#RIPInstagram? Change is Coming

In case you missed it, last night Instagram stealthily announced it would soon be switching over to an algorithm-defined feed. That’s correct, your feed will soon work like Facebook.

Instagram isn’t the first social platform to follow suit, last month Twitter announced it too would be showing the most popular posts first – though this currently is an optional function. For those of you who have been involved with social media since its inception, you know that most newsfeeds were developed to show content in reverse chronological order. But today, the nature of newsfeeds across nearly all platforms is changing – now they are primarily defined by formulas.

“You may be surprised to learn that people miss on average 70 percent of their feeds. As Instagram has grown, it’s become harder to keep up with all the photos and videos people share. This means you often don’t see the posts you might care about the most.” – via Instagram

When Twitter announced its algorithm plans, #RIPTwitter was tweeted over 1 million times in one weekend. Will Instagram receive the same backlash from its community? Perhaps. But Instagram certainly seems to be approaching this change with caution, letting users know they are “going to take time to get this right and listen to your feedback along the way.”

Instagram’s decision to introduce an algorithmic feed was almost inevitable. Knowing that this service, home to more than 400 million users, is owned by Facebook, one can only guess what will happen to a brand’s organic reach on the platform. Will Instagram become the next platform that heavily sees brands “paying to play?” Organic reach on Facebook may not be completely dead, but we’ve all seen how big of a role Facebook Advertising has started to play in a brand’s success on social media – only time will tell if Instagram is going to be the same.

So when can you expect your Instagram feed to start showing posts based on a new algorithm? Probably within the next few months – but don’t worry, by keeping up with the Ferocious Media social media team, you’ll be the first to know when it does.

Here at Ferocious Media, our expert social media analysts are constantly monitoring updates on the latest platform changes and can provide a solution for your brand that gives you the most exposure for your business. For more information about our social media marketing services, give us a call at (800) 454-9103.