WholesomeMemesHTB

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  Our Instagram meme page

Inspiration

With so many meme-pages on Instagram, we thought it can't be that hard to create one of our own. But how do we find our memes and how do we make sure they are the best of the best? Also, do we really want to put that much effort and dedication into building a follower base?

That is why we came up with building a fully automated Instagram page that automatically searches the web in quest of finding the best new memes to soothe your heart.

What it does

Every morning around 11:30 our page shares the most wholesome meme of the past 24h with the world.

How We built it

We used Python to scrape Reddit for top newest wholesome memes, convert them to a square format by adding borders with a suitable colour (since Instagram only supports square images) and then upload them using fitting hashtags.

Challenges I ran into

In autumn 2019 Instagram decided to merge their API with that of Facebook and deprecate its old one causing basically every Instagram library that is capable of uploading pictures to break. Further, the new API is incomplete and extremely difficult to access, as it requires a "Login with Facebook" that needs to be pressed which then only allows access for a limited time.

It took me multiple hours of trying out different methods ranging from modifying existing libraries to writing my own automated headless browser.

Also, Instagram's bot detection algorithms were pretty annoying at times and finding a way around them while still posting at regular intervals.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Having created an automated meme-page together with my teammates that I love to follow and view myself, making me very satisfied with the outcome of the hackathon.

What I learned

Large companies don't necessarily have the best APIs/developer communities.

What's next for WholesomeMemesHTB

Grow a solid follower base. The challenge is to gain 1000 followers in one month. Further, we're looking into posting not only memes our the feed but also quotes to the story. Generating/finding quotes is a whole other challenge of its own.

Built With

• python
• wholesomeness