Lifestyle

The Instagram update that everyone is not happy about

Algorithm versus content

30.03.2016

By Rachel Au

The Instagram update that everyone is not happy about

Change is not always good and there’s the saying that if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Over the past few days, you may have noticed several Instagram posts asking you to ‘Turn on notifications’ on your feed—especially by celebrities and businesses. ICYMI, Instagram recently announced that it may soon change its algorithms where users’ feeds will show according to their interests (or what the system thinks they’re interested in based on engagement) instead of chronologically. 

 

A photo posted by Elena Cresci (@elenacresci) on

 

Kind of like Facebook. And so far, almost everyone is unhappy with it. The change is however imminent since the photo-sharing app is owned by Facebook but for some reason, the Internet was suddenly in a frenzy, asking their followers to ‘Turn on notifications’. Listen: You don’t have to—not yet. The update will take time to undergo proper testing and so will the rollout, and you will be informed of when that happens. 

 

As Instagram’s co-founder CEO Kevin Systrom told The Times, “It’s not like people will wake up tomorrow and have a different Instagram.” The good thing about the slight panic attack on Instagram is that the company itself has taken notice of it.

 

 

Before you do opt to ‘Turn on notifications’, ask yourself this: Do you really want to have your phone buzzing every time Taylor Swift post a picture of her cats or when Victoria Beckham snaps an aww-worthy moment of her husband? Those are bad examples (of course, you wouldn’t want to miss a post about David Beckham) but consider all those extra pings on top of your WhatsApp and Facebook notifications—among many others. 

 

 

On the other side of the debate, there are popular Instagrammers who aren’t encouraging it simply because they believe in good content. When you post such pictures or captions, people will automatically hit the heart button or leave a comment. And that sounds like a more sensible challenge for the creative minds. 

 

 

What do you think about the upcoming #instagramchanges? 

 

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