Recently Instagram has been in a lot of hot water for too many unwanted updates.
Though it’s been brewing for a while, complaints picked up steam in May when users blew up Twitter over an updated layout. Since then, their furor has mounted over being inundated with Reels (Instagram’s answer to TikTok short videos) and the amount of suggested content being shoved down their throats on a daily basis.
The whole thing really came to a head when the Kardashians ranted on their personal page about Instagram being too much like TikTok.
Since then, the platform has been doing heavy back peddling in an effort to get back into their users’ good graces – not to mention the Kardashians who have incredibly too much power if you ask me (but it is amusing they got the social media giant to bow to their knees and say “yes, ma’am, no, ma’am, how can we please you ma’am?”).
Anyhow, weeks later, Instagram is still attempting to mitigate the fallout by coming up with new ideas to help users tailor what they see. Though Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made no apologies for all the suggested content clogging up people’s feeds, and in fact has said in so many words it’s only going to get worse, he’s hoping to get away with it by releasing updates that make people feel like they’re in control (vs. Meta).
As reported on by The Verge, one such feature they’re testing allows the user to flag multiple posts with a “not interested” tag so similar content won’t show up again.
Previously users could only flag individual posts. With the expanded ability to highlight numerous pieces of content all at once, Instagram analytics can tailor their feed faster keeping them out of your hair.
That’s good news for adult content creators.
Because they’re able to speedily remove posts they’re offended by instead of the tedious job of selecting each one individually they should have less aggravation. And less aggravation means they may be nicer and not report content that they’ve got their panties in a bunch over. Of course, that’s hypothetical, but it makes sense to me – the less you have to wake the sleeping giant the better.
In addition, Instagram is also testing out “ways for users to make a list of keywords, phrases, emojis, and hashtags in recommended posts that they’re not interested in and that they don’t want to see.” These time-saving updates are beneficial for both sides – you quickly reach the people who are open to your content and keep out the ones who can cause you problems; they quickly get rid of any posts they don’t like so they can focus on what they do like.
If these new features do what they should, your content will end up in a smaller pool of adult friendly viewers vs. the vast shark-filled ocean of Instagram.
Photo credit: iStock.com/hapabapa
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Alyssa Collins hails from Minnesota, where snowy days were the perfect excuse to stay warm inside and write. Over the years, she turned that joy into a career and has authored numerous articles for various publications (under pen names). Email Alyssa via alyssa@ynot.com.
