Instagram Update: Instagram has just announced the return of the much-requested chronological feed and a shiny new feed experience called Favorites.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, explained why the company is making the move today:
“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.”
So, let’s learn more about this new Instagram feature now!
What Is The New Instagram Update?
Your Instagram feed will now consist of three view options as a result of this update:
- Home (main): The current default feed with rated and personalized content.
- Following: The chronological feed you know and want.
- Favorites: A second chronological feed with content filtered from a select group of accounts.
The Following feed is a throwback to Instagram’s early days, where you can see posts from individuals you follow in chronological order.
The Favorites feed will follow the same chronological order as the Following feed, but with a twist.
This feed will include content from up to 50 accounts that you select, such as your family or favorite creators.
Favorite accounts’ posts will also appear higher in your Home feed, giving them an extra visibility boost when you are scrolling.
It’s worth mentioning that the default Home feed will remain unchanged.
Mosseri claims that “It’s going to continue to be ranked. It’s going to continue to be personalized. We believe in personalization.” As a result, expect more suggested content (such as Reels) to appear.
With these new views, Instagram is definitely making a concerted effort to give users more choices over how they access and enjoy content on the site.
We’re looking forward to seeing what comes next.
NOTE: Tap the Instagram logo in the top left corner of the home page to access the additional feeds. If you haven’t seen them yet, be patient!
What Does This Mean for Instagram’s Future??
This is a significant shift for Instagram.
It’s no secret that TikTok is a major player in the industry and a direct competitor of Instagram.
For instance, among US-based Gen Z users, they’re officially more popular than Instagram.
This new update allows Instagram to distribute suggested content in the main feed (similar to TikTok’s For You Page), while still letting users see chronological feeds. For Mosseri and his staff, it’s a win scenario.
Creators and brands will be forced to rethink their content strategy as a result of the additional Instagram feeds.
Take Mahdi Woodard, who revealed how he plans to approach the new feed changes. Hint: treat each feed like it is a funnel:
Learn more about how to sell on Instagram here.
While Instagram is still extremely different from TikTok, we expect Instagram will add extra features to the platform in order to compete for users’ attention.
Stay tuned!