The Instagram Algorithm - Decoding and Understanding

Users were dissatisfied when Instagram launched its new feed algorithm, replacing the previous popular chronological feed system. The height of frustration can be well estimated from the fact that a petition, which called for the reversal of this change, earned around 70,000 signatories in merely 24 hours. People were angry, and they were curious at the same time. Users speculated on the basis on which the algorithm functioned. From these hypotheses stemmed several myths, which circulated within the public for around two years, before Instagram finally broke its silence and answered much anticipated questions. Following are three primary and then three secondary key factors which determine what individuals see on their feeds. Along with them are tips on how businesses may improve their interactions with targeted audiences:

1. Interest

This is an important discriminator between various posts. As the algorithm has several posts to choose from, it relies on the information it collected from you. The data is basically how you had reacted/interacted with similar posts in the past. If you liked something similar, the algorithm is programmed to make sure that you see more stuff like that on your feed. To be precise, this factor is all about engagement with the audience.

Tip: If you want your posts to be reaching many people, you need to make them more engaging and more compelling. Using the right colours and captions most often attract people. And as mentioned earlier, more the people like your posts, more they would see from you.

2. Recency

One thing that was clarified by Instagram was that the feed-system was not made exactly reverse chronological. While you may not see posts entirely based on when they were uploaded, recency is still a factor which plays its part. “Newer posts” are still “more likely” to appear.

Tip: This part requires some testing. What businesses may want to do is to see at what time users interact with their posts the most. That is the hour when businesses should be uploading their posts.

3. Relationship

While it may sound absurd, it is true that the Instagram algorithm tries to sense your relationship with the people you follow. You are more likely to see posts by your best friend than your casual friend, primarily because you and your best friend more frequently like, comment and share each other’s posts. With this, the program judges your closeness with people and attempts to show more of their posts to you.

Tip: Businesses may use Instagram Insights to see what types of posts are generally liked more by the public. Then based on this information, they may alter their posts and present them in fashions which are more likeable.

4. Frequency of Usage

Instagram has the ability to monitor how often its users come online. If you are in a habit of checking your feed around 5-6 times a day, it is highly likely that you come across more recent posts, as compared to a person who checks their app only once a day.

5. Number of People a User Follows

This is something simple. If you follow only a handful of people on Instagram, the algorithm would not have much information about you, and therefore it would not have the ability to determine what kind of posts you like, or with whom you have a stronger relationship. Thus, you may find updates from almost all of the people from your following list. On the other hand, if you follow a lot of people, then since the program would have collected considerable data from you, it is much more probable that you would find yourself looking at the things shared by only a handful of people.

6. Number of Hours Spent Online

This part basically deals with how long a person stays active on their social media. If you generally stay online for a short amount of time, the algorithm would record this information. So the next time you come online, the program would prioritize the posts, and show you the ones which are the most important first.

As aforementioned, several myths had also sprung up and had confused users regarding several Instagram practices. The social medium authorities debunked many of those when they spoke about the new algorithm. Below are some of the popular misconceptions and the rectifications Instagram made to these popular theories: