# Instagram Paved Paradise And Put Up An Algorithm

- Link: https://chatterblast.com/blog/instagram-paved-paradise-and-put-up-an-algorithm/
- Published: 2016-03-29T19:32:07-04:00
- Author: chatterblastteam

Checking your **Facebook** news feed nowadays can feel like a drive through **Times
Square.**

There’s lots to look at, plenty of traffic, an occasional crazy person going on 
a rant and, _of course,_ tons of ads. It can be exhausting, exhilarating and slightly
frustrating, but boy do we love it.

Alternatively, **Instagram** can feel like a Sunday drive through the country. It’s
peaceful, pretty and you always feel inspired when you’re done. And although there
may be an _occasional_ billboard, it doesn’t minimize the impact of the beauty around
you.

The powers that be at Instagram [have changed all that.](http://blog.instagram.com/post/141107034797/160315-news)

Recently, the visual-based platform announced that they are making some changes 
to their news feed algorithm. Instead seeing posts _as they are posted_, Instagram
will sort them based on when it was posted, who posted it and if they think you’d
be interested in seeing it.

Confused? Let’s go back to this clever country/city analogy. Instagram wants to 
take that idyllic country road and turn it into a planned suburban community. The
[**Celebration, FL**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebration,_Florida) of social
media platforms, if you will.

[⌊Screen Shot 2016-03-29 at 2.46.50 PM⌉⌊Screen Shot 2016-03-29 at 2.46.50 PM⌉[

Still very pretty. Still very quiet. Just _tightly controlled _by the Board without
any say from the residents. But hey, it’s still a nice place to live.

And while Instagram’s most loyal users are [voicing concern](https://www.change.org/p/keep-instagram-chronological)
over these changes, there is real potential to improve the user experience and drive
engagement – which is a good thing.  

> [Don’t miss a post! Instagram is changing what users will see in their news feeds, so be sure to click the arrow in the top right corner of this image and hit “Turn On Post Notifications.” Or keep liking and commenting on our posts to stay up to date on everything happening with the Philadelphia Film Society and at the PFS Roxy and Prince Theaters! #notifications](https://www.instagram.com/p/BDitgZnJqkm/)
> A photo posted by Philadelphia Film Society (@phillyfilmsociety) on Mar 29, 2016
> at 8:42am PDT

> [A photo posted by Lucarossifoto.it (@lucarossifoto)](https://www.instagram.com/p/BDissB7Ft0P/)
> on Mar 29, 2016 at 8:35am PDT

[⌊Screen Shot 2016-03-29 at 3.15.23 PM⌉⌊Screen Shot 2016-03-29 at 3.15.23 PM⌉[

On the other hand, these changes can have a negative impact on brands who use Instagram
to sell their products. As these changes roll out, it’s _vital _for brands to adapt
a new strategy that works _with_ the updates and not _against_ them.

Previously, carefully curated imagery was the gold standard of brand marketing on
Instagram.

Now, brands will have to work harder to create content that _engages _their audience
and encourages comments and likes, while relying on influencers to help reach target
demographics and niche markets.

And of course, the end goal for Instagram is for _advertising _to play a much larger
role than ever before. But have no fear, Instagram is owned by Facebook. Which means
if you’ve dabbled in the advertising waters there, you can easily transition that
expertise onto Instagram (or, ask your Agency of Record to do it…did I mention we’re
a [social media marketing agency](http://chatterblast.wpengine.com)?).

Recently, Instagram has tried to calm growing concerns (and counter that pesky **
change.org** petition), so it remains unclear _how_ and _when_ these changes will
go fully into effect.

> We’re listening and we assure you nothing is changing with your feed right now.
> We promise to let you know when changes roll out broadly.
> — Instagram (@instagram) [March 28, 2016](https://twitter.com/instagram/status/714509569918169088)

As consumers continue to about worry about the fate of their preciously, curated
feeds, brands and organizations will have to come to the realization that the road
to paradise will still be pretty, but it just might be a little more expensive along
the way.