Instagram Now Inserts Recommended Posts to Users' Main Feeds
Instagram is now currently rolling out an update that adds "Recommended for You" entries to users' main feeds. The new feature inserts posts from sources that the platform thinks a user may like, based on user history.
It's a feature that Instagram has quietly slipped in, as well, with the platform just acknowledging its existence with a brief explanation on their updated help page.
"When scrolling through Feed, you may see posts that are Recommended for You. These posts are suggested based on posts liked by accounts you follow," Instagram explains, adding that users can temporarily hide these posts by tapping the triple dot menu and then "Hide."
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The previous versions of Instagram would offer recommended content in a separate Explore section before this update, as Tech Crunch pointed out. It's another way that Instagram is slipping in content from outside sources, aside from their switch to automatic feeds and the addition of ads.
Previously, users will only see posts from the people and Instagram accounts they follow. These new changes make it similar to Facebook's main feed, especially with Instagram now letting users follow hashtags.
Instagram has come up with a different approach than Facebook for their "Recommended for You" posts, putting these selected entries at the end of the current feed to appear after all the posts from the sources the user follows.
Even then, the new feature has been met with mixed reception from fans.
"Why does @instagram insist on showing me photos of "recommended" people on my feed? I don't care. I wanna see pictures from people I actually follow, and chronologically at that!" one user noted on Twitter.
Instagram does confirm that the new feature is currently rolling out for both iOS and Android versions of the app starting Thursday, Dec. 28; although the social media platform did not specify how long the roll-out would take.
