Backlash Over Instagram Changes

Change isn’t always better, and social media says especially when it comes to Instagram…
The internet was abuzz late in March when people got word that Instagram would be making a major change to the social network: curating the feed. Within moments of the news gaining traction, numerous accounts posted images under the hashtag #InstagramChanges requesting that their followers adjust their notification settings to ensure their posts would continue to appear.
The backlash to the rumor was swift and overwhelming. Social media posts and think pieces circulated the internet, all lamenting that Instagram was wrong to be making this fundamental shift, and saying they should instead abide by the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” philosophy. The source of the frenzy, according to The Guardian, was sparked by “one unknown ‘influencer’, who spurred others to follow suit like lemmings off a cliff, panicked by a change confirmed by the platform on 15 March.”
Instagram was forced to respond to the debacle, and issued a Tweet saying “We’re listening and we assure you nothing is changing with your feed right now. We promise to let you know when changes roll out broadly.” In addition to jumping the gun, many who were outraged by the rumor seemed to misunderstand the nature of the change itself. Unlike Facebook’s algorithm, Instagram’s won’t hide posts from your feed, it will simply re-order them so that the ones you are most likely to want to see—based on your past interactions—will be what appears first. As the platform explained it in a blog post:
“The order of photos and videos in your feed will be based on the likelihood you’ll be interested in the content, your relationship with the person posting and the timeliness of the post … If your favorite musician shares a video from last night’s concert, it will be waiting for you when you wake up, no matter how many accounts you follow or what time zone you live in. And when your best friend posts a photo of her new puppy, you won’t miss it.”
It’s an interesting phenomenon when the users of a social network feel they know more about what will work best for the platform than the people who designed it. We’ve seen this happen numerous times, such as when Twitter introduced ads and moments, and when Facebook introduced the timeline. Users seem to forget that they opt in to use a free service, and though they may benefit immensely from that service either commercially, professionally or personally, they don’t actually have any say over future changes to it.   
Instagram developers, of course, have masses of data that users don’t see, so while they may be making the change based on solid, data-driven grounds, users don’t see it that way. The criticism of the change have come from people who say that Instagram used to be “the great equalizer” of social media, where the quality of your pictures or your number of followers didn’t have an impact on whether or not your content got discovered. Many creators insist that this change will irrevocably change the platform’s unique offering: being a place where anyone can get traction.
While some users may have a sinister take on why Instagram is making this change—namely, to help brands and advertisers get more eyeballs on their content—the reality is that no one other than those on the inside of the network really knows if that’s the case. Social media platforms are ephemeral, both in terms of their content and their popularity. If they don’t adapt, make changes and respond to trends in how their users interact with the service, they’re bound to be eclipsed. While it remains to be seen if users will adapt and warm to the future of Instagram, it’s almost guaranteed that if the social network does nothing to remain relevant, they won’t still be around in a few years’ time.

What are your thoughts about the Instagram algorithms? Let us know on Twitter @VPS