The Instagram Algorithm Update: Explained
If you’ve been on Instagram lately, you’ve probably noticed at least one of the super popular celebrities on Instagram posting the following: Instagram is changing its current chronologically organized theme, instead using an algorithm to decide what’s most relevant to show you. Instagram confirmed this via their blog, clarifying that all the content should be there, just in a different order.
So what does this mean for you?
If you're super concerned you can always turn on notifications for certain people. However, you don’t need to worry quite yet.
The changes that you’ve been worrying about won't be anything you will notice during this school year.
An Instagram spokesperson explained the changes to the NYTimes.
“Despite the rumors, no feed changes are being implemented right now—we still have weeks, or even months, of testing to go… Currently the test groups are very small. When we roll it out broadly, we will definitely let the community know.”
Additionally, there have been a number of new updates by the social media platform, including allowing for multiple accounts (hooray for your finsta!) and allowing for longer video clips (your weekly Smokes' closing song video is about to go viral).
Snapchat Gets Like, Annoying
Snapchat is also hopping on the bandwagon for a change. The huge update, released on March 29th, includes audio and video calling, so you and your side hoe can have entire conversations via Snapchat with virtually no evidence of it—#bless. However, as a friend pointed out to me one day last week, the story function of the app has now introduced auto–advance stories.
If you follow a bunch of random celebrities, or that girl from your freshman hall who posts 180 second stories whenever she gets drunk, this can be hella annoying.
On Snapchat’s blog, they explained it as the following:
“We’re also introducing Auto–Advance Stories, the fastest way to catch up with your friends. When you finish a Story, the next one begins automatically—simply swipe to skip ahead, or pull down to exit!”
Auto advance stories are also adding a stress to everyone who likes to slyly keep tabs on their ex or send a covert message that you're ignoring via snap story. It's all too easy to continue from Kylie Jenner to that girl you've been low key snap story stalking. Why they're branding this as a positive thing, we have no idea. We’re relying on the swipe–to–skip–ahead feature, as there is no way we are watching you drunkenly sing Beyoncé for the third time this week. Readers, be warned.
