Home Articles Instagram ‘Favourites’ will allow users to prioritise accounts in their feed
KEY STORY
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Facebook-owned Instagram is working on a feature — Favourites — for its iOS app, which will allow users to set a priority to accounts that will appear further up the feed, making them more likely to be seen.
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Currently, Instagram users have to rely on Facebook’s algorithm to determine which images are seen first, reports AppleInsider.
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While the algorithm relies on many factors, including how popular a post is in general and how often the user interacts with a particular account, this can potentially lead to users missing out on must-see content on accounts they rarely check, the report said.
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In an examination of the app, mobile developer Alessandro Paluzzi posted to Twitter about a “Favourites” feature, which would allow users to denote specific accounts as their favorite.
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Any accounts set as a favourite will appear higher in the feed, regardless of their popularity or other signals used by the algorithm.
CONCLUSION
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While users are creating a list, only they will be able to see who is on it, as it is an account-specific list that isn’t shared with others.
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A screenshot also indicates people who are included or removed from a user’s favorites list won’t be informed of their presence or removal.
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Instagram is in the midst of major changes, as it evolves from a photo-sharing site to a social platform that’s closer to TikTok. It has also requested user dates of birth in preparation for introducing more child safety measures.