I use is sparingly but it seems like after the last change my feed is like 1:1 accounts I don't follow and accounts I do. And the accounts I don't follow are almost always super influencer types trying to sell you on something.
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Instagram decided it does not want to be Instagram anymore
- Thread starter Infinity Times Two
- Start date
Have you tried the "following" feed one because that is basically Instagram "classic". Any videos you see there is the people you follow and usually I don't see any "ad" posts there either.
It's such a bummer what's happening to the app. So much content I have no interest in, an increasing number of ads - it's like they're actively trying to push me away.
I've never once clicked on the shopping part of it, yet it seems to be a core part of the app now.
Most of the time when I open the app, the first item in my feed is now an ad. It's grim
I've never once clicked on the shopping part of it, yet it seems to be a core part of the app now.
Most of the time when I open the app, the first item in my feed is now an ad. It's grim
This is going to be controversal, but the most recent big overhall to Twitter's website (from 2020) was a nice improvement in my mind. They made it a lot easier to switch between accounts, they moved where drafts/unsent tweets went, they changed button placement to be more intuitive, and assuming you are running an adblock, it doesn't do the "your friend liked this" or "suggested for you" anymore. It also doesn't constantly try to switch you back to the curated timeline- once you press the big button to go chronological, it doesn't switch you back.
Granted, the redesign was HORRENDUS for using the app on phones, where Adblock doesn't work as well to fix a lot of the issues and it is always trying to get you to switch to the bad timeline, but this one stuck out to me as the only time I actually found a redesign to be an improvement over what was there before....
Yes, I go between both "Following" and "Favorites." Problem is, Instagram won't let either be my default view. If I close the app and come back, I'm in the default feed. This is on Android, if that matters. That seems like a minor problem, but it's absolutely tedious, which I would wager is why they have it set up that way.
This is why markets saturated with powerful oligopolies suck: nearly every behemoth becomes reactionary and stagnant, desperately trying to cling to their position of power rather than innovate. Because there are so few (or zero in many cases) middle tier competitors, there is an endless game of behemoths copying/reacting and/or just buying up any and every start-up offering any semblance of a good idea (half baked or otherwise).
Something in this country needs to be done regarding regulations around mergers and acquisitions, as well as anti-trust law. Every industry is devolving into this paradigm where products/services actively devolve over time to suit shareholders' and executives' needs over that of the customer / user. It's almost like the the competitive market is no longer competitive, instead catering to the neo-feudalistic needs of a new landed gentry via a rentier economy.
Fucking reels have ruined IG, and has me ready to delete the fucking thing. I've made some great friends on that app, but now instead of seeing my friends' content and stuff relating to that, they are pushing viral videos on me in suggested posts every 3 fucking posts. Absolute shit show, and my wife's marketing company trying to adjust to the changes in the algorithm has been a challenge.
As for "just click following to clean your feed". Doesn't matter. There are still so many sponsored and suggested posts that it's a shit show.
As for "just click following to clean your feed". Doesn't matter. There are still so many sponsored and suggested posts that it's a shit show.
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This is probably a sound business decision. At the end of the day the business guys at Insta don't give two shits about what your thinking brain wants to see, they care about what you lizard brain actually clicks on.
Product design is often a constant battle between making a product that is good, and making a product that makes money, and seldom is a company unwilling to sacrifice quality for profits.
Product design is often a constant battle between making a product that is good, and making a product that makes money, and seldom is a company unwilling to sacrifice quality for profits.
Yeah, this is something that happens time and time again. When you work in design, you learn quickly that what people say and what people actually do are often totally separate.
I basically only use stories on IG nowadays since thats where my friends are posting. Most people I know dont post photos or videos outside of stories and I got tired of snoozing suggestions in my feed.
I thought about making a thread about how the internet is just going down hill. Site's are becoming less user friendly by the year. Now everything want you to log in to view content, and YouTube search doesn't feel the same. I get random, clickbait videos in my searches. Even Reddit forces you to log in on mobile.
The number of suggested videos from nobody basketball accounts just because I follow House of Highlights is embarrassing.
I just want to see vacation and sandwich photos from my friends, and they're forcing me to exclusively use stories to do that.
I just want to see vacation and sandwich photos from my friends, and they're forcing me to exclusively use stories to do that.
Most people only use stories..... well because you are forcing people to watch them, it's just making the data skewed
Nearly half of Gen Z is using TikTok and Instagram for search instead of Google, according to Google's own data
Nearly half of Gen Z is using TikTok and Instagram for search instead of Google, according to Google's own data
A Google executive said the company's data shows TikTok and Instagram are a threat to Google Search with Gen Z, and Google is working to keep up.
www.businessinsider.in
Yeah, they just want to compete with TikTok but don't know if it's possible. Seems like the internet landscape is going through some changes.
There is truth to this. But I do often wonder at what point solid adherence to data trends becomes myopic. Because we've been here before. Friendster, Myspace, Facebook, Snapchat, Vine, even Tumblr to a degree (because Tumblr was going downhill well before the adult content ban, that was just the final nail). All these platforms had their moments of crash, and I bet you all of their execs would say the same thing: We were following data trends!
