Maisie Lloyd
I'm passionate about recording the world, but most of all driven by creativity and collaborative environments. My experience revolves around the production of digital content, pertaining to graphic design, writing copy, and video and audio content.
Instagram’s algorithm is finally being updated, providing small creators and those making unique and original content the opportunity to reach a larger audience. The algorithm will now recommend content to more users, this is due to a shift in the prioritisation of content.
Prioritisation of content was previously based on the success of a creator’s content and the volume of followers they had acquired.
A brief video made by the head of Instagram; Adam Mosseri explains the update.
How will the algorithm know how to display content if it is not based on the success of engagement with previous posts?
The algorithm takes factors such as videos and posts users have shared, commented on and saved, into account. Then the algorithm assesses the account that published the post. It looks at the previous interactions’ users may have had with it. This is then factored into how content will be distributed.
Aggregator accounts
Aggregator accounts are the accounts that res-share content, usually, this content will be taken from other creators and other platforms. Aggregators currently make up a large percentage of content that is displayed to users but will soon be reduced.
Instagram has emphasized that original posts by content creators will be given the appropriate credit when the original content can be located.
Aggregator accounts will now need to re-shape any reused content so that it has unique and new content within it, to be displayed to new users again. Not to fret though, those who are crediting and reposting content will still have theirs displayed to their followers.
Instagram notes that aggregator accounts will be able to get recommendations, 30 days after their last piece of reposted content (that has not been adjusted to be unique). Users can monitor this using the account status overview.
Content labelling
Content labelling is brought to Instagram to negate aggregator account content reposts.
Reposted content will now divert directly back to the original content. The labelling will pop up as a notification on the home screen, as content is being swiped through in-app and in the notifications tab.
This will keep creators’ original content ‘protected’ from content being used without any credit.
Another benefit of content labelling is protecting creators’ content and reputations. Often accounts will take content from other creators and use it out of its original context. This can be harmful to creators and brands, as the re-uploaded content may not represent their beliefs or ideas but is associated with their content due to it being reposted.
Censorship
Currently, some creators face censorship of their content.
With the ‘sensitive content’ label comes a lot of issues for creators whose content is unfortunately and unfairly included under the umbrella of sensitive content. This results in posts being hidden from their following as well as new unique users.
Instagram stipulates that sensitive content can be adjusted within the settings, limiting the type of content you may see that contains something ‘sensitive’.
The problem that arises with labelling things as ‘sensitive content’ is it does not look at the wider context of the content. For example, a page featuring entomology is censored due to the portrayal of a dead insect. Yet the wider context of this is that the insects are sustainable and ethical sources of the animals, and no violence is seen on screen.
