No “recent” tab in hashtag search? Instagram is already testing the option and wants to make hashtags more valuable to users.
Instagram’s current testing may discourage users who hope to gain more reach by using frequently used hashtags. Of Social media company announcedView tab on “Recent” Hashtags-Remove searches and instead put new posts and reels in ads. Instagram states on Twitter:
For a smaller group, we’re testing recent and topical content in the ‘Top’ and ‘Reels’ tabs in hashtags and removing the ‘Recent’ tab. We want to see if this helps people engage with more interesting and relevant content on hashtags, while also keeping them engaged with what’s going on. pic.twitter.com/nLb6BiFRws
— Instagram Comms (@InstagramComms) April 19, 2022
“Show your support”: Instagram users will soon be able to participate more easily in hashtag initiatives
Instagram boss Adam Mosseri explained The hashtags on Instagram lately don’t really help garner attention. However, this probably does not apply to important and popular movements, such as #BlackLivesMatter, #womensrights and #climatecrisis. With the removal of the “Recent” tab in hashtag search, Instagram wants to further undermine the value of irrelevant hashtags as a reach tool without limiting relevant hashtags.
instagram planning hashtags “As Valuable As Possible” And refers to a recent update to the app for more information on social issues related to hashtags as part of the announcement.
The example in the picture shows an additional pop-up window currently opening for Instagram users looking for a specific topic using hashtags, in which users can support the hashtag initiative.
Less harmful content in hashtag searches
Focusing on the top posts in each hashtag search can help users find the most valuable content on the one hand, and limit the spread of potentially harmful activities or content on the other. Instagram began this action ahead of the 2020 US election, removing the “recent” tab for hashtag searches “to reduce the real-time spread of potentially harmful content that appears around the election”.
Starting today, we’ll be temporarily removing the “Recent” tab from hashtag pages for people in the US. We are doing this to reduce the real-time dissemination of potentially harmful content that may be exposed during elections.
— Instagram Comms (@InstagramComms) October 29, 2020
Class instead of mass for reach via Instagram hashtags
If you’re currently searching for tags on Instagram, you’ll see results in two tabs – “Top” and “Recent”. The changes are being tested to support users on Instagram: the flood of posts with hashtags via the “Recent” tab will be removed after a successful test so that users can only “top” based on engagement and relevance to see the list.
Ultimately, Instagram is all about preventing so-called “growth hackers” from flooding in-app trends with irrelevant and potentially harmful content. Users are therefore more strongly encouraged to create relevant hashtags and valuable content on each topic to be able to further expand the reach of this element.
The bottom line is that more reach may soon be generated even less probably with hashtags that are used very frequently, but then with the most relevant tags in combination with content that is well-versed in the target group.
