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- Ever since Instagram changed to a ranked feed in 2016 users have been crying out for a return to chronological.
- This week, it has finally happened.
- Read more news about social media here.
Let me take you back in time to a place when Instagram accounts like “Celebrities Eating Things” were blowing up the internet and hashtags like #JustinDeactivatedParty went wild when The Biebs threw a tantrum and quit Instagram.
The year is 2016, while we were all enjoying the aforementioned items as well moments like Evander Kane’s girlfriend taking to Instagram to put him on blast for allegedly cheating on her.
Hmmm, apparently, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Anyhoo, one thing that most definitely changed in 2016 with regard to Instagram was the company’s brilliant idea to change everyone’s feed from reverse chronological order to some sort of mysterious ranked feed.
Back then, Instagram claimed, “We know from research that people have a better experience on Instagram with a ranked feed, so we won’t be defaulting people into a chronological feed.”
O RLY?
Because on Wednesday, after six grueling years, Instagram has, whoops, changed its mind. Kind of.
Instagram has finally realized that some (most) people prefer a chronological feed
“Today, we’re introducing Favorites and Following, two new ways to choose what you see in your feed,” Instagram said on Meta’s website.
“Favorites shows you the latest from accounts that you choose, like your best friends and favorite creators. In addition to this view, posts from accounts in Favorites will also show up higher in your home feed.
“Following shows you posts from the people you follow. Both Favorites and Following will show you posts in chronological order, so you can quickly catch up on recent posts.”
To use Favorites and Following, tap on Instagram in the top left corner of your home page to choose what you see.
Use Favorites to see the most recent posts from the accounts you’ve added to your favorites list. You can add up to 50 accounts to your list, and make changes to this list at any time — people are not notified when they are added or removed. Posts from accounts on your favorites list will also show up higher in your home feed, as shown by a star icon.
“We’re always working on new ways to improve your Instagram experience,” the company added. “We’ll continue to build features like Favorites and Following to give you more choice and control over what you see, and help make the time you spend on the app feel more intentional.”
Only took ’em six years.
https://twitter.com/jesshsr/status/1506653001745940486Was always the wrong solution to the "problem". If you have too much content in your feed that you don't like, unfollow them!
— Michael Konen (@themichaelkonen) March 23, 2022
Finally something that makes sense
— Dare (He/Him/His) (@NaMeBeDre) March 23, 2022
@Twitter learn about it... too
— Ed. F (@CnlsDodaha) March 23, 2022
Indeed.
Of course, there’s always one.
One thing I feel so strongly and sure about is that people will actually HATE going back to a chronological Instagram feed https://t.co/o56iabHMyf
— Katie Notopoulos (@katienotopoulos) March 23, 2022
Crap.