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Facebook should watch out with Instagram. It feels considerably more draining now than it used to. There are messages, stories, suggested posts everywhere. On t

by graeme 9y ago

Facebook should watch out with Instagram. It feels considerably more draining now than it used to. There are messages, stories, suggested posts everywhere. On the search feed I often end up in auto-scrolling videos. These increase engagement and metrics. But, they produce an unwanted feeling of compulsion where instagram didn't before. I've uninstalled the app for a bit. I never felt like that about Instagram before, but I remember first feeling like that about Facebook years ago. If I'm right, what I'm feeling about instagram is a prelude to others feeling the same. Instagram usage will first go up, then down. I don't yet have that feeling about snapchat, though the new design is annoying. (Mixing in stories and messages) Oddly enough, it has nothing to do with ads. I used to see them, back when instagram felt fun. Now I don't.

adjkant 9y ago
Bingo. They're going to pull the same drain and rake in money in the short term. They'll buy their next competitor and rinse/repeat.
mschuster91 9y ago
> I don't yet have that feeling about snapchat, though the new design is annoying. I tried to try it out but even on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 when it came out it was unbearably slow and even not using the camera drained the battery (IIRC it is/was because Snapchat kept the camera on during the time the app was open in order to avoid the 1-2s lag of camera setup). I can't understand why and how kids and young people like it so much.
- freehunter 9y ago
  >I can't understand why and how kids and young people like it so much. That. That right there is why they like it so much. Because you're not on it. Their parents and grandparents are on Facebook, but those parents and grandparents can't figure out how to use Snapchat or don't see why kids like it, and that is exactly why kids like it. It's the "adults can't see why kids love Cinnamon Toast Crunch" or "Trix is for kids" of their generation.
  - mschuster91 9y ago
    I'd get that point if the users were 14 years old. But hell adults use it, movie stars and other celebrities - no matter if the app is dumb and buggy as hell... I wonder if Snapchat usage in over-16-year-olds could be a sign of a dumbing down populace.
- graeme 9y ago
  MKBHD had a good take on Android snapchat, in passing on this video where he announced he's leaving the platform for instagram: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-DfipidnOE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-DfipidnOE Basically, it's far worse than the iOS version, due to Android fragmentation and Snapchat's failure to code for the different camera of at least the high end android devices.
freehunter 9y ago
I have the same experience with Instagram. It used to show me interesting stuff, now it shows me interesting stuff from a few days ago. And a few days from right now, it will show me the interesting stuff that was posted right now. No amount of checking Instagram seems to make the delay go away. Every time I log in, the top of my feed is from 2 days ago. And I scroll for miles and still seeing days-old content that I didn't see days ago.
- delecti 9y ago
  Scroll until you see the first thing you saw the last time you checked the app. Do that every time you open the app and you'll never see things from before the last time you checked. It's absurd that it's necessary, but it works 100% of the time for me since they moved to non-chronological sorting.
  - adjkant 9y ago
    So THAT is how they artificially increase their DAU and use time - make the user experience only tolerable if you essentially have to use the app daily and be constantly updated.
    - delecti 9y ago
      Sure, but there's a certain amount of sense in that the fix for "I want to see everything posted by the people I follow" is "go look at everything posted by the people you follow".
- PorkBoneSoup 9y ago
  I'm using it far less as it keeps showing me stuff I don't care about from 5 or so days ago instead of linear timeline. It annoys me because no one ever asked for non-chronological & there's no setting to change it. Instead it shows you stuff it ‘thinks’ you want to see but so far it has been way off the mark for me. And I've missed local bar promos as a result. I'll give it credit though; it has encouraged me to unfollow a large amount of people it kept showing me repeats of. I definitely feel less urge to engage on Instagram now than I used to as well.
ivm 9y ago
I have been using Instagram from 2011, with less than 100 subscriptions (mostly friends). Uninstalled it last month because of the compulsive story checks and the new messy algorithmic feed. Now I get there from iPad once a week.
- graeme 9y ago
  Yeah. I just checked it from Flume on Macos. Not a bad experience, devoid of most of the growth hacking stuff. Interesting you've had the same experience despite not growing your friends list. I had wondered if my own distate was simply because my list grew. Sounds like not. I agree on the stories. They stole a march on Snapchat, but they may have destroyed what made Instagram enjoyable and stress free.
driverdan 9y ago
Instagram is so frustrating. I want to see all the stuff in my feed but they actively make it hard to do so. All I want is a complete chronological feed of media. No terrible sorting algo, no held back stuff to show me later, no suggestions.
- dmix 9y ago
  I don't know why Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, etc can't have a simple toggle between chronological and the default algorithmic feed... I've seen everyone complain about this for years online and it seems like such a simple problem to solve. Much like searching for Tweets, Twitter provides a "New" vs "Top" filter which does that same... It has nothing to do with advertising as both views can include ads.
  - balls187 9y ago
    > I don't know why Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, etc can't have a simple toggle between chronological and the default algorithmic feed... It's not that they can't have it. They have no incentive to do so. Algorithm feeds provides the guarantee that an ad is seen by a minimum number of users, which is the entire value of facebook.
    - a13n 9y ago
      What? You can put ads in chronological feeds too.
      - balls187 9y ago
        Fair enough. So, why doesn't facebook allow chronological ads?
  - Jonovono 9y ago
    Same reason Netflix doesn't let you list all the movies on their site in alphabetical order - they want to create the sense that there is unlimited content. If every time you opened Instagram and there was no new content and you saw the same picture you saw last time you would just close the app. Now you never really know if there is no new content or not so you scroll down... and down...
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

by graeme 9y ago

adjkant 9y ago

Bingo. They're going to pull the same drain and rake in money in the short term. They'll buy their next competitor and rinse/repeat.

