What Instagram's Changes in 2022 Means for Small Business
It’s no surprise that with the New Year, there are changes on the horizon yet again for social media. For those of us old enough to be running a small business, we probably remember back to when Instagram was chronologically ordered. (*cough cough* 2016). It’s been a while since the algorithm shifted from this to a feed that was based solely on engagement.
Creators and smaller companies have been struggling since then to shift the kinds of content they are sharing to be sure and stay on the feed. Because of that, people were having to create more and more content in the hopes of capturing people. Not so great when you have a limited time to accomplish said content. Small business owners especially felt that pretty hard.
Details about the feature returning:
It looks like they are set to roll this out in the first quarter of 2022. What it will look like is not the automatic switch that a lot of people are hoping for, though. They are rolling it out as an alternative option meaning the users will still have to choose to go back to the good ole days. The idea of choice is becoming increasingly important to social media users, so it’s great that this will be a toggle feature rather than a full update for everyone. Teens may have their own preferences, though, so we will see if it has the intended effect.
Personally, I’m definitely switching back to the chronological feed.
It may not look exactly like it did before though, let’s be clear. They announced they are releasing a ‘version of a chronological feed’. This means it could still look similar to the algorithmic version we are working with now. They are also adding a ‘favorites’ feed to this update which will feature close friends and family above everyone else. This was one of the original complaints of the chronological feature since you had to scroll down past other posts to see the ones you really wanted to.
Why are they making this change?
If you don’t follow the happenings surrounding the big social media companies, then you may not know the scrutiny that Instagram and its parent company Facebook (now Meta) have been facing over this past year. After a Facebook whistleblower released insider information on the detriment that Instagram specifically was having on teenagers and those in their early 20’s, people were crying out for a solution. This is their answer to those problems.
Will this actually solve the mental health crisis that is facing those under 30? We will have to see! There is hope that their desire to give people options will help to ease the pressure that these people are feeling every time they open up their social media apps. The addictive nature of social media is a real problem facing our society today.
What do you think? Is this switch going to be worth it, and are you going to try out the new feature? Share this with your small business friends to be sure they know what is coming their way!
