Hot off the press, Instagram is bringing back the much-requested chronological feed and a shiny new feed experience called Favorites.
Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, revealed today why they're making the change:
"We want you to be able to shape Instagram into the best possible experience, and giving you ways to quickly see what you’re most interested in is an important step in that direction."
With this update, your Instagram feed will be split into three view options:
Home (main): The current default feed with ranked and personalized content
Following: The chronological feed you know and love
Favorites: A second chronological feed with content from a curated list of accounts
The Following feed is a throwback to the OG days of Instagram, where posts from people you follow will display in chronological order.
The Favorites feed will also be in chronological order, but with a twist.
This feed will consist of content from up to 50 accounts of your choosing — like your family or favorite creators.
Posts from accounts in Favorites will also show up higher in your Home feed, giving them an extra visibility boost while you're scrolling.
It’s worth noting that the default Home feed will remain the same as it is now.
According to Mosseri, "It's going to continue to be ranked. It's going to continue to be personalized. We believe in personalization." So, expect more suggested content (like Reels) popping up.
With these new views, it’s clear that Instagram is making a concerted effort to give users more control over how they navigate and experience content on the platform.
We're curious to see what's next.
NOTE: The additional feeds can be accessed by tapping the Instagram logo in the top left corner of the home page. If you don't have them yet — sit tight!
What Does This Mean for the Future of Instagram?
This is a major change for Instagram.
It's no secret that TikTok is a huge player in the industry and one of Instagram's biggest competitors.
Case in point: they're officially more popular than Instagram amongst US-based Gen Z users.
This new update creates more opportunities for Instagram to deliver suggested content through the main feed (similar to TikTok's For You Page), while still having chronological feeds available. It's a win-win scenario for Mosseri and crew.
The additional Instagram feeds will also force creators and brands to reevaluate their content strategies.
Take Mahdi Woodard, who shared how he'll approach the new feed changes. Hint: treat each feed like a funnel:
While Instagram is still significantly different from TikTok, we anticipate more features rolling out on the 'gram to compete for users' attention.
Stay tuned!
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