Social media is changing so quickly, that even platforms like Instagram are having to pump the breaks and beta test. Small groups of people all around the world are chosen to test new features. We’ve seen anything from testing the removal of “like count” to new effects on reels being offered to small groups of people before globally launching.
While Instagram continues to work hard to stay in the top 5 most used social media platforms, we’re sitting back and biting our nails for their worldwide release.
60-second Instagram Stories
I guess Instagram wasn’t kidding when they told us this summer that they would be favoring video content over images. A few influencers including developer and social media researcher Alessandro Paluzzi have (allegedly) been selected to test stories lasting 60 seconds before breaking into a new section.
For creators and brands who enjoy face-to-camera stories, this is a game-changer. Instagram hasn’t announced when or if the feature will roll out just yet, but we’ll be sure to follow up on this one.
#Instagram is working on longer stories
ℹ️ Videos up to 60 seconds will no longer be broken up into segments. pic.twitter.com/FihDOTymEL
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) October 19, 2021
Collaborations
Nothing screams awesome content quite like a good collaboration. That’s why we’re so excited for the new Instagram Collab feature. The tool will allow two usernames to be included in a post’s or Reel’s header.
Content created using Collab will show up on both users’ accounts and is incredibly easy to set up. All a user has to do is tag a co-creator (exactly the way you would tag them in a regular post) and choose the collaboration button.
While the feature is only available to select users, we honestly can’t wait to see how this enhances content marketing.
Break Nudges
Instagram has announced plans to introduce a new teen well-being feature that will recommend users within a specific age range to “take a break” from the social app after an allotted time and nudge them toward more positive content.
These notifications will trigger when Instagram’s systems “see that a teenager is looking at the same content over and over again, and it’s content which may not be conducive to their well being,” said Nick Clegg, Facebook VP of global affairs.
Rumors around the new feature have us wondering if this will be a setting that young users can turn off, or if the feature will be applied to all accounts regardless of age. The feature doesn’t currently have a release date.
As creators, brands and users alike are all intrigued by upcoming releases that are in testing. To see the latest releases, check out our article 6 New Features Instagram Released While You Weren’t Looking.
Since we’re on the topic, head on over and give us a follow on the gram! @Ampersand_studios
