Once upon a time the chronology of your Instagram feed was linear; the newest posts sat at the top and they got older as you scrolled. By and large everything in the Instagram world was well.
Then the big bad Facebook algorithm arrived and darkness descended upon the app. Suddenly the top of our feeds invited us to events or previewed sporting events that actually happened five days ago. This made Instagram users sad.
Now Instagram is attempting to turn those frowns upside down by introducing changes to ensure you see posts in a timely fashion.
The changes, which are based on feedback, will ensure newer posts are more likely to appear first.
Related: Instagram’s ‘Regram’ feature explained
In a blog post the firm writes: “With these changes, your feed will feel more fresh, and you won’t miss the moments you care about. So if your best friend shares a selfie from her vacation in Australia, it will be waiting for you when you wake up.”
This doesn’t mean the algorithms are going away completely, but it seems Instagram is dialling back the collation in favour of a more organic ordering of content.
This isn’t the only change designed to give users more control over what they see.
Instagram is dropping the automatic feed refreshes that have bumped people to the top when they duck in and out of the app.
Thanks to a ‘New Posts’ button, users will be able to choose when their feed refreshes rather than having it forced upon them.
“Tap the button and you’ll be taken to new posts at the top of feed — don’t tap, and you’ll stay where you are. We hope this makes browsing Instagram much more enjoyable,” the post reads.
The update isn’t showing in our Instagram app yet. Are you seeing it? Share your early impressions with us @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
