Instagram is introducing some new changes to its ranking system to give more emphasis to content from small, original creators across the social network. The Meta-owned platform says creators with large followings and accounts that share reposted content have historically had the most reach on the platform. So now, with a series of new changes rolling out over the coming months, we're looking to level the playing field for all creators in terms of reach.
The change comes after months of criticism from creators who say the algorithm is hurting their reach, with Instagram chief Adam Mosseri saying that almost every time he advertises the new feature, With the same frequency, I ended up filing a complaint about the thread.
The platform introduces ranking changes that increase distribution for small creators, replaces reposts in recommendations with original content, adds labels to reposted content, and removes content aggregators from recommendations .
Instagram said it is working on a new way to rank recommendations that will show qualified content to a small number of viewers who might enjoy it. As people engage with your content, the best performing set of reels will be shown to a slightly wider audience, then the best set of those reels will be shown to an even wider group, and so on. Instagram believes this change will give all creators an equal chance to find an audience.
Additionally, if two or more identical pieces of content are found on Instagram, Instagram will only recommend the original content. This change means that reposted content in app recommendations will directly replace the original content. The company says it won't replace content if it changes significantly. For example, Instagram will not replace content that has been edited to become a meme or parody. Additionally, content will only be replaced where Instagram recommends posting it, such as on the Explore page, Reels, and in-feed recommendations.
Instagram will also start adding labels to reposted content that link the user to the original creator. The label will be visible to followers of the account that reposts it. The company says the original author or accounts reposting the content currently have the option to remove the label. Instagram may soon prevent creators from removing labels.
Another new change comes after meme accounts and pages dedicated to reposting other creators' content. In the coming months, accounts that repeatedly post other users' content that they haven't created or enhanced will no longer appear in recommendations, the company said. Instagram says this change will not affect how content from the aggregator accounts you follow is displayed.