Yesterday they announced a change in the Instagram Algorithm:
Okay when I woke up to this news I was really disappointed. Why are they touching a running system? Instagram is my favorite Social Media Platform, because it shows me everything Chronological and not in the order some ‘AI‘ tells me to.
After I had my first coffee and thought a little bit more about it I kind of like the thought.
But first of all: Calm down!
Noone is going to mess up your beautifully arranged Account (at least not at this stage, you never know what may come in a few years). You can still schedule your Posts like you want, and you should.
So what is changing?
The Posts you can see from the users you follow will be re-arranged.
This is how I understand this: I frequently like and comment on the Pictures of XYZ – she has a really beautiful feed. Than there is ABC – I like what he is posting, thats why I follow him, but than I don’t really comment or ♥ on lot of his Pictures. This is your engagement rate with the other users. In Iconosquare you can see your average ‘Love Rate’ and ‘Talk Rate’.
The new Instagram Algorithm looks at these engagement Rates and prioritizes the Accounts with whom you engage more. You will see these in the beginning of the feed.
My Personal account is really small and I follow only a handfull of my Family and close Friends. They are not posting much, and I am really quick through the things they are uploading. So there is not really a big change here. I already see all of their posts. And since they are not following lots of others they will see all my posts.
Increased visibility for followers that really like my pics
Now lets have a look at my Art Account. I follow almost 1000 other Artist – imagine everyone of them posting the ideal number or 1 picture a day (ok ok, a few of them are really spammy with 3+ posts a day but we will use 1 post for my example) That makes a total of 1000+ new pictures each day. With the current chronological feed it is impossible for me to see all these Pictures. Right now you can see only the last 150 posts from the people you follow (no matter the quality and from whom) all the other things posted earlier are lost! I have my favorites and go over to their feed every once in a while to see what I have missed and like and comment on their Pictures.
With the new Instagram Algorithm the Program goes through those 1000+ Posts and makes a pre- selection according to my previous interaction. Not bad, or? And if I keep scrolling I still might be able to see all of the new things Posted – but who got time for that?
Increasing the lifespan of a post
i can’t remember the exact number but the average lifespan of an Instagram post ist a couple of hours. With the new algorithm the post will be longer visible for the people that count.
So before we break out in panic lets see what they come up with! Maybe it is a good thing after all. And we should never forget that this is a service we all can use for free!
I want to know your opinion about the new Instagram Algorithm. Did you sign the petition to stop it from happening, or do you look forward to it?
Thanks for sharing this great info.Sounds like an improvement to me!
Hej Sylvia, thank you for taking your time to comment on my Post. And glad it made it more clear for you.
Yes, it kind of is. At least for those Accounts who have a highly engaged audience 🙂
Thanks for the explanation. It was getting a little confusing. I thought I read somewhere that Instagram is not changing the algorithm anymore?
They said they are not Updating it right away. But I think this is coming sooner or later. Most people got confused because the Panic went viral. Now everyone has time to read and think more about it, and than we are all calmed down and know more about all this when it actually comes.
Great analysis! I hadn’t thought about this point – “With the new algorithm the post will be longer visible for the people that count.” If the new algorithm can extend the life of posts – especially to the right audience, it could be a really great thing.
Thank you Rick.
Yes I found that not many really think it through. They just jump onto the Panic-Bandwagon without getting all the information. Glad my post gave you some points to think about.
Hello! I’m an artist on Instagram, I hope one day it will help me earn some money. For this reason, changing the chronological order could jeperdise my chances of earning anything! If my post containing info/advertising for commissions is pushed to the bottom it could not be seen and I wouldn’t make any money. This is especially bad for those companies/individuals who RELY on their followers! This is why most people disagree with the changes ~ siykey
Hej Siykey thank you for reading this and taking your time to comment. It has still to prove how this will affect us in the long run. I too depend on Instagram. And this change will definately mean more work for us – maintaining an attractive Instagram feed and engaging with other Instagrammers.