In 2018, the instagram algorithm has already undergone several updates. At the last conference held by Instagram at the launch of IGTV, Instagram clarified that social networking "depends on machine learning based on its previous behavior to create a unique feed for everyone. Even if you follow exactly the same accounts as someone else, your feed will be customized according to how you interact with those accounts. "

At this point, the great goal of Instagram is to make you see the content of your closest friends and family. According to Instagram, the new algorithm allows users to see 90% of their “friends and family”members posts, instead of the 50% they saw in the chronological feed.

To predict which content is most important to you, the new algorithm uses three major factors: Interest, Timeless, and Relationship

Interest: This criterion defines how much a user will like a post. The more you interact with a user or type of post, the more it will appear in your feed. Here comes the machine learning we talked about earlier.

Timeless: how long ago did this photo appear? Instagram's new algorithm prioritizes more recent posts, correcting a problem from the previous version that made users view posts that were longer than a week in their feed.

Relationship: If you comment a lot on photos of someone or are often identified in a person's posts, Instagram believes that these users fall under the category of "family and friends". If you notice that you never see a person's photos in your feed, start commenting on their photos and confirm that this changes.

According to Instagram, there are other factors that influence the algorithm beyond the main 3, such as frequency. Frequency refers to how often you scroll through the application. If you're a frequent user, your feed will look more "chronological," since Instagram shows you the "best posts since your last visit. “If you do not access the app so often, your feed will be built according to what Instagram thinks you'll like best based on the criteria we've covered previously.

In the presentation speech, Instagram’s spokesperson also clarified that videos no longer have more prominence than photos, as happened when video was initially introduced in the app. So, because feeds are presented based on user interactions, if you watch many videos on Instagram you will be presented with more videos and the other way around.

Now that you know all about Instagram's algorithm, you've probably already realized that it's essential to promote interaction with your followers in your business account.