Technology
Rogue Instagram update puts posts from people you DON’T follow ahead of your friends and family
INSTAGRAM is trialling putting ‘suggested posts’ ahead of new content from the people you actually follow.
The test will involve mixing posts from accounts the Instagram algorithm thinks you’d like among content from your friends and family.
Instagram will also test the ability to hide suggested posts for 30 days[/caption]
Suggested posts usually appear at the end of your Instagram feed when you’ve finished scrolling through content from accounts you follow.
Instagram rolled out the feature last year and the change wasn’t met with as much backlash as other new features.
Some users are still reeling from the feed no longer being in chronological order.
However, Instagram has said the suggested posts feature has received such a positive reaction that it wants to trial making it more prominent on feeds.
Users who take part in the test can also use the ‘Manage Interests’ feature[/caption]
It’s also testing new controls that will allow you to say the kind of things you want to see in your suggested posts.
This will come in the form of a ‘Manage Interests’ section.
Here you’ll be able to select any specific topics you’d like to see more of.
If you don’t want to see any suggested posts there will also be a way to turn off the feature for 30 days.
Instagram will only be testing the update on a small number of users.
It’s unclear how it will choose which users will get to be part of the trial.
Instagram – the key facts
Here’s what you need to know…
- Instagram is a social network for sharing photos and videos
- It was created back in October 2010 as an iPhone-exclusive app
- A separate version for Android devices was released 18 months later
- The app rose to popularity thanks to its filters system, which lets you quickly edit your photos with cool effects
- When it first launched, users could only post square 1:1 ratio images, but that rule was changed in 2015
- In 2012, Facebook bought Instagram for $1billion in cash and stock
- In 2018, some analysts believe the app is worth closer to $100billion
- In October 2015, Instagram confirmed that more than 40billion photos had been uploaded to the app
- And in 2018, Instagram revealed that more than a billion people were using the app every month
Most read in Phones & Gadgets
In other news, Microsoft has revealed its highly anticipated Windows 11 software.
Instagram is making it easier for you to publicly display your pronouns on your profile.
And, Facebook is facing backlash in the US over plans to create a version of Instagram for children under 13.
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