In June 2016, Instagram restructured the way we were used to viewing the content of the people we follow.
This new change consisted of introducing a new Instagram algorithm that filters the content that appears on our main page, now, based on our interests and preferences.
During its first six years of life, this social network was a simple chronological wall where the positioning of the content was determined by the date and time of publication.
That is, if it was 6:00 pm, the content that would appear on our main page would be that which was published within that time range.
However, it turns out that today, the personalization of content and experiences has become a key factor within social networks and, in general, within digital marketing.
Instagram realized that it was no longer a space for recreation, but that it had already transformed into an important monetization platform where companies and personal brands that make a living there do so to boost their sales and expand their customer portfolios. So they had to improve their algorithms. But, really…
Let's start with the concept of an algorithm. An algorithm is a logical and finite sequence of steps that allows us to solve a problem or achieve an objective.
Computational algorithms are those that are implemented in software and technological platforms to perform actions in sequence with the purpose of achieving a particular result.
Regarding Instagram, this social network implements algorithms, specifically machine learning, to solve problems related to the organization and classification of its users' information.
These algorithms are supplied with a series of data so that they learn what types of criteria they should follow when segmenting the information.
When we colloquially talk about the “ Instagram algorithm ” in marketing, we understand it as the mechanism that decides which posts we see every time we open our feed.
Therefore, the objective of this new Instagram algorithm is to classify information according to interactivity criteria.
This means that each user will see on their timeline those posts that interest them the most and will therefore be more motivated to interact with them.
It is important to mention that the creation of the Instagram algorithm generated a lot of controversy within its community of users, who created an online petition through Change.org to keep Instagram chronological, which collected 343,011 signatures in 24 hours.
Despite this, Instagram continued with its plans and, today, it is the content positioning strategy par excellence practiced on this social network.
While there are still people who disagree with this idea, Instagram claims that since the algorithm was implemented, people have been liking and commenting on more photos, getting their communities to participate in a more active way.
To give a further example of this, since Instagram implemented this algorithm, it has increased its user base by almost 50% in the 10 months following the introduction of the algorithm, going from 500 million users in June 2016 to 700 million in April 2017.
How does the Instagram algorithm work?
Since we no longer see Instagram posts chronologically, but now depend on other variables, the Instagram algorithm, in addition to showing us content that we like and that we have been interacting with for some time, also shows us trending posts.
If a newly published content gains notoriety and generates engagement (comments and many likes), this algorithm will consider this content as relevant and will also show it on our timeline.
So it consists of combining what we like with what is trendy and what other people like too.
Even though chronological order no longer matters as much as it once did, Instagram hasn't forgotten the fact that people want to see fresh, timely posts every time they log in.
So, even though people won't necessarily see your posts at the exact moment you share them, it's still important to post at trending times and appropriate times to get the most engagement.
Before the introduction of the Instagram algorithm , the average lifespan of a post was approximately 72 minutes.
Now, it is easy to notice how there are people who like and comment on old posts precisely because they have managed to position themselves in several days thanks to the fact that, from that first moment of publication, they obtained a good connection with their followers, and they in turn, maintained the interaction over time.
Also, Instagram's algorithm ranks content based on our profile searches, hashtags, and the content we share with our contacts.
With every action we take on this social network, Instagram builds a pattern of us around what content we find attractive or what we are following frequently.
These are clues that we are feeding to the algorithm, and it automatically shows us what we want to see.
For brands that have a highly segmented market niche and publish valuable content, they benefit from this algorithm and manage to grow their communities more quickly.
Variables that the Instagram algorithm considers
In summary we can consider three important variables that determine how this algorithm works:
variables-that-the-instagram-algorithm-considers
Relevance or relationship
Content that is linked to your friends, family, and accounts that you follow regularly is taken into account.
As a result, the algorithm boosts posts from accounts that a user already engages with. taiwan cp number For brands and creators, this means that focusing on community engagement is key.
Affinity or interest
The types of publications that a person is interested in are taken into account.
In other words, people who engage with posts like yours are more likely to see your posts. The algorithm wants to give people what they want.
Time
If the time between publishing content and the first interactions is shorter, the algorithm considers that content to be useful for other users and shows it more times.
In this sense, posts that are more recent are more likely to be placed at the top of people's feeds. This means that posting when your audience is online is crucial.
In conclusion, understanding what the Instagram algorithm is and how it works is of great importance to more effectively plan our content on this social network and, through it, achieve monetization and have a greater reach.