If you're an Instagram user, or a company posting regularly on your Instagram business page, you may have noticed a recent change to the Instagram feed. The popular social media platform recently updated its feed formula, giving users two different ways to view the latest posts. These changes should be noted, so you have full understanding of how a user experiences the platform.
The "Favorites" section includes posts from users that you've favorited, as well as posts from brands and celebrities that you follow. The "Following" section includes posts from everyone else that you follow on Instagram.
The new formula is designed to help users see the content that they're most interested in, rather than simply showing the most recent posts from everyone that they follow.
To put it simply, the goal is to increase the immersive experience on Instagram and keep users engaged with the platform for longer periods. The new algorithm will also be less reliant on the chronological order, instead favoring the posts that users are more likely to engage with.
They also like to pattern to the success of TikTok, which has a similar 'For You' page that offers users a feed of content tailored to their interests. Full-screen and short-form video content has been on the rise for a while now, and this is Instagram's way of getting in on the action.
Some users are not happy about the changes, feeling that it is difficult to keep up with all the posts from people they follow. However, there are some upsides – users can now choose to see posts from their favorite accounts first, and they are more likely to see content that interests them.
If you're not a fan of the new Instagram feed formula, it's worth noting that you can choose to see posts from just those you follow. Do this by first tapping on the Instagram logo on the upper left of the home screen.
From there, you have two options, view those you are Following or those you have Favorited. If you tap on Following, you’ll be moved over to your Following feed, which is only populated with posts from accounts you follow – these posts will be in chronological order. There are not any posts from hashtags you follow, or suggested posts based on your activity.
If you choose the option to view by those you have Favorited, you first need to favorite a profile. To do this, just go to a user's profile and click the heart icon beneath their bio. Once you've favorited someone, their posts will appear first in your feed. For those, you're following, but don't want to see at the top of your feed, you can now mute them. This means their posts won't appear in your feed, but you'll still be following them.
To mute someone, go to their profile and click on the three dots in the top right-hand corner. From there, select "Mute" and then "Mute Posts."
The update to Instagram's feed is just one of many changes that the social media platform has made in recent months. Another big change is the addition of full-screen, vertical videos to the feed. Before this update, videos would appear in a small square in the middle of the screen. Now, when you scroll through your feed, videos will automatically play in full-screen mode.
This is a major change for Instagram, as it is now offering users a more immersive experience. The company is trying to capitalize on the popularity of TikTok and other short-form video platforms. As we mentioned above, full-screen video content is on the rise, and this update puts Instagram ahead of the curve.
Instagram's modified feed formula, gives users two ways to view new postings. The "Favorites" and "Following" options are designed to deliver more of the content users want to see, faster.
Additionally, Instagram's new feed includes full-screen, vertical videos, offering a more immersive experience, which is a huge upgrade. Seeking to capitalize on TikTok's success, Instagram is hopping on the video bandwagon and more personalized content.
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