mschuster91 9y ago

> I don't yet have that feeling about snapchat, though the new design is annoying. I tried to try it out but even on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 when it came out it was unbearably slow and even not using the camera drained the battery (IIRC it is/was because Snapchat kept the camera on during the time the app was open in order to avoid the 1-2s lag of camera setup). I can't understand why and how kids and young people like it so much.

freehunter 9y ago
>I can't understand why and how kids and young people like it so much. That. That right there is why they like it so much. Because you're not on it. Their parents and grandparents are on Facebook, but those parents and grandparents can't figure out how to use Snapchat or don't see why kids like it, and that is exactly why kids like it. It's the "adults can't see why kids love Cinnamon Toast Crunch" or "Trix is for kids" of their generation.
- mschuster91 9y ago
  I'd get that point if the users were 14 years old. But hell adults use it, movie stars and other celebrities - no matter if the app is dumb and buggy as hell... I wonder if Snapchat usage in over-16-year-olds could be a sign of a dumbing down populace.
graeme 9y ago
MKBHD had a good take on Android snapchat, in passing on this video where he announced he's leaving the platform for instagram: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-DfipidnOE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-DfipidnOE Basically, it's far worse than the iOS version, due to Android fragmentation and Snapchat's failure to code for the different camera of at least the high end android devices.

freehunter 9y ago

I have the same experience with Instagram. It used to show me interesting stuff, now it shows me interesting stuff from a few days ago. And a few days from right now, it will show me the interesting stuff that was posted right now. No amount of checking Instagram seems to make the delay go away. Every time I log in, the top of my feed is from 2 days ago. And I scroll for miles and still seeing days-old content that I didn't see days ago.

delecti 9y ago
Scroll until you see the first thing you saw the last time you checked the app. Do that every time you open the app and you'll never see things from before the last time you checked. It's absurd that it's necessary, but it works 100% of the time for me since they moved to non-chronological sorting.
- adjkant 9y ago
  So THAT is how they artificially increase their DAU and use time - make the user experience only tolerable if you essentially have to use the app daily and be constantly updated.
  - delecti 9y ago
    Sure, but there's a certain amount of sense in that the fix for "I want to see everything posted by the people I follow" is "go look at everything posted by the people you follow".
PorkBoneSoup 9y ago
I'm using it far less as it keeps showing me stuff I don't care about from 5 or so days ago instead of linear timeline. It annoys me because no one ever asked for non-chronological & there's no setting to change it. Instead it shows you stuff it ‘thinks’ you want to see but so far it has been way off the mark for me. And I've missed local bar promos as a result. I'll give it credit though; it has encouraged me to unfollow a large amount of people it kept showing me repeats of. I definitely feel less urge to engage on Instagram now than I used to as well.

ivm 9y ago

I have been using Instagram from 2011, with less than 100 subscriptions (mostly friends). Uninstalled it last month because of the compulsive story checks and the new messy algorithmic feed. Now I get there from iPad once a week.

graeme 9y ago
Yeah. I just checked it from Flume on Macos. Not a bad experience, devoid of most of the growth hacking stuff. Interesting you've had the same experience despite not growing your friends list. I had wondered if my own distate was simply because my list grew. Sounds like not. I agree on the stories. They stole a march on Snapchat, but they may have destroyed what made Instagram enjoyable and stress free.

driverdan 9y ago

Instagram is so frustrating. I want to see all the stuff in my feed but they actively make it hard to do so. All I want is a complete chronological feed of media. No terrible sorting algo, no held back stuff to show me later, no suggestions.

dmix 9y ago
I don't know why Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, etc can't have a simple toggle between chronological and the default algorithmic feed... I've seen everyone complain about this for years online and it seems like such a simple problem to solve. Much like searching for Tweets, Twitter provides a "New" vs "Top" filter which does that same... It has nothing to do with advertising as both views can include ads.
- balls187 9y ago
  > I don't know why Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, etc can't have a simple toggle between chronological and the default algorithmic feed... It's not that they can't have it. They have no incentive to do so. Algorithm feeds provides the guarantee that an ad is seen by a minimum number of users, which is the entire value of facebook.
  - a13n 9y ago
    What? You can put ads in chronological feeds too.
    - balls187 9y ago
      Fair enough. So, why doesn't facebook allow chronological ads?
- Jonovono 9y ago
  Same reason Netflix doesn't let you list all the movies on their site in alphabetical order - they want to create the sense that there is unlimited content. If every time you opened Instagram and there was no new content and you saw the same picture you saw last time you would just close the app. Now you never really know if there is no new content or not so you scroll down... and down...

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]