get a personal response from someone notable. 

Beyond that, the source familiar with Instagram's thinking speculates that media outlets may also use the messaging feature to solicit individuals for the right to use particular photos or videos in articles.

Sounds like spam waiting to happen… but until then, enjoy some of the IG DM memes that popped up after today’s announcement:

Jay Z Dedicates "Forever Young" to Nelson Mandela During San Diego Perfomance

Via HipHop DX:

During his Magna Carta Tour, Jay Z has dedicated "Forever Young" to the memory and legacy of Nelson Mandela. 

Jay Z most recently made this dedication during his Los Angeles, California tour stop yesterday (December 9). Mandela's image was displayed as Jay Z ran through "Forever Young," a selection pulled from Jay Z's Blueprint 3 album, which was released in 2009. 
During his San Diego, California tour stop, [Jay repeated the same tribute.] 

"You can do any mothafuckin' thing you set your mind to," Jay said, explaining that Mandela is an example of triumph through struggle.

Sneak Peek?: Beyonce teases Beyhive with Grown Woman Video Clip

Everyone first fell in love with the song when it was just a Pepsi endorsement commercial. But now footage of what may be the official video for "Grown Woman" has leaked, and King Bey appears to be mums the word on it. In addition, many of the clips have been removed from the net, causing further speculation. Catch the intergalactic African influenced video w/ cameos of Kelly Rowland and Tina Knowles in the short clip below:

You Oughta Know: 5 ways Nelson Mandela Made an Impact on the World

Today the revolutionary, legendary South-African apartheid activist Nelson Mandela passed away at the age of 95. Here's five ways he made the world a better place:

Via MTV Act:

5. Being an HIV/AIDS Activist

Makgatho Mandela, Mandela’s son, lost his life to AIDS. Although the former president had already been working to fight HIV/AIDS, this made the fight all the more personal. One of the first steps in fighting HIV/AIDS is taking away the stigma so people are more willing to be educated about it and understand it. "Let us give publicity to HIV/AIDS and not hide it, because [that is] the only way to make it appear like a normal illness," he said.

4. Creating Impactful Orgs

In 1995, then-President Mandela opened the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund to help protect and empower children. Then, after retiring as president in 1999, he founded the Nelson Mandela Foundation to continue its work to better the world. It also got behind Mandela Day!

3. President of South Africa

In 1994, Mandela was South Africa’s first democratically elected President. This was a triumph for democracy, and also a triumph for equality. Though the majority of the citizens of South Africa are black, Mandela had grown up in a country full of racial tension, and one in which black people were denied basic rights.

2. Nobel Peace Prize

Because of his nonviolent work to end the apartheid regime, Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Receiving the prize, he said, “This must be a world of democracy and respect for human rights, a world freed from the horrors of poverty, hunger, deprivation and ignorance, relieved of the threat and the scourge of civil wars and external aggression and unburdened of the great tragedy of millions forced to become refugees.”

1. Working Against  the South African Apartheid

From the 1940s to the 1990s, South Africa lived under the apartheid regime, which meant that people were racially segregated. Black people were not allowed to vote and were denied many of the rights given to white people. Mandela was a strong anti-apartheid activist. The apartheid government did not tolerate opposition, and his activism caused him to be imprisoned for 27 years.