A new day, a new update from Instagram. Earlier this month, the platform announced that it will now enable users to follow specific hashtags!
Here is how Instagram explains it:
“Following a hashtag is just like following a friend. To get started, search for a topic you’re interested in or tap on a hashtag from any post. You’ll see relevant hashtags displayed in your search results along with related accounts. When you find a hashtag you like, open the hashtag page and tap on the follow button. You’ll begin seeing top posts from that hashtag in your feed and some of the latest stories in your stories bar. You can always unfollow a hashtag at any time.”
As an Instagram user, this is great news! This means you have more control over the social media content you see as well as the ability to stay informed on topics of interest. With the high number of daily social media content, specifically on popular hashtags, the user won’t be able to see all relevant posts. However, in order to combat this, Instagram will allow users to improve their feed by selecting ‘I don’t like this’ from a drop-down in relation to each post. Thus, curating a gallery that is more relevant to each individual.
From a brand perspective, this opens new opportunities and could potentially mean two things. One is this function will ultimately boost existing hashtag campaigns. Now that Instagram lets users opt into following branded campaign hashtags, the content produced by the brand must be meaningful and considered important to the user. Additionally, brands can direct their existing audience to follow a dedicated hashtag, allowing users to see near real-time social media content.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this new feature, tweet us at @socialfly and make sure to follow #Socialfly!