Instagram has become one most powerful social media networks in the world today. However, since the
inception of the feed algorithm in 2016, Instagram has faced two major problems.
Problem 1: Upset Users
Since the change, users have voiced that they would like the
chronological feed to return. This comes as no surprise; users miss seeing and
interacting with much of their favourite content at the time of posting,
causing them to suffer from severe “FOMO” (the fear of missing out).
Problem 2: Unhealthy Behavior
Research has also
shown that a feed based on an algorithm can lead to passive, unhealthy, “zombie
browsing” behavior. This “zombie browsing” is bad news for brands who want
their content to be digested by their followers, and also bad news for
Instagram if they hope to keep users engaged on the platform.
The Challenge
While users and research are against the feed algorithm, it
does provide benefits such as showing users content from the profiles they
interact with and enjoy the most, without having to scroll through loads of
content from less relevant sources.
The challenge Instagram faces is finding a way to maintain
the algorithm, while still notifying the user when they have seen all the
latest content.
The Solution
The launch of the “You’re All Caught Up” feature, one of
Instagram’s first publicly tested updates.
The new feature will notify users when they’ve seen all new
posts from the past 48 hours. While this might hurt Instagram’s bottom line with
users spending less time in-app, the hope is to ensure that users feel more
in-the-know and continue to engage with the platform long-term.
This seems to be the first of many features that Instagram
will be rolling out with the “Time Well Spent” movement in mind. We look
forward to seeing how the app adapts to the ever-changing social media
environment.
If you’re interested in diving deeper, check out the article
over at Techcrunch.
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