Instagram is updating the account status feature to better inform business and creator accounts as to why some of their posts are being blocked, as this is for greater transparency for users.
These accounts will now know which of their posts are “eligible to be recommended” by the Instagram algorithm to people who do not follow other sections of the platform. This includes places like the Explore page, Reels, and In-Feed recommendations. Instagram, on the other hand, will also tell accounts why their content is not featured, explaining, for example, how they violate our Community Guidelines, according to the announcement (opens in a new tab). This information can also be found on Instagram page of the creators (opens in a new tab); it’s just more front and center than before.
Once informed, creators have the option to edit or remove the offending post or appeal if they feel Instagram was a bit overzealous in flagging this content. The review team will take a close look at said post before coming back with a new decision. If this sounds familiar, it’s because regular accounts have been able to reference flagged content since the introduction of Account Status in October 2021.
A future update will provide guidance on extending account status to other features such as search and educating creators on how to better reach people who are not following.
It is not known when the account status update will be released and where. This means that new features are currently being rolled out. We asked Instagram if it could explain the launch window and if it could tell us more about future account status additions. We’ll update this story if we get a response.
Algorithm explanation
In the announcement, Instagram states that it understands how frustrating it can be for accounts to understand why they’re not getting the engagement they used to. That’s really the purpose of this update: to clear up the confusion. Social media algorithms are a common source of frustration for many content creators. How these algorithms work is a closely guarded secret. For example, if you spend enough time on YouTube, you’ll eventually come across the creator you’re complaining about how hard it is to understand what is encouraged or suppressed.
Last year, third-party action was taken to address this issue. The most significant was the adoption by the European Union of the so-called Digital Services Act, which will force tech giants like Meta to reveal how their recommendation algorithms work. However, this law will not come into effect until 2024, so proprietary tools will remain limited.
However, there are third-party tools. Check out the recently updated TechRadar best social media management tools in 2022. It’s a good way to spend your time posting content so you can keep your audience engaged.