Instagram is the latest social media platform to announce it is adopting an algorithmic timeline.
Read more: The nitty gritty of what works for businesses on Instagram
In a blog post announcing the changes, Instagram said it is revamping its timeline because people, on average, miss about 70% of the photos and videos in their feeds.
“As Instagram has grown, it’s become harder to keep up with all the photos and videos people share,” the company said.
“This means you often don’t see the posts you might care about the most. To improve your experience, your feed will soon be ordered to show the moments we believe you will care about the most.”
Instagram said it will order the photos and videos in users’ feeds based on various factors, such as your relationship to the person and the timeliness of the post.
“As we begin, we’re focusing on optimising the order – all the posts will still be there, just in a different order,” Instagram said.
“We’re going to take time to get this right and listen to your feedback along the way.”
The algorithmic timeline will be rolled out in the coming months.
Social media expert Dionne Lew told SmartCompany businesses will have to wait and see to know exactly what this means for their Instagram accounts.
However, Lew says an algorithmic timeline reinforces the importance of brands forming relationships with people as “this is where the matching is going to occur”.
“We can expect constant change on platforms to be the new normal,” Lew says.
“Make sure you’re in the right channel for your audience, give them content they like and adds value … and whatever tweaks are made, you’re in a strong position to ride the tide.”
Broede Carmody is a former senior SmartCompany reporter. Before this, he was a co-editor of RMIT University’s student magazine Catalyst.
