Hello again from R-Blog, our weekly technology and digital media blog. In these days when autumn hasn't quite made itself felt yet, our research into digital media continues for you. This week's topics include Instagram's user count in Turkey, Twitter's new "I'm on Periscope too, in fact I'm live" button, and Facebook rolling out end-to-end encryption, guardian of our privacy. Enjoy the read!

Instagram's User Count in Turkey Passes 22 Million

Instagram's EMEA Business Development Manager Amy Cole revealed the platform's user count in Turkey. Announcing that they'd reached 22 million users in Turkey, Cole said: "As our community grows, so does our business here. Instagram ads were opened up to businesses in Turkey in September 2015, and since then we've achieved promising results with our partners in the country. Our 22 million users in Turkey keeps growing bigger by the day, and that lets local businesses of every size communicate effectively with their customers."

Looking at Instagram's global figures, we see that it's actively used by more than 500 million people every month worldwide. Of those 500 million users, 20% are in the US and 80% are outside it. More than 95 million photos and videos are shared on the platform every day.

Facebook Messenger Gets End-to-End Encryption Under the Name "Secret Conversations"

End-to-end encryption is becoming a standard feature for messaging apps. Following WhatsApp, which led the way, Facebook is now continuing to help spread the feature via Messenger. Announcing that it was rolling out end-to-end encryption for all users on Facebook Messenger, Facebook is launching the feature under the name "Secret Conversations."

Using the encryption feature added to the iOS and Android apps is optional. Rather than encrypting every single message on Messenger, Facebook is giving users the option to switch on encryption for a new message if they wish, as they're writing it.

If you've updated Facebook Messenger, from today, when writing a new message, you'll see a Secret option added in the top-right corner. Once you switch this on, messages you send to your chosen contacts are now sent end-to-end encrypted. On top of that, using the secret option also lets you send timed messages to the other person. This Snapchat-like feature lets you send messages readable for anywhere from 5 seconds up to a day. When the time you set while writing the message runs out, the message deletes itself. To use the secret features, both sender and recipient need to have updated their Facebook Messenger apps.

End-to-end encryption shouldn't be seen as the final word in privacy. Even though it's claimed that message content can't be read, these apps still have no mechanism to hide who a user is messaging with.

You Can Now Add a Periscope Account to Twitter!

With its newly announced feature, Twitter now lets users add a Periscope link to their Twitter accounts.

Twitter, which owns the Periscope app, keeps using both services efficiently for a better experience. Thanks to the newly announced feature, Twitter users will be able to place a link to their Periscope account on their profile page.

When you're live on Periscope, a small red icon will appear at the bottom of your Twitter profile, and with it you'll be visible to all your followers who are active on Periscope.

Turning this feature on is very simple. All you need to do is click the edit-profile tab and switch on the "show my Periscope profile" option.