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7: The Instagram Algorithm: What You Need to Know! · Hustle Minds

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  Speaker 1: You ever scroll through your Instagram feed and think, how
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: in the world did they know? I was just thinking
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: about vintage cameras, like it's spooky. Well, get ready to
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  Speaker 1: demystify that black box we call the Instagram algorithm. Today's
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  Speaker 1: deep dive is all about understanding how it works.
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  Speaker 2: And the cool thing is we've got We've got Adam
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  Speaker 2: Ulseeri himself to guide us. His blog post Instagram ranking
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  Speaker 2: explain is like a treasure trove of insights.
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  Speaker 1: Exactly, and he starts by busting a major myth, that
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  Speaker 1: single all knowing algorithm myth. It turns out Instagram doesn't
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  Speaker 1: have just one algorithm, but several, each fine tune for
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  Speaker 1: different parts of the app.
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  Speaker 2: Which you know makes sense if you think about it,
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  Speaker 2: because like your main feed is kind of like your
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  Speaker 2: own personal news feed, balancing posts from people you follow
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  Speaker 2: with posts, Instagram thinks you'll like stories, though totally different story.
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  Speaker 2: They're all about those close connections, so they prioritize views
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  Speaker 2: and interactions you have with specific accounts, And.
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  Speaker 1: Then you've got Explore, almost like that trending Now tab
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  Speaker 1: explores algorithms seems laser focused on introducing you to stuff
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  Speaker 1: that's already making waves, even if it's from accounts you
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  Speaker 1: haven't followed yet.
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  Speaker 2: Right, it's all about discovery, And of course we can't
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  Speaker 2: forget reels, the entertainment center of Instagram. Reels heavily rely
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  Speaker 2: on direct feedback from well users like you and me
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  Speaker 2: to fine tune what pops up.
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  Speaker 1: It's true I spend way too much time watching reels.
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  Speaker 1: But okay, let's unpack these algorithms one by one. Starting
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  Speaker 1: with the feed. I'm really curious about the sheer volume
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  Speaker 1: of factors or signals as they call them, that come
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  Speaker 1: into play. I mean, we're talking thousands of data points,
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  Speaker 1: like everything from your activity to the accounts you interact with,
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  Speaker 1: even down to stuff like what kind of device you're using,
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  Speaker 1: or if you tend to watch more videos.
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  Speaker 2: It's it's actually pretty amazing.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, now that's where things get really wild for me.
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  Speaker 1: I get how, say, liking a ton of baking videos
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  Speaker 1: might mean more of those show up, But the device
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  Speaker 1: I'm using, what's that got to do with anything?
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  Speaker 2: Well? See, it's all about understanding those teeny tiny usage
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  Speaker 2: patterns that we all like. Are you more likely to
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  Speaker 2: watch a longer video when you're on a tablet or
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  Speaker 2: maybe you're someone who engages more with shopping posts on
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  Speaker 2: your phone. These are the kinds of details Instagram is
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  Speaker 2: picking up on.
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  Speaker 1: Wow, it's it's mind blowing how granular it gets out
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  Speaker 1: of all those signals, though, what actually carries the most
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  Speaker 1: weight to your activity?
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  Speaker 2: What you like, what you share, the comments you leave,
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  Speaker 2: even something as simple as how long you watch a
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  Speaker 2: video for these are the strongest signs of your interests. Really,
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  Speaker 2: Instagram's algorithms are all about prioritizing content you've already shown
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  Speaker 2: you're into, especially from accounts you already follow.
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  Speaker 1: So like, if I'm constantly liking this amazing photographer's work,
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  Speaker 1: it actually helps to like double tap those photos and
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  Speaker 1: maybe even leave a comment every now and then.
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  Speaker 2: And that actually brings us to another really interesting piece
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  Speaker 2: of how the feed ranking works, this concept of recency. See,
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  Speaker 2: it's not just about showing you the absolute newest posts first.
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  Speaker 2: It's smarter than that. Instagram actually looks at your usage
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  Speaker 2: patterns to figure out when you're most likely to be online,
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  Speaker 2: and then prioritizes posts from that timeframe.
