In case you didn't know.....Instagram is initiating a change to the way you see your feed. No longer will you open the app and see posts in chronological order. You'll now see posts that are catered to your viewing habits, or catered to what Instagram has extrapolated what your viewing habits are. This has caused a huge uproar, there was a petition and even a boycott......but I'm here to tell you that I don't really mind the algorithm change, and here is why:
Instagram is a business
Instagram is not just some free app for the masses to use and lap up....it is a business. There are more and more ads running and more and more businesses (both big and small) are using Instagram to advertise. I've heard the term 'strong armed' thrown around about how this algorithm is forcing small businesses to have to pay for exposure on Instagram. This was in comparison to how your page on Facebook will get little exposure if you don't pay for it. As far as I know, the problem with that was the page wasn't as engaging as someone's family feed, or a group. A group is way more engaging because that is the main goal of a group. (ps. I'll never create a group on Facebook, too much work!) I don't know how far this will go, but Instagram will do what it needs to in order to bring in that cash money. Instagram knows how you interact with what makes it the most money....so it will move confidently in that direction.
It will force us to be more engaging
The way your photos will be seen, from my understanding, is the interaction a user has with your feed influences your feed's presence on their timeline (I'm using timeline for lack of a better word). So this will force you as an Instagram user - whether for business or pleasure - to take better pictures, use better hashtags, offer better content than a picture of your coffee and the heart eyes emoji. You'll need to use your feed to engage with users. You'll have to step up your Instgarm game and use it as a source to provide quality content, just just as a social media outlet to promote your other endeavors. I'm excited - to me it's like micro-blogging, and I totally just made that up. I've already started to offer supplemental content to my main outlets (blog/etsy/youtube) as well as unique content created just for my feed.
Technology is always evolving
Remember when we petitioned Facebook to remove is from our statuses? And that was like the best thing ever! Remember when people wrote notes on Facebook and now it's like what is that even for? Remember when Twitter didn't have that little header image? Remember when YouTube used to change where the info bar was? I totally remember people saying info in the side bar way back in the mid 2000's. Guess what, times change. And we'll continue to live long after the algorithm changes. And if it sucks, someone will invent something way better and we'll all move over to that platform. Remember when we all left MySpace for Facebook? There are people, with Facebook profiles that have never, ever had (or maybe even heard of) MySpace. So yeah, things change man.
I used to think that after Facebook there would be nothing else. But now I find myself being super social on Instagram. And now I think that Instagram is the end all to the social platforms. But in a few years we'll all be flocking to the newest craze. I just hope it's not Periscope...because I really don't get Periscope.
If you're feeling jazzy, why not follow me on Instagram? I'm @fivesixteenths. I'm not going to ask you to turn on post notifications though, because no one wants their phone going off a zillion times a minute with all the accounts they follow.
How do you feel about the change? Do you care?
xoxo, Moe
Loved your post on the changes. As you said, we'll adapt by hook or crook and then, just as we get frustrated, something new will come along and we'll all move to it. I guess I'll have to check out the changes.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't use IG for business or to promote my blog, I didn't like the idea of them choosing what I wanted to see. But reading your post I do have a better understanding and appreciation for the decision. As they say, 'it's just business'
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't get Periscope either. I much prefer Youtube. I did watch a Periscope video after it was uploaded to Youtube and thought it was absolutely distracting. The person doing the video kept interrupting what she was trying to talk about with feeling the need to welcome everyone who logged in or shouting out answers to random things viewers were posting like, "I love you too" "yes, hi there, I see you". All it did was crush the forward momentum of the video. Plus, I can rarely attend something in real time. Give me YT anyday!