The average Instagram user misses 70 percent of what's in their feed, including great photos with tons of Likes and posts by their best friends. So today..
Yet another reverse chronological feed will soon be ruled by an algorithm.
This article states that people miss up to 70% of the posts in their feed, and it’s true, I feel like I miss my friends posts all the time. I have found Twitter’s ‘While You Were Away’ feature helpful most times, because much like my Instagram feed, I don’t want to miss my friends’ posts, but they’re often greatly outnumbered by posts from other accounts. I may follow more brands, thought influencers, celebrities, and organizations than people I know personally, but this is an instance where quality of the relationships trumps quantity.
However, I’m worried about what makes a “good” post “good,” aside from having liked similar posts before. Is Instagram monitoring photo quality and captions? It’s all so subjective, and may leave out more avant-garde Insta posts.
To make sure this algorithm doesn’t result in an endless feedback loop which locks you out of passively discovering new content a la Facebook, I think Instagram should counter this change with suggested posts. These would not be promoted posts, but rather suggestions based on accounts and pictures you follow and like, much like Tumblr’s model.
Okay Instagram algorithm, we’re all watching you.