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  Speaker 1: Hold on, so you're telling me that a post from
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  Speaker 1: let's say that photographer I mentioned it might show up
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  Speaker 1: higher in my feed, even if it's a few hours old,
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  Speaker 1: just because the algorithms figured out that I tend to
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  Speaker 1: check Instagram during my lunch break.
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  Speaker 2: You got it.
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  Speaker 1: That's wild. I mean, it's like Instagram's learning my schedule.
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  Speaker 1: Not gonna lie though, As someone who's been known to
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  Speaker 1: fall down the rabbit hole of scrolling through old posts,
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  Speaker 1: this makes me appreciate the algorithm a little bit more.
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  Speaker 2: It's a delicate balancing act. Really. You've got to keep
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  Speaker 2: things fresh, you know, but also make sure you don't
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  Speaker 2: miss out on stuff from accounts you genuinely care about.
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  Speaker 1: Totally. Now, we talked about how the feed is all
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  Speaker 1: about your established connections and the algorithm's best guesses about
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  Speaker 1: your interest, but stories seem to take a different approach.
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  Speaker 1: They put a premium on your inner circle. Yeah, those
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  Speaker 1: people you're closest to, right, And this is where I'm
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  Speaker 1: really curious about this closeness signal. So its Instagram basically
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  Speaker 1: analyzing my digital love life. Now. I mean, if I'm
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  Speaker 1: liking someone's posts and sliding into their dms, I'm guessing
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  Speaker 1: that's a pretty strong signal that I want to see
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  Speaker 1: their stories, right.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, pretty much. Instagram looks at who you message the most,
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  Speaker 2: who you're tagged in photos with. They even factor in
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  Speaker 2: if you've connected your contacts list. Oh wow, it's wild.
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  Speaker 2: They're trying to map out those real life relationships and
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  Speaker 2: then basically reflect them in your digital world.
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  Speaker 1: So Instagram's like playing digital Cupid now, and I guess
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  Speaker 1: that means my love life is officially in the hands
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  Speaker 1: of the algorithm. But speaking of algorithms, let's move on
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  Speaker 1: to Explore. If the feed is my personalized news feed,
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  Speaker 1: Explore feels more like that trending now tab right. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: it's showing me all this content from accounts that don't
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  Speaker 1: even follow. So how does Instagram even begin to figure
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  Speaker 1: out what I'd want to see there?
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  Speaker 2: Well, Explore definitely relies on predicting your interests too, But
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  Speaker 2: unlike the feed, which is all about prioritizing those accounts
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  Speaker 2: you've already decided to follow, Explore is more about unearthing
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  Speaker 2: content that's our already got some serious buzz. It's kind
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  Speaker 2: of like Instagram saying, hey, check this out. Everyone else
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  Speaker 2: is it's blowing.
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  Speaker 1: Up, okay, So it's less about me specifically and more
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  Speaker 1: about what's grabbing everyone's attention.
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  Speaker 2: Exactly. A big signal for Explore is how fast a
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  Speaker 2: post gets engagement, Like how quickly does it rack up
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  Speaker 2: likes and comments. If a post from let's say, a
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  Speaker 2: baking account one you don't even follow, it's going viral,
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  Speaker 2: bam Explores more likely to put it on your radar.
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  Speaker 2: It's all about introducing you to new creators and content
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  Speaker 2: you might have totally missed otherwise.
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  Speaker 1: That makes sense. I've definitely gone down some unexpected rabbit
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  Speaker 1: holes and Explore that turned out to be super interesting.
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  Speaker 1: It's kind of like this whole secret world of hidden
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  Speaker 1: gems just waiting to be found totally.
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  Speaker 2: And that brings us to another fascinating thing about Explorer,
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  Speaker 2: which is how visual it is. The algorithm really seems
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  Speaker 2: to favor posts that are well visually appealing. It's almost
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  Speaker 2: like it understands that a really striking image or video
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  Speaker 2: is what's going to grab our attention. First.
