Instagram has started testing a new feature in Brazil that limits the viewing window of users’ story posts to only the first three photos. Users will still be able to post up to a hundred photos per day on their Instagram stories, but they will be hidden behind a new ‘Show all’ button that is located below the top navigation bar.
A Brazilian Instagram user recently shared a screenshot of the new story feature. In the photo below, you can see that only the first three photos on this user’s story will be shown and that the remaining photos are hidden behind “MostrarTudo” which translates to “Show All”.
Is this a good or bad thing?
At first glance, this new feature seems to have a negative impact on Instagram users. It significantly limits the number of story updates that will be seen by your followers, and that could affect your page’s overall engagement. It also seems to defeat the purpose of the story feature which is about spontaneity and being in the moment. Users will now have to decide which three photos get on their Instagram story since they’re likely the only ones that will be seen.
However, there are some positives to limiting Instagram’s story feature. Viewing stories will become a more seamless experience with you only viewing more than three photos if you want to. This will also help users avoid spammy content and allow them to interact more frequently with accounts that hold more significance to them.
What this change means for you and your business.
With such a restriction on the story feature, businesses will have to curate and fine-tune what content they want to put on their Instagram stories. The option to add more than three photos is available but most brands will undoubtedly notice an engagement cutoff after their third photo.
Now businesses will have to focus on creating higher quality content and be more strategic about when they post to their Instagram story. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing and can help boost the online image of a brand significantly. Users would much rather follow and interact with businesses that produce high-quality story content two to three times a day compared to businesses that produce subpar content and spam their Instagram stories daily.
Why change Instagram stories?
Instagram has been implementing a lot of changes recently, including the ability to pin photos to the top of your profile, hiding likes on your posts, and an enhanced tagging feature that allows you tag all of your collaborators. These features all seem to have made an immediate impact on the Instagram community and looked to solve a problem or increase the app’s usability.
Unlike these features, the new limit of photos on Instagram’s stories seems much more mundane and it’s hard to see what problem it’s trying to solve or what it will bring to the platform. Could the new 9:16 full screen view bring story-like content to your home feed or is Instagram just tired of seeing some users spam their content? It’s completely up to speculation right now.
At this time, it is still unknown if or when Instagram will implement this feature in the United States.
Social media is changing all the time, and sometimes it can feel overwhelming to keep up with. Let BG Digital Group help! With a team of social media experts on your side, you can rest easy knowing that we’re keeping your accounts and marketing strategy up to date with the latest features in mind. Want to create marketing that matters? Schedule a call with our team to learn more about our social media services.