Social media users enjoy reliability. When Instagram changed their feed structure from chronological to algorithm-based, fans were in an uproar. With a model focused on engagement, users quickly lost sight of their friends' posts. However, just when we've become accustomed to the feed, some users recently reported that they were experiencing a chronological feed in 2018.
When Instagrammers noticed that posts on their feeds were only minutes apart, they jumped to the conclusion that their desired feed was back. Some even made entire posts celebrating the change. Unfortunately, it wasn't true. After media outlets started covering the news, Instagram had to make a statement to Co.Design. A spokesperson said, "No, Instagram is not testing chronological feed. This meme kicked up somewhere and we’ve been trying to set the record straight." The company addressed the rumor before it got out of hand and users could accept it as truth.
As we continue to live in an algorithm-based world, across all our social media platforms, we continue to miss some of the posts that matter. Some hypothesized that the reason for the change was to compete with the Vero app; a social media platform dedicated to chronological feeds. As social media services continue to develop their algorithms, we can only hope that they land on one that benefits its users.
[via HYPEBEAST]
