Instagram’s Suggested Post will be expanded through your regular feed. This means that you will see recommended posts mixed throughout your primary feed that could result in scrolling to no end.
The test came after Instagram saw the success of the Suggested Post feature, which was introduced in 2018. Users will see posts from accounts that they don’t follow but might consider based on their common interest.
Instagram’ Suggested Post Feature
Currently, Instagram’s Suggested Posts shows up at the bottom of the app after you have scrolled through all of the content from the accounts that you follow. You will see the “You’re all caught up” message, thus signaling that you’ve reached the end of your primary feed and you can start going through the public accounts of other people.
Instagram understands that this change will be overwhelming, which is why aside from expanding the feature, it will also launch a snooze option to let users remove the Suggested Posts from their feed for 30 days, according to The Verge.
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If you’ve been chosen to participate in the test, you can offer your honest feedback, especially if a specific post does not interest you.
Instagram will only allow users to snooze the feature, but there is an option for them to disable the feature permanently.
Testing the Feature
A Facebook spokesperson told TechCrunch that the expansion of the Suggested Posts feature is the app’s way to help users discover new accounts that connect with those that may have the same interests as them. The algorithmic recommendation will be based on how you use the app.
The same spokesperson told Engadget that the test is a response to the positive feedback that they got about the quality of recommendations that the app has been delivering.
The spokesperson added that they know it will be difficult to tell how people really feel about this change as most users still lament the loss of the chronological feed.
The test will be given to a couple of users in English-speaking countries only. Instagram did not specify how many accounts will be involved in the test and which countries the feature will be rolled out to.
Since 2018, Instagram and its parent company Facebook have been introducing numerous tools to give its users more control over their online behavior.
The “You’re all caught up” message seen on Instagram is the company’s way of showing that they are aware of the public’s social media addiction.
Facebook’s competitor, TikTok, has a well-tuned endless algorithmic feed, thus enticing millions of loyal users. This is what Facebook wants to copy.
The new Suggested Posts feature a test for now, but mixing algorithmic suggestions into the primary feed with posts from the accounts that users already follow would be a massive change to how the app works.
If Instagram focuses on the suggested feed, users will be able to see less from the accounts that they are interested in.
The bottom line is, Instagram wants its users to pay more attention to what the app wants them to see, as this could keep people glued to their screen for hours. And while users scroll through their feed, the app can slide in as much ads as needed.
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Written by Sophie Webster
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