Facebook, Twitter, and now Instagram…these social media services love to update their apps and websites to enhance the experience for their users. Usually these changes are well received, especially with Instagram. The app has revolutionized itself a few times by adding a plethora of new editing features, allowing users to upload videos, and even making it easier for users to see who follows who. However, the company learned this week that not every update is well-received.
Instagram announced on its blog that it is going to be changing the way users view their feeds. The feed has always been organized chronologically, with the most recent posts at the top. However, the company announced it is putting together an algorithm that will now place posts it believes you might find most interesting first. So, when your favorite celebrities post a picture from a night out, your best friend uploads a selfie, or your cousin puts up a family picture from the holidays, they will pop up at the top of your feed regardless of what has been posted at an earlier time.
The change is an attempt to help make sure users do not miss out on posts that Instagram expects you would enjoy the most just because of their timing. Yet many users are upset over the impending change as they have long enjoyed the simplicity of Instagram’s time-organized feed. Since many reactions to this news have been negative, Instagram announced that the change will be receptive to users’ opinions as it occurs in the app. In other words, you’ll be able to decide whether or not you want this feature on with your personal account.
As previously mentioned, this isn’t the first time that social media homepages have been changed. Facebook famously changed their feed to a timeline in 2011 that made it easier for users to go back and find posts and pictures that were uploaded long ago . While at first this change wasn’t well received, users have since adjusted and accepted the new interface. Twitter recently made a change similar to the one Instagram is announcing, as it highlights tweets you missed from the people that you follow “while you were away”. Twitter also received some backlash for this change, and thus made the feature optional with the ability to turn it on or off in your phone settings. As these apps constantly change the way they organize their feeds and how users interact within each , it proves that we are in an age where technology will always be adapting, growing, and moving with the time and with us.
Feature Image: Matt McGee Photo, Courtesy of Flickr URL
