Explaining the Instagram Algorithm
https://blog.bufferapp.com/instagram-feed-algorithm
Many of us remember in early spring 2016 when Instagram decided to change their algorithm from reverse chronologically displaying posts. Instagram’s justification for the shift was grounded in the claim that users were missing a majority of posts by both their friends and overall posts. This problem has been fixed by the implemented algorithm, as users now see over 90% of their friends posts and spend more time on the app.
The new algorithm is rooted in ranking posts based on interest, timeliness, and your relationship to the poster. Interest is determined by examining the content of the post and determining how similar the post is to previous content users have engaged in. Timeliness is linked to recency, acting under the assumption that users will be more inclined to see recent posts than other posts. Lastly, relationship is determined by how often you interact with the other user, based on tagged photos, comments, and both interacting with similar other users.
Instagram’s algorithm relates to the topic of matching markets. The poster acts as the seller, and the user viewing the content acts as the buyer, with Instagram dictating the valuations for each. Every post is an individual auction. For users, truthfully interacting with Instagram by liking, commenting, and frequently viewing content that the user actually wants to see is the best strategy, as these are the mechanisms Instagram uses to create the best user experience. Truthful bidding and valuation is the best option for Instagram when identifying the valuations for each post, as it will not only maximize user happiness for both the buyer and the seller, but it will allow for the algorithm to continue to become more precise for each user. It also shifts the way that users interact, and will cause for clear ranking patterns to occur that best represent the variables Instagram uses to create the algorithm.