Instagram plans changes to newsfeed

Get ready for the oncoming storm: Instagram is planning to cange how your newsfeed is presented.

A new algorithm rolled out in the coming months will determine which moments the photo sharing service feels you care about most and present those at the top of your feed when you log into the app. The current arrangement is reverse chronological order, meaning you may have to scroll through a number of posts to see ones from close friends and family, for example.

According to a post on the company’s blog, people miss an average of 70 per cent of the material posted in their feeds.

“The order of photos and videos in your feed will be based on the likelihood you’ll be interested in the content, your relationship with the person posting and the timeliness of the post,” the company said. “As we begin, we’re focusing on optimising the order — all the posts will still be there, just in a different order.”

But Instagram should take heed from the recent experience of Twitter when it comes to making changes. When reports emerged that Twitter could be planning an algorithmic timeline for users, some of the reaction wasn't positive. A hashtag, #RIPTwitter, began trending, prompting a response from chief executive Jack Dorsey, who promised that the company was listening.

And Instagram owner Facebook is no stranger to complaints when it implements changes; the introduction of the Timeline feature prompted mass complaints and threats to quit the service over privacy fears.