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  Speaker 1: You're preaching to the choir. So basically what you're saying
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  Speaker 1: is a really gorgeous food photo has a better chance
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  Speaker 1: of popping up in my Explore feed than say, a
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  Speaker 1: super text heavy post about I don't know the history
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  Speaker 1: of sourdough bread. Yeah, even if I am a total
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  Speaker 1: baking nerd, You nailed it.
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  Speaker 2: Visuals are a huge deal for Explorers ranking system. But hey,
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  Speaker 2: we can't wrap up this algorithm tour without talking about reels,
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  Speaker 2: those short little videos that have taken over the Internet. Right. Well,
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  Speaker 2: they've got their own unique ranking system too.
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  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, for sure. Reels definitely feel like the place
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  Speaker 1: where entertainment takes center stage? Is that why they often
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  Speaker 1: remind me of Explore? Like I'm constantly seeing content from
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  Speaker 1: accounts I don't follow but could totally see myself getting into.
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  Speaker 2: You're right on the money. Reels and Explorer actually do
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  Speaker 2: share some similarities when it comes to their ranking algorithms.
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  Speaker 2: Both are really focused on surfacing those new creators and
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  Speaker 2: content based on well, what Instagram things you'll like. But
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  Speaker 2: here's where things get really interesting with reels. Instagram actually
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  Speaker 2: surveys users about their experience.
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  Speaker 1: Wait, really, did you enjoy this reel? Was it worth
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  Speaker 1: your time?
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  Speaker 2: Exactly? They want to know if it was actually entertaining,
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  Speaker 2: if you learn something new, or if it was just me.
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  Speaker 2: This feedback loop allows them to constantly tweak their algorithm
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  Speaker 2: and make sure they're showing you the most engaging reels possible.
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  Speaker 1: I've got to hand it to them, that's a pretty
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  Speaker 1: smart move. Yeah, it's like they're crowdsourcing those algorithm tweaks
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  Speaker 1: to make sure people are genuinely entertained and not just
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  Speaker 1: stuck in that endless scroll. But speaking of endless scrolling,
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  Speaker 1: this whole conversation about algorithms can feel kind of overwhelming.
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  Speaker 1: You know. It's like we're at the mercy of this
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  Speaker 1: code that just feeds us content, whether we actually want
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  Speaker 1: it or not.
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  Speaker 2: I get it. It's a common feeling. But the good
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  Speaker 2: news is you're not powerless. In his blog post, Adam
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  Speaker 2: Mosseri actually spends a lot of time talking about how
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  Speaker 2: Instagram's trying to give users more control of their experience.
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  Speaker 2: There are tools, and it's all about learning how to
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  Speaker 2: use them to curate more intentional and ultimately enjoyable experience.
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  Speaker 1: So what you're saying is we're not just along for
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  Speaker 1: the ride on this algorithm driven roller coaster. Yea, there
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  Speaker 1: are ways to actually steer tell me everything, because I
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  Speaker 1: am so ready to reclaim my feed.
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  Speaker 2: It starts with recognizing the power you do have. For instance,
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  Speaker 2: have you ever used features like favorites and close friends
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  Speaker 2: they're there to help you prioritize that content from your
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  Speaker 2: you know, your VIPs, the people whose posts you never
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  Speaker 2: want to miss. And what about when you just need
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  Speaker 2: a break from a certain topic or account, that's uh,
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  Speaker 2: maybe taking over your feed. That's what muting and unfollowing
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  Speaker 2: are for.
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  Speaker 1: Mute is my go to. Yeah, sometimes you just need
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  Speaker 1: a break without you know, making it a whole thing.
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  Speaker 1: But okay, I got to ask, what about this whole
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  Speaker 1: shadow band thing. It's like the Boogeyman of Instagram. Everyone's
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  Speaker 1: whispering about it, convince their contents being buried, but can
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  Speaker 1: anyone actually prove it's real? Does MOSERI finally address the
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  Speaker 1: elephant or should I say the shadow in the room.
