Instagram s can now craft a 'Favorites' feed to make it easier to see posts from certain s on the app. This feature comes with the return of the much-requested chronological timeline — now called the 'Following' feed — where people can view content according to the time they were posted. These feed filters are great options for Instagram s who are tired of the usual algorithmic arrangement of posts and want to widen their horizons on the media-sharing service.
The ability to control how a views their Instagram feed comes during a time when the potential harm of algorithms and persuasive technology is being scrutinized by the government and general public alike, especially its effects on young s. Being able to view Instagram posts chronologically could help provide s with a more balanced view of current trends and topics. It can also enable s with a sizable Following list to see more posts from s they've added a long time ago and have not interacted with in a while.
While Instagram's 'Following' feed simply posts content chronologically from profiles s have added to the social media platform, the 'Favorites' feed lets them curate a special list of posts from s they love viewing and interacting with. Ideally, this list would be composed of Instagram s' in-real-life best friends and acquaintances and their favorite public figures and content creators. Anyone with an Instagram can add up to 50 profiles to 'Favorites' and make changes to the feed at any time. People will not be notified when they are added or removed by s to a Favorites list.
Curating An Instagram' Favorites' List, Plus More On The Other Feed Views
Launch the Instagram app and press the 'Home' icon at the bottom-left corner of the screen to enable Instagram's 'Favorites' feature and get a feed started. Next, tap on the Instagram logo in the top-left corner of the home page and choose 'Favorites.' If the is accessing the Favorites feed for the first time, tap on the 'Add favorites' link in the middle of the empty screen. Instagram will automatically suggest s to populate the Favorites feed based on their activity on the app. Tap 'Remove' next to a person to take them out of the pre-suggested list. If a would like to ignore Instagram's suggestions and add s manually, tap 'Remove all,' then 'Remove all' to confirm. To add an , hit the 'Add' button next to their profile or use the search bar to look up their name, then tap 'Add' next to the appropriate . Finally, tap 'Confirm favorites' to finalize.
Only s with an Instagram can access the 'Favorites' feed, plus all the other feed views. Both 'Following' and 'Favorites' will show posts in chronological order. To modify or add to the Favorites list, navigate to Instagram's main feed, tap on the Instagram logo in the top-left corner of the home page, and choose 'Favorites.' Tap the list icon on the top-right corner of the screen and go through the same process listed above to make the necessary changes.
s can access 'Favorites' to see only these posts and no one else's. Additionally, new posts from people marked as favorites will have a star icon next to their profile and appear higher in the main Instagram feed, which is still arranged algorithmically. For now, there is no way to set either Following or Favorites as the default Instagram feed view. Both new feed options are also currently unavailable on the web version of Instagram.
Source: Instagram