Instagram also recently tested another signal. They reduced the visibility of Stories that contained reposted content , after hearing from users that they preferred original content. However, they’ve since rolled back that algorithm change . “We see a swell of reshared posts in big moments – everything from the World Cup to social unrest – and in these moments people were expecting their Stories to reach more people than they did, so we stopped,” says Adam Mosseri.
The signals that together determine the algorithm are therefore continuously adjusted and adapted.
Explore algorithm
Also on the Explore tab, it first determines which posts Instagram will rank for you. Here, as with Stories and your Feed, it is not a set of posts from people you follow, but they make a pre-selection based on your personal preference.
They determine this by looking at what you have liked, saved and what kind of posts you have commented on.
Suppose you have liked a lot of Frankwatching Instagram posts recently . Instagram then looks at the accounts of people who show this same behavior and which other accounts these people also actively follow. Suppose that many of these people also follow the NOS Stories account , then it is possible that the next time you open 'Explore' you will see a video from this account.
Screenshots from Instagram Explore.
The main signals Instagram uses for the Explore tab are:
1. Information about the post
Here, just like with Stories and your Feed, they look at how popular a certain post is. How quickly and often is the post liked, commented on, shared and saved? Instagram indicates that this signal weighs a lot more heavily with Explore than with your Feed and Stories.
2. Your interaction history
This fact is also the same, but more important, than with your Stories and Feed. A big difference with Explore is that nine times out of ten you will see content from people you don't follow or don't even know. But if Instagram 'sees' that you have more interaction with a specific account, it will also appear more often in your Explore tab.
3. Your own activity
This looks at what you like, save and comment on.
4. Information about the person posting
Here again a small difference with your Feed and Stories. Where your Feed and Stories look at how much interaction you have with a specific person, Explore looks at how much interaction there has been with a person in the past few weeks. This gives Instagram a better picture of what is currently trending, in combination with your own preferences.
There are more 'rules' attached to what Instagram does and does not show via Explore than to your Feed and Stories. In your Feed and Stories, you see content from the people you follow. You have chosen these accounts yourself, so you know what to expect. Of course, this does not apply to the Explore tab. There, you mainly see content from strangers.
Instagram indicates that it may therefore happen that you come across 'offensive posts' in your personal feed, for example, but you do not come across these types of posts in Explore.
Reels algorithm
And then of course we have Reels. The TikTok replica that can provide a huge reach. Entirely developed for entertainment on the platform.
Just like with Explore, you will mainly see content from strangers. With Reels, the selection is made in much the same way as with Explore. The big difference is the focus on entertainment. Instagram wants you to watch the Reel from start to finish, then like and comment on how funny or nice you find the video.
With Reels, though, we're specifically focused on what might entertain you. – Adam Mosseri.
In addition, an important check for the popularity of a Reel is how often people click through to the 'audio page'. If you click on this, Instagram assumes that you are thinking about recording a (similar) Reel with the same music.
The four most important signals are similar to those of Explore, so I won't repeat them again. They don't country email list mention it themselves, but I assume that forwarding a Reel via Instagram DM also counts towards the weighting. Of course, that is not visible on the front end, but it is an important indicator of how enthusiastic people are about a Reel.
Good to know: there are a number of things that make the Reels algorithm a failure:
If a watermark is used or visible.
Videos that focus on political issues.
Reels created by political figures, political parties or government officials (or on their behalf).
Transparency about the algorithm
At the top of the Instagram article, they announce that this is the first update in a series of articles about the algorithm. ' Today, we're sharing the first in a series of posts that will shed more light on how Instagram's technology works and how it impacts the experiences that people have across the app. ' I can't wait to see what the next insights will bring!