Chapter 4
IN THIS CHAPTER
Discovering what’s in your feed
Figuring out the Instagram algorithm
Finding new accounts that interest you
Looking at notifications and what they mean
After you’ve installed Instagram and set up your profile page (refer to Chapter 3), it’s time to start seeing what Instagram is all about! There are millions of accounts waiting for you to explore. You’ll be amazed at the variety and specificity available to you with just a few taps on your mobile phone. Are you a fan of Australian shepherds? There are 5.8 million posts about them. Like azaleas? You’ll find 113,000 posts are out there waiting for you! Not to mention all the people who may become part of your online tribe when you find you have similar interests (or even if you don’t).
In this chapter, we explain what’s in your feed and how the Instagram algorithm decides what to show you. Then we fill you in on the Explore page and the variety of different ways to search for people, hashtags, and places. Finally, you get the skinny on your notifications and what you should do with them.
If you’re familiar with other social media platforms, like Facebook or Twitter, you’re probably used to having a “feed.” The Instagram feed is found by tapping the house at the lower-left corner of your screen, as shown in Figure 4-1. There, you can scroll through to see posts from the accounts and hashtags you’re following (plus ads and accounts Instagram suggests). However, it’s important to note that the Instagram feed is extremely personalized for each individual user. Even if two people followed the exact same accounts, they would get different feeds because they would interact with the content from those accounts in different ways. You can find out more about the way content is shown to you when we talk about the Instagram algorithm in the next section.
Your feed is the hub of your interactions with people. It allows you to access the following (see Figure 4-2):
Ahhhh, the mysterious Instagram algorithm. Everyone has a theory about the way it works, but Instagram finally shared how content is ranked in each individual user’s feed in 2018. Instagram uses three major factors to determine what’s shown:
There are a few other factors that play into the algorithm, such as the following:
If you’re having trouble finding all the accounts you want to follow, Instagram has a solution for you. The Explore page offers photo and video posts, Instagram stories, shopping posts, and IGTV videos all tailored to you by the algorithm. It factors in accounts you’re already following and interacting with, and shows you content that is similar or related in the hopes that you’ll tap on it.
Here’s how to use the Explore page:
Tap the magnifying glass at the bottom of any screen.
Several photos, videos, and stories are presented, as shown in Figure 4-4.
Tap any photo or video that interests you.
Now you can scroll down to see the rest of the Explore page.
Another great way to find new content is by using the Explore page to search Instagram. Instagram offers four ways to search: Top, Accounts, Tags, and Places.
To try out the Search feature, tap the magnifying glass on any page. The Explore page appears, as described in this chapter. Tap the Search field at the top of the page. On the iPhone, Top, Accounts, Tags, and Places are now available for your choosing. On Android, only icons are shown to represent these sections.
The Top feature (see Figure 4-5) shows you suggested accounts, followed by accounts that someone you follow also likes, followed by accounts you most recently interacted with. To find new content you’d like, search for a keyword that interests you. For instance, typing real estate presents several accounts that have real estate in their usernames or in their profile titles. Scroll through those that are interesting, and follow those you like!
The Accounts feature (see Figure 4-6) can be used in a similar manner to the Top feature, but you may also choose to search by someone’s name. Try searching for friends, businesses, and colleagues by name. Tap on the account and scroll through to view the content and decide if you’d like to follow that account. If the accounts are private, you’ll need to request access to follow.
The Tags feature (see Figure 4-7) allows you to search by hashtag. Start simply by choosing a basic hashtag you’re interested in and see what appears. For example, if you’re interested in scuba diving, start with #scubadiving. If you get too many results to be useful, add something more specific, such as #scubadivingbahamas. Unlike the first two categories, search results for your hashtag don’t show specific accounts, but rather the searched hashtag and a list of similar ones. You must then tap the specific hashtag to see a feed of posts, and you can choose from Top or Recent. Scroll through the accounts and tap the ones that call out to you. Then follow the ones that seem active and engaging.
The Places feature enables you to search by location. If you’re trying to find people or businesses currently near you, the easiest way to start is to tap Near Current Location on the iPhone or Nearby Places on Android. Several nearby locations pop up for you to choose from. Tap a location near you, and then all the posts marked with that location pop up. Additionally, at the top of the results feed, there is a Stories icon; tap that icon to watch Instagram stories that have been tagged with the location. Also, if the location is a business that has its own Instagram account, the account will be labeled Related Business and listed above the feed on Android; you can see it by clicking View Information above the map on iPhone. Having access to this information can be especially helpful if you’re traveling and want ideas for restaurants or shops to visit. Tap some posts that catch your eye, and follow the ones you like. If you’d like to discover information about a location you aren’t currently in, stay on the Places tab and use the Search bar to enter a location, as shown in Figure 4-8.
If you participate regularly on Instagram, posting content, following new people, making comments and more, you’ll start getting notifications. Notifications are accessed by tapping the heart at the bottom of your screen while on any page within the main Instagram app (not stories or IGTV).
To see notifications that apply to activity affecting your account, make sure you’re on the tab marked You after you tap the heart (see Figure 4-9).
The notifications shown on the You tab of the Notifications page are from people that have recently
To go to a new follower’s account, tap her name from the Notifications page.
To see the post that someone liked, commented on, or tagged you on, tap the thumbnail of the photo from the Notifications page.
If you scroll further down the page, Instagram suggests other people to follow that the algorithm deems interesting to you.
The Following tab of the Notifications page shows you the activity of some of the accounts you follow (see Figure 4-10 for examples).