Instagram is going through a big change and everyone is upset

Advertisement

Advertisement
Women cell phone horrified

Shutterstock

Instagram is making a major change to how users see content on the platform. 

Photos and videos will no longer be ordered chronologically. Instead, Instagram will be using an algorithm to show users the photos it thinks they'll find most interesting, based on relationships with other users, timing, and interactions including likes and comments. 

And, much like when Twitter switched to an algorithm based system earlier this month, people are not happy about the proposed changes. 

Theoretically, the new system means users could miss a post from a friend because the algorithm might not show it to them. To rectify this, many Instagram users are posting these spam-like pictures telling their followers to turn on notifications, so they'll get a pop-up notification every time that account posts something new on Instagram. 

Advertisement

Here's an example. 

And here's another. A quick Instagram search for "#Notifications" yield hundreds of results. Looks like people are pretty concerned about the new algorithm. 

The notification posts are getting pretty overwhelming and people on Instagram are starting to notice.

Advertisement

Instagram community manager Jeffrey Gerson weighed in on Twitter, saying that while changes are happening to the platform, turning on notifications for tons of users isn't "healthy." We imagine all those alerts could get very annoying very quickly. 

Gerson also noted that the new algorithm is not rolling out on Monday. And while many people online are claiming the change is happening Tuesday, an Instagram representative told Tech Insider otherwise.  

From Instagram. 

Advertisement

This is not being implemented tomorrow [Tuesday] - we still have weeks, or even months, of testing to go. Currently the test groups are very small. When we roll it out broadly, we will definitely let the community know.

NOW WATCH: Here's what celebrities would look like with symmetrical faces