Previously, the home feed was dedicated to posts from accounts that users follow as well as ads, whereas recommended posts were located solely in the Explore tab
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Instagram is starting to roll out recommended posts directly into users’ home feeds, according to TechCrunch.
Previously, the home feed was dedicated to posts from accounts that users follow as well as ads, whereas recommended posts were located solely in the “Explore” tab. Now, Instagram users will start to see recommended posts alongside posts from friends and family. This update has several potential implications:
- It can deter users who prefer separate feeds. Some users already took to Twitter to denounce the new feature, with many saying they prefer recommended posts to be separated from their followers' posts. The move can push peeved users to other social apps, like Snapchat.
- Instagram wants users to follow more accounts.Earlier this month, Instagram rolled out the ability to follow hashtags, making posts, videos, and photos related to certain topics easier to discover. Posts related to followed hashtags will appear in users’ feed algorithmically, based on factors including recency and quality. Instagram hopes that letting users follow their interests will help keep user engagement high, thereby increasing advertising opportunities for brands.
- Recommended posts might transform the way users interact with content on their feeds.They could boost the visibility of posts on Instagram, for example. Instagram announced that 70% of Instagram posts weren’t seen in 2016 — the "recommended for you" section is one way to alleviate this issue.
- But engagement with posts in terms of likes might wane. Users may be less inclined to hit "like" when posts are more prominently visible to their friends. That could be ill perceived by brands, because likes are an important metric for user engagement.
BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has put together a report on social media demographics that highlights the key audience demographics for six major social platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. It also:
- Breaks down the reach of social platform audiences in terms of age, income, education, and gender.
- Examines how time spent and monthly users across major age brackets have changed in the past three years.
- Explores the preferences of US teens and young millennials, and how they're changing.
- Identifies the most important demographic changes that advertisers should monitor as social platforms continue to grow.
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