Here’s What Instagram Influencers Think of the New Algorithmic Timeline

By Isabel Thottam  |  March 30, 2016 | 2:15pm
Tech Features Instagram
Here’s What Instagram Influencers Think of the New Algorithmic Timeline

Instagram recently joined the bandwagon of releasing an algorithm that changes the way your feed shows content. Their reason being that people miss an average of 70% of their feed, due to the increasing number of photos and videos people share.

Similar to that of Facebook, Instagram’s new algorithm won’t show posts in real time. Rather, it will first show the content you are most interested in, based on how you use and interact with the people you follow.

For influencers, these changes have sparked a bit of a controversy—while some are afraid of how it will impact their engagement and are upset over the news, others are taking a more laid-back approach, waiting for the algorithm to roll out so they can fully understand how it will impact their followers. As noted by Fortune, there is even a Change.org with over 330,000 signatures to not have the changes go through.

Instagram has taken to Twitter to address concerns about the changes:

We spoke to a few influencers on the photo-sharing platform to get their input on the changes. Here’s what they have to say:

Kate Davis (@nashvillefoodfan) was initially nervous when she heard Instagram would be adding an algorithm to their feed, noting that she wonders if it will change how brands and influencers work together. Davis thinks the changes will impact people in different ways, depending on if you are an influencer or not.

“I’ve previously told brands and other people I collaborate with that Instagram stood apart from other social media platforms because the content would show up in your feed as it posted. But by introducing an algorithm to the feed, this will no longer be the case.”

Though Davis isn’t thrilled at the idea, she remains neutral, for now, until she can gauge whether it actually impacts her engagement and growth.

Andrew Kearns (@andrewtkearns) says he isn’t too excited about the idea of a non-chronological feed, noting it might feel like you’re seeing the same over and over again.

“I think it’ll just end up like the “while you were away” tab on Twitter, with like 4 or 5 posts at the top of your feed,” says Kearns. “At least that’s a biased wish.”

Aurelie Cerise (@aurelycerise) has a “wait and see” approach, noting that, though she can understand why people are afraid, she’s not worrying about it until she sees how it works.

“I wasn’t that surprised because I have seen some changes being made on Instagram within the last few months, especially with engagement,” she says. “At first I was afraid because it seemed like such a significant change and I mean, we’ll always be uncomfortable with the idea of changing things, at first.”

Aurelie also notes that one of the big things most influencers are worried about is their posting habits, explaining that some people prefer to post in the evenings, whereas others usually post every morning.

Vincent Carabeo (@alohacrabs) says brands and influencers started learning to schedule posts during peak times to get higher engagement, but Carabeo says that timing might not matter so much, assuming the algorithm works the way Instagram says it will. Moreover, Carabeo isn’t as worried as everyone else because he believes the changes will impact brands more so than creatives. Similar to what happened when Facebook introduced the new timeline, he says brands will have to pay more money for sponsored posts in order to really be seen.

“It’s really just going to come down to how good the algorithm is and if it truly understands what I like,” says Carabeo. “But I think it’s going to be competitive to get that organic reach because influencers will have to create high quality content to rank higher on someone’s feed.”

 
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