(Image: Instagram/MargaretZhang)
Instagram announced earlier in the month that they would be rolling out a new feature – similar to Facebook – where it groups the images it thinks you want to see over and above (literally) the usual chronological order of images you usually see in your feed. So, in essence, like Facebook, you will be seeing the images that highlight the posts with the most interaction – aka popularity.
The new IG order is “based on the likelihood you’ll be interested in the content, your relationship with the person posting and the timeliness of the post,” according to a blog post from March 15 2016.
So what exactly does this mean for your profile? Essentially you’ll need to be more active and you’ll need an active network of followers who are invested in your pics and content. Just like FB, you’ll be seeing more branded content as brands are now going to be able to pay Instagram for top-of-screen placement, which means you and your friends’ posts will be pushed down below the popular posts.
While there’s no escaping the update, you can make sure to get the latest pic updates from your fave pages (like us, obvs!) by clicking “turn on notifications” (simply click on the three dots in the top right corner of a pic and you’ll be the first to know when a new pic has been posted).
If you haven’t seen or experienced this yet, that’s because IG is currently testing the new update out in small groups, and it will be weeks or even months before official changes are made. Nylon mag made a good point about the change: “You’re going to have to play Instagram at its own game and up your branding game of your profile. Farewell to spontaneous posts and hello to planned and curated feeds.”
If you really want to fight the new update, there is a Change.org petition you can sign, which is urging the ‘gram to keep the chronological order it currently has. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, eh?