Meta’s Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram, just dropped a bombshell blog post which peeled back the curtain in front of Instagram ranking factors and granted digital marketers and content creators alike unprecedented insight into the inner workings of Instagram’s algorithms. Here are some of the key takeaways from Mosseri’s post that digital marketers and social strategists should be aware of: ?
- User-Driven Explore Experience: Instagram revealed that the Explore feature is largely driven by individual user behavior and aligned interests. The algorithm picks up on a variety of signals, including likes, shares, comments, and saves from users' past activities. These user interactions play a pivotal role in determining what content shows up on each user's Explore page. Content is served to a user’s Explore page, by being relevant to interests and having strong engagement: Signals like how many and how quickly other people are liking, commenting, sharing, and saving a post matter much more in Explore than they do in Feed or in Stories. For marketers, this underscores the importance of creating content that encourages high levels of engagement.?
- Impact of Engagement on Reels Visibility: In the world of Reels, user engagement once again reigns supreme. The Instagram algorithm tracks user behavior on Reels, specifically looking at whether users watch a Reel to its end, reshare it, like it, or even visit the audio page. Marketers can leverage this insight by developing captivating and share-worthy Reels content that hooks viewers till the very end.?
- Ranking Stories: Because Stories are designed to share everyday moments and foster relationships, Instagram prioritizes Stories by taking into consideration a user’s 1:1 engagement with the account posting the Story. For example, taking into consideration how often a user views an account’s stories and how often they engage with the account’s stories (such as liking or DMing)??
- Myth of Shadowbanning Busted: Instagram debunked the longstanding myth of "shadowbanning" where users believed their content's reach was mysteriously limited. The newly introduced Account Status feature provides transparency into any issues that might impact content's eligibility for recommendation, helping users better understand and optimize their content's performance.?
- Introduction of Recommendation Guidelines: Instagram is rolling out an additional set of guidelines known as Recommendation Guidelines. These are specifically designed to control the content displayed on the Explore and Reels sections. Marketers will need to familiarize themselves with and adhere to these guidelines to ensure their content remains in the recommendation pool.?
These key insights from Instagram offer a fresh perspective on how content visibility and discoverability are determined on the platform, empowering marketers with a deeper understanding to craft more effective content strategies.?
- The Nielsen-3AF Asian Language Media Consumption study reveals that Asian language media is the most trusted source of information for Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese Americans, with over 40% of respondents expressing trust in programs and perspectives offered by Asian media. More than 50% of respondents preferred to buy brands advertising on programs reflecting their culture. The study also found that streaming TV was the most-watched in-language platform, and substantial percentages of respondents from each group reported paying attention to advertisements in their preferred language, emphasizing the influence of in-language media on consumer behavior.?
- Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has signed a bill banning TikTok within the state over data security concerns, making it the first state to do so; the law, set to take effect in January, cites TikTok specifically and stipulates $10,000 daily fines for violations. Critics, including TikTok and groups such as NetChoice and ACLU, have condemned the bill as an infringement on First Amendment rights, and expect it to face legal challenges.?
- TikTok is testing its new AI chatbot, "Tako", in selected markets, allowing users to ask questions about the video they're watching or get recommendations for new content, making the platform a potential competitor to Google's upcoming conversational search feature.?
- Meta is reportedly working on a standalone, decentralized text-based microblogging app, expected to launch this summer, which will be partially integrated with Instagram and interoperable with Mastodon. The app, codenamed P92 or Barcelona, will allow users to keep their Instagram handle and verification, and promises to offer an alternative space for creators and public figures to share updates, with text posts of up to 500 characters, and the ability to upload photos, links, and videos.?
- Instagram is testing a feature allowing users to select an "Interested" button on recommended posts, enhancing their content control and personalization, and a new transparency tool to help creators understand why the reach of their content may be limited due to watermarks. Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, addressed concerns about shadowbanning, stating that it's in their interest to ensure creators can reach their audiences, and affirmed their commitment to increase transparency around the app's algorithms, ranking processes, and account status.?
- Twitter has introduced a feature called Community Notes for images in posts, allowing users to flag manipulated or AI-generated images on the platform. This feature, currently in the testing phase, can only be used by contributors with a high 'impact score', which measures the value of their contributions, and the notes attached to an image will appear on all tweets containing that image.?
- Twitter has introduced a new feature on its desktop site that allows users to search for lists to follow from the Lists tab. However, it's not yet known when this feature will be available on the mobile app.?
- LinkedIn is experiencing a surge in fake profiles, including AI-generated identities, with over 58 million accounts blocked in the latter half of 2022 alone, threatening the platform's credibility and leading to an increase in phishing attempts; despite its efforts to strengthen security measures, the social network remains a prominent target for scammers, with over half of US businesses reporting being targeted via the site.??
- YouTube is discontinuing its Stories feature, originally introduced as Reels in 2017, from June 26th, with existing posts expiring after seven days. In lieu of Stories, YouTube is encouraging creators to utilize Community Posts and Shorts, with the company recently extending access to Community Posts and initiating a revised monetization plan for Shorts.?
- Discord is testing new parental controls named "Family Center" on its iOS app in the U.S., enabling parents to monitor their children's interactions, including friend additions, server participation, and direct messaging, without exposing the content of the messages. This move, amid growing concerns over child safety online, marks a change in the company's stance since it earlier said it was not planning on adding such features.?
- Google Search has updated its podcast discovery feature, now providing information about podcasts and links to listen on various platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify, replacing the earlier feature that allowed users to play podcasts directly from the search results. Currently available in the U.S., the update showcases popular podcast titles based on the search and directs users to the chosen platform's app to listen to the selected show, recognizing users' preference to listen via their preferred apps.?
- Apple has announced the Apple Vision Pro, a new spatial computing device that blends digital content with physical environments, featuring the world’s first spatial operating system, visionOS, and a 3D user interface controlled by eye, hand, and voice inputs. The device includes an ultra-high-resolution display system with 23 million pixels across two displays, Apple's first three-dimensional camera, advanced spatial audio system, and utilizes advanced materials for improved performance, mobility, and wearability.?
