Automated tagging of content items

A system comprising:

• at least one processor configured to perform operations comprising:
• generating for display, by an application, a content item;
• receiving, by the application, input that selects a visual element and places the visual element on the content item at a display position, thereby to modify the content item;
• after placing the visual element on the content item, automatically accessing metadata associated with the visual element, the metadata identifying a plurality of users;
• automatically retrieving one or more account identifiers of one or more users of the plurality of users;
• in response to and after automatically retrieving the account identifiers of the plurality of users identified by the metadata of the visual element placed on the content item, automatically linking the modified content item to the one or more respective accounts of the one or more users of the plurality of users;
• identifying first and second users in the plurality of users that have been linked to the modified content item;
• determining that the first and second users are linked to the modified content item and are not currently friends with each other on the application;
• and
• in response to determining that the first and second users are linked to the modified content item and are not currently friends with each other on the application, presenting a notification to the second user that identifies the first user as being linked to the modified content item and includes an option to add the first user as a friend of the second user, the notification comprising a miniaturized version of the modified content item.

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium that includes instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

• generating for display, by an application, a content item;
• receiving, by the application, input that selects a visual element and places the visual element on the content item at a display position, thereby to modify the content item;
• after placing the visual element on the content item, automatically accessing metadata associated with the visual element, the metadata identifying a plurality of users;
• automatically retrieving one or more account identifiers of one or more users of the plurality of users;
• in response to and after automatically retrieving the account identifiers of the plurality of users identified by the metadata of the visual element placed on the content item, automatically linking the modified content item to the one or more respective accounts of the one or more users of the plurality of users;
• identifying first and second users in the plurality of users that have been linked to the modified content item;
• determining that the first and second users are linked to the modified content item and are not currently friends with each other on the application;
• and
• in response to determining that the first and second users are linked to the modified content item and are not currently friends with each other on the application, presenting a notification to the second user that identifies the first user as being linked to the modified content item and includes an option to add the first user as a friend of the second user, the notification comprising a miniaturized version of the modified content item.