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  Speaker 2: He doesn't actually use the word shadow band directly, but
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  Speaker 2: he definitely tackles those community concerns head on about you know,
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  Speaker 2: those unexplainable dips and reach that people are freaking out about.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so give it to me straight. Is shadow banning
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  Speaker 1: real or is it all in our heads? Is it
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  Speaker 1: just our collective Instagram anxieties getting the best of us.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Massari's stance is pretty clear. Instagram wants its creators
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  Speaker 2: to do well. Why because when the community's thriving, it
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  Speaker 2: means more awesome, engaging content, which means users like us
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  Speaker 2: keep coming back for more. Everyone wins.
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  Speaker 1: Right, true makes sense from a business perspective, But what
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  Speaker 1: about those sudden drops in reach that have so many
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  Speaker 1: creators panicking, like, how does that fit into this hole
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  Speaker 1: we want you to succeed thing.
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  Speaker 2: That's where the account status tool comes in. Think of
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  Speaker 2: it like, think of it like a backstage pass to
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  Speaker 2: see how Instagram views your account.
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  Speaker 1: So instead of freaking out about this mythical shadow ban,
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  Speaker 1: I can just go into my account status and see
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  Speaker 1: if there's actually something affecting my reach. That's a game changer.
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  Speaker 2: Right, It takes out all the guestswork and knowledge is power. Right.
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  Speaker 2: Account status can give you a clear picture of what's
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  Speaker 2: going on behind the scenes. I like it like maybe
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  Speaker 2: a recent post accidentally went against those community guidelines, or
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  Speaker 2: maybe there's just like a technical glitch that's messing with
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  Speaker 2: your contents and visibility. This will tell you that is huge.
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  Speaker 1: It's like suddenly we're not just like at the whim
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  Speaker 1: of the algorithm. We can actually be proactive.
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  Speaker 2: One hundred percent. And you know what, Instagram's even experimenting
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  Speaker 2: with some new notifications that'll actually tell creators if a
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  Speaker 2: real's reach is limited because of something as honestly small
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  Speaker 2: as like a watermark.
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  Speaker 1: No way, seriously, Yeah, see, stuff like that is so helpful.
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  Speaker 1: No more guessing games.
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  Speaker 2: You know, after this deep dive, I feel like I've
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  Speaker 2: had a light bulb moment. It feels way less intimidating,
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  Speaker 2: you know, like it's not about trying to crack the
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  Speaker 2: secret code or anything. It's more about understanding the why
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  Speaker 2: and the how.
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  Speaker 1: It's about understanding the logic because it is logical, even
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  Speaker 1: if it seems random sometimes totally.
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  Speaker 2: And look, we've learned that the algorithms are always changing
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  Speaker 2: and that Instagram's really trying to get this balance right
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  Speaker 2: between personalization and you know, keeping things safe and making
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  Speaker 2: sure we actually have some control over what we see.
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  Speaker 1: I think the biggest takeaway from me it's just remembering
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  Speaker 1: that we're not just passive bystanders here. We have a voice,
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  Speaker 1: We can engage more strategically, make use of all the
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  Speaker 1: tools they've given us, and actually understand the factors that
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  Speaker 1: are influencing you know, what ends up in our feeds.
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  Speaker 2: Right you're in the driver's seat you just got to,
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  Speaker 2: you know, learn the rules of the road exactly.
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  Speaker 1: You know what, maybe after this, I'm finally going to
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  Speaker 1: go and actually organize my close friends list. Or maybe
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  Speaker 1: I'll play around with different types of content. I don't know,
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  Speaker 1: see what happens. It's like I'm not just throwing Spagheti
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  Speaker 1: at the wall anymore hoping something sticks. Whatever I do,
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  Speaker 1: I actually feel like I've got the knowledge to make
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  Speaker 1: it happen. No more confusion, no more mystery. Algorithm.
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  Speaker 2: That's what we like to hear. It's all about that
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  Speaker 2: aha moment.
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  Speaker 1: That's what it's all about. Well, thanks for joining me
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  Speaker 1: on this algorithm adventure. Until next time, happy scrolling, everybody,