Instagram “Stories” are a succession of pictures or short videos that users can upload to their account for other users to view.
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In the new update, Instagram will start showing users a bar of Stories from people neither you follow, nor the ones who follow you, they could be absolute unknown people who Instagram thinks you should follow.
Adding a suggested users feature is an aggressive move into old territory in social media, one that has been met with varying degrees of enthusiasm, depending on the platform. Instagram says that it will suggest stories based on people’s interests, offering up personalized recommendations of Stories from celebrities, online influencers or other people with public accounts. The feature is expected to roll out soon for all users in the future.
Describing why people visit Explore, Instagram’s Director of Project Management Blake Barnes told TechCrunch: “Some seek it out as the primary way they use Instagram…” The feature, a almost exact replica of Snapchat’s Stories function, encourages frequent posting and is created to strip away the concerns people might have about capturing the flawless shot before they will post it permanently to Instagram.
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Users won’t have to rely on their friends to see an interesting story. Although Instagram Stories are still new, Barnes said that the feature’s ability to make users worry less about likes and comments is making it a big hit with the service’s casual fanbase, concluding “it has the early signs of being a product people love”.