At what point do you listen to what users are saying, versus what analytics tells you they're doing? Because, if you never do that, if you never listen to the user because you're so sure you know what they really want; you basically set yourself up to have your lunch eaten.
Yeah, its crazy how all the socials now just decide- fuck your feed, fuck your friends/likes/favorites- we are going to show you virtually nothing but ads and "amusing" vids of randoms you don't know. Only Twitter mostly still is what its always been (its usual cesspool self, lol)
and twitter lets you block accounts that serve you up ads. I take pleasure in blocking each and every one
Companies of this scale spend a lot of resources on user research and building products that users want. Thats part of the data. Its always tricky to balance actual numbers against qualitative opinions though and sometimes they do mess up.
I'd also argue that those other companies crashed simply because they weren't able to monetize. Unfortunately, money is the most important metric used to validate decisions. Facebook isn't cool anymore but I think its still their biggest money maker due to their insane user base.
Personally I think big tech companies now spend too much time listening to users, which is why it feels like these companies aren't innovating and just chasing trends. Except for the whole Metaverse thing. I dont know if theres any consumer demand for it but they sure are trying to make it happen.
I absolutely despise Instagram as an artist so this doesn't even surprise me
For any artists looking for a place to post their art that is catered to that demographic, artfold is pretty good used for a little bit only downside is that is still only mobile app (for now, they are working on a desktop version) and that there still not that much people on it but that is also a big reason to promote it more.
For any artists looking for a place to post their art that is catered to that demographic, artfold is pretty good used for a little bit only downside is that is still only mobile app (for now, they are working on a desktop version) and that there still not that much people on it but that is also a big reason to promote it more.
I enjoy seeing random reels of animals being cute/funny
Don't really have many friends that post much and those that do mostly use stories so I just watch those every so often.
But it's ridiculous how much crap I don't care about gets in my food that I scroll right by.
Don't really have many friends that post much and those that do mostly use stories so I just watch those every so often.
But it's ridiculous how much crap I don't care about gets in my food that I scroll right by.
People complaining that they keep seeing things from people they don't know are helping making the platform WORSE not better.
Instagram has terrible discoverability. For small accounts trying to grow, reels are the only way to reach new people.
Now, if you are getting reels that are part of niches you don't care about, and that annoys then understandable.
There should definitely be a good balance though from seeing friends posts and stranger posts that relate to your interests. It should also be from people you don't know who do not have large accounts. Making the popular more popular isn't going to help the app long term.
I am one of the people who ended up walking away from Instagram but not because I felt like it was impossible to grow, but because it did not line up with my goals.
People really need to stop putting all the blame on the app for their failures. If you are struggling, at least 50% of it is your fault and for a lot of people, that is a hard pill to swallow but it's true dude. True as true.
The app also needs to keep changing and experimenting to stay alive. It couldn't keep staying the way it used to be forever. Meta is not full of idiots like people want to assume who have no idea what they are doing.
It's a pretty ambitious company that really likes to dream big and have big goals. I mean hey I don't like Meta either but it's probably not a good idea to underestimate their intelligence.
Instagram has terrible discoverability. For small accounts trying to grow, reels are the only way to reach new people.
Now, if you are getting reels that are part of niches you don't care about, and that annoys then understandable.
There should definitely be a good balance though from seeing friends posts and stranger posts that relate to your interests. It should also be from people you don't know who do not have large accounts. Making the popular more popular isn't going to help the app long term.
I am one of the people who ended up walking away from Instagram but not because I felt like it was impossible to grow, but because it did not line up with my goals.
People really need to stop putting all the blame on the app for their failures. If you are struggling, at least 50% of it is your fault and for a lot of people, that is a hard pill to swallow but it's true dude. True as true.
The app also needs to keep changing and experimenting to stay alive. It couldn't keep staying the way it used to be forever. Meta is not full of idiots like people want to assume who have no idea what they are doing.
It's a pretty ambitious company that really likes to dream big and have big goals. I mean hey I don't like Meta either but it's probably not a good idea to underestimate their intelligence.
Instagram stories has been a great copycat of Snapchat to be honest, people use it a lot nowadays and it's a great value add to the timeline pictures, because face it we have a lot of daily activities that are not interesting enough for a timeline picture, that can still generate discussions and likes.
Reels though is such a poor version of TikTok. It has no saving grace. Every now and then I'm scrolling and thinking wow all of these videos suck, what happened, before realizing I had been on Instagram instead of TikTok. My wife uses it quite a bit because she doesn't have TikTok, but that's literally the only use case, and I doubt Instagram is going to be able to buck the tide with that.
Reels though is such a poor version of TikTok. It has no saving grace. Every now and then I'm scrolling and thinking wow all of these videos suck, what happened, before realizing I had been on Instagram instead of TikTok. My wife uses it quite a bit because she doesn't have TikTok, but that's literally the only use case, and I doubt Instagram is going to be able to buck the tide with that.
You're coming it at two different angles; there's a difference between someone who used a specific app for years as as an end user vs a content creator.
I can imagine these changes put lots of possibilities as a content creator because its more way to create content and the more random aspect makes it easier to connect.
