Users of Instagram have reacted differently to the new Note feature that has begun to appear on the direct message screen.
A planned text-based Instagram feature that no one requested appears to be expanding. According to reports, the function enables users to publish vanishing messages to followers who can then respond.
It would seem that social media platforms are continuing to cannibalise one another as Instagram starts rolling out a new feature to more people, shortly after TikTok unveiled “Now,” which is brazenly modelled off the dominant BeReal. According to an XDA Developers report, the social media app is still experimenting with a text-based feature that TechCrunch first reported on in June of last year. According to screenshots shared on Twitter by Ahmed Ghanem in June, the function, called “Notes,” will let consumers leave notes for their followers on the app’s message page. An email from a Meta representative to Gizmodo stated, “We’re always looking for ways to make it easier for you to interact on Instagram. “We’re testing a new Notes function so individuals can rapidly exchange thoughts with their pals, with a small number of people to start,” said the spokesperson. If you leave a note, your followers won’t be informed, but they’ll be able to see it for 24 hours until it vanishes. Users who post notes can decide whether they want to share them with all of their followers or just those on their “Close friends” list. Notes can be replied to via direct message by tapping on them, and followers can reply to notes by tapping on them. Instagram users are comparing the platform to Twitter, BBM statuses, and Facebook. Although this strategy adds nothing to the user experience, its location is a little questionable. It’s put directly on top of the messages screen, as was already mentioned, thus you can probably not ignore it even if you wanted to. Overall, this new strategy or function is Instagram Stories that emphasizes text more. That raises the question of why this is necessary at all given that it appears to have all of the same features as Stories, with the exception of the camera integration, filters, stickers, and music. Over the past six months, a variety of features have either been rolling out, being tested, or being scaled down on Instagram, which has been in a transitional stage. Notably, Instagram debuted “Dual,” its BeReal ripoff, which enables users to publish front and rear camera photographs simultaneously on Stories while removing the shopping tab from the home page. As you may remember, earlier this year, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg foreshadowed upcoming changes in the company’s approach to how it sorts content within user feeds, with a shift away from your home feed being curated by your social or follow graph, and more of the posts displayed being recommended by AI, “even if the content wasn’t posted by a friend or someone you follow.” This transition has been most noticeable on Instagram, where your main feed is increasingly being taken over by postings – particularly short-form video clips – from profiles you don’t follow, making it more difficult to keep up with the content from individuals you have actually chosen to follow in the app. TikTok has found great success with this strategy since it has increased the variety of interesting information it can provide to consumers to keep them reading. However, a large number of Instagram users are dissatisfied with the new functionality, and about 100,000 of them have signed a new Change.org petition demanding that Instagram return to its previous state. Influencer and photographer Tati Bruening started the petition in an effort to return the app back to its original purpose of photo sharing.
So, the question is: Do consumers actually want an Instagram experience that is similar to TikTok, Snapchat or Twitter, or does each app have its own function? And if that’s the case, does Meta simply have to accept that TikTok will undoubtedly gain more and more users away from its apps? With their ad business on the line, it doesn’t seem likely that Zuck and Co. will be prepared to make concessions, therefore Instagram is probably not going to back down despite this fresh assault.
