Facebook is suffering from under-sharing, Netflix users need to pay more, Facebook's secret inbox is revealed, Reddit launches an official app, and Clarkson, Hammond, and May discuss names for their new car show.

Facebook Wants You to Share More

Facebook has a problem, and it's all your fault. According to The Information [Paywall], the amount of things being shared on Facebook has peaked, dropping 5.5 percent between 2014 and 2015. More worryingly than that, during the same time period, personal sharing dropped 21 percent.

This means that people are sharing fewer tidbits of information about their own lives, whether that's what they're doing, where they're doing it, or who they're doing it with. Which is, or at least was, Facebook's bread and butter. Videos, memes, and news articles have somewhat filled the hole, but clearly not entirely.

Facebook issued a statement saying, "People continue to share a ton on Facebook; the overall level of sharing has remained not only strong, but similar to levels in prior years." However, while the social network might be putting a brave face on, if this trend continues it could spell disaster for Facebook.

It may be that we are emerging from the era of oversharing, or it may just be that the tools we use are evolving. Indeed, it seems that rather than sharing personal news with thousands of (almost) strangers on Facebook, people are now sharing personal news with smaller groups of actual friends on the likes of Snapchat, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Have you changed where, and with whom, you're sharing personal information?

Netflix Price Rise Hits Users

Headlines across the Web are screaming about Netflix raising its prices again. And it's true, Netflix is about to get more expensive for millions of users. The thing is, this isn't a new price rise, just two previous price rises affecting those longtime users previously shielded from them.

As we reported in January of this year, Netflix has raised its prices twice in two years, from $7.99 to $8.99 in May 2014, and from $8.99 to $9.99 in October 2015. However, existing subscribers were immune from the price hikes for 24 months, which means they're going to be hit with the new price point from May.

It's thought that around this applies to around 17 million people, who now have to decide whether to a) cancel Netflix, b) drop down to the basic standard-definition streaming plan, or c) stick with the standard high-definition plan and take the $2-a-month hit.

We suspect most people will choose C, and, having previously argued why we should all be paying more for Netflix anyway, this is probably the correct decision.

Facebook Has a Secret Inbox

You could have some important messages from friends sitting unread on Facebook. This is because, in its infinite wisdom, Facebook has been filtering messages into a hidden inbox most people won't have ever checked. Until now.

Facebook has essentially set this inbox to collect spammy, unsolicited messages. However, as with all spam filters, some actual messages have been caught in its net. Which has led to some people discovering important messages from long lost friends sitting waiting to be read.

You can see this hidden inbox either on desktop or Facebook Messenger. On desktop either go to facebook.com/messages/other or click on Messages > Message Requests > See filtered requests. On Messenger, click Settings > People > Message Requests > See filtered requests.

If you find anything interesting lurking within, please do let us know in the comments below.

Reddit Launches an Official App

reddit-mobile-app

Reddit has finally launched an official mobile app, after years of relying on third-party apps to deliver the goods. Reddit: The Official App is now available on Android and on iOS, completely for free, bringing all of Reddit to your smartphone of choice.

The official Reddit app replaces Alien Blue, the unofficial Reddit client Reddit acquired in 2014. While existing users can continue to use Alien Blue, it will no longer be available for download, and the development team will be working exclusively on the new app.

Reddit: The Official App looks promising, but initial reactions from longtime, committed Redditors hasn't been good. Your best bet is trying it out for yourself to see if it offers the right experience for you personally. And remember, this is only Version 1.0.

The Old Top Gear Team Discuss Names

And finally, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are struggling to come up with a name for their new car show, which the trio are now shooting. While Top Gear is continuing on at the BBC (in name alone) with Chris Evans at the helm, Clarkson and co. have disembarked for Amazon, which has bought the exclusive rights to the new Top Gear.

This video shows Clarkson, Hammond, and May discussing various names for the show, and failing miserably to agree, or even come up with anything even close to usable. It doesn't help that they're not allowed to use the word "Gear" in the title, at least according to Clarkson. So, if you have a suggestion, tweet @JeremyClarkson and tell him what it is. And please do tell him who sent you!

Your Views on Today’s Tech News

Are you sharing less on Facebook these days? If so, why? Are you happy to pay more for Netflix? What messages were lurking in your secret Facebook inbox? How do you browse Reddit at the moment? What should Clarkson, Hammond, and May call their new car show?

Let us know your thoughts on the Tech News of the day by posting to the comments section below. Because a healthy discussion is always welcome.

Tech News Digest is a daily column paring the technology news of the day down into bite-sized chunks that are easy to read and perfect for sharing.

Image Credit: Denkwerk GmbH via Flickr