For someone like me who used it for going through images, keeping in touch with dj's/nightlife/entertainment folk of what's happening in my city chronologically to see where to party hop its unusable now.
What's the use of it being good for content creator if the end users find it shitty and focus on another platform. Like for me, im on Tik Tok because Insta already killed my primary reason for going there so why sign in, so while random videoclips aren't 100% my bag if im bored that app serves it much better.
It's so baffling to me they are just doubling down even when their biggest stars/users saying they hate it.
It's unusable on phone unless you switch to the chronological order feed (which doesn't have reels/recommendations!) but even on phone it still kinda sucks so I just use desktop instead. But they just make it worse and worse. The desktop version got a night mode a few months ago, but it only lasted for like a month total and now it's gone again for some reason. No idea what they are doing.
It's unusable on phone unless you switch to the chronological order feed (which doesn't have reels/recommendations!) but even on phone it still kinda sucks so I just use desktop instead. But they just make it worse and worse. The desktop version got a night mode a few months ago, but it only lasted for like a month total and now it's gone again for some reason. No idea what they are doing.
Facebook will be going through similar changes. Your Facebook Home Feed will now show more random videos from strangers. Again, all in an effort to take eyes off TikTok.
www.npr.org
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View: https://twitter.com/mosseri/status/1551890839584088065?s=20&t=nnqpFSXtvmZYU7EeHPhQZg
Facebook is making radical changes to keep up with TikTok
Facebook is overhauling its flagship app and Instagram to be more like the video platform that's so popular with Gen Z. Some people, like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, say it's trying too hard.
www.npr.org
--
Facebook says posts from friends and family are still going to be prominently featured in its apps.
In a new video responding to users' concerns on Tuesday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the company isn't getting rid of what people love.
"But we're also gonna need to evolve, because the world is changing quickly, and we're gonna have to change along with it," he said.
In a new video responding to users' concerns on Tuesday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the company isn't getting rid of what people love.
"But we're also gonna need to evolve, because the world is changing quickly, and we're gonna have to change along with it," he said.
View: https://twitter.com/mosseri/status/1551890839584088065?s=20&t=nnqpFSXtvmZYU7EeHPhQZg
Agreed. Going back to banning stock buybacks would be an incredible step. Preventing companies from just buying their own stock to prop themselves up would be hugely beneficial. To meet their endless growth they would have to actually do something to generate profit vs a situation where they took the COVID bailouts and just paid out bonuses to their execs and buy back their own stocks.
Insta was so nice as a place for creative people, showing their art and photography. I've connected with a lot of people using it, and used it as my only media outlet for my own work for several years, but it has become increasingly painful to wade through all the crap that is rammed down your throat. The engagement to what I post has halved in the past year, and I know I see less of what I want to see as I'm wading through a sea of crap a lot of the time. So many people have had their accounts hacked as well, and it's crazy hard to get them back, which is terrible.
I wish there was somewhere else we (photographers, artists etc) could go, but there is nothing I know of.
I wish there was somewhere else we (photographers, artists etc) could go, but there is nothing I know of.
I hate all the changes they've made. I have a photography page (mostly just a hobby) on Instagram and for a while I was seeing some steady growth and getting some decent feedback. Then they changed it and it became all about reels and videos etc. I couldn't keep up with that nonsense and my page basically died a horrible death lol. It sucks. I enjoyed sharing my photos and seeing peoples reactions. Now, I just don't have it in me to keep up with their ever changing algorithms or make a new page on Twitter or wherever 🤷🏻‍♂️
Edit: I feel your pain Dogstar ^
Edit: I feel your pain Dogstar ^
Facebook will be going through similar changes. Your Facebook Home Feed will now show more random videos from strangers. Again, all in an effort to take eyes off TikTok.
Facebook is making radical changes to keep up with TikTok
Facebook is overhauling its flagship app and Instagram to be more like the video platform that's so popular with Gen Z. Some people, like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, say it's trying too hard.
--
Facebook says posts from friends and family are still going to be prominently featured in its apps.In a new video responding to users' concerns on Tuesday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the company isn't getting rid of what people love."But we're also gonna need to evolve, because the world is changing quickly, and we're gonna have to change along with it," he said.
View: https://twitter.com/mosseri/status/1551890839584088065?s=20&t=nnqpFSXtvmZYU7EeHPhQZg
Makes it easier to inject far-right content to facebook users.
I feel lucky my instagram feed is mostly the content I want to see. Though I'm also picky about who I follow and what I like, so I mostly just see very similar content.
But I don't go to instagram for tiktok content, I go to tiktok for that.
But I don't go to instagram for tiktok content, I go to tiktok for that.
Right now?
Post short form content as reels, like behind the scenes stuff or stuff about your pet.
Create long form videos utilizing your interests and skills in photography and hashtag and tag when appropriate.
Curate the people you follow.
Still post your photos, but know that that's not the #1 way you'll be discovered unless you're a "hot" influencer.
I had to turn off notifications in general to be rid of that crap.
I don't think I've ever heard anyone complain about Instagram's UI before but they just keep changing it for some reason.
