Welcome to AITechU. Today we are talking about a big update from Instagram.
Introduction
Ephemeral features continue getting more and more sophisticated on Instagram – after launching stories and disappearing messages in direct, the popular platform owned by Meta plans to introduce another novel feature – ‘Instants’. This feature claims to restore a bit of raw and organic vibe of posting images, complemented with privacy perks. In this article, we will take a deeper look into Instagram Instants and explore the way it is changing the world of social media.
What Are Instagram Instants?
Instagram Instants are special instant images sharing options that have two essential conditions:
1. Time limit – they will disappear after 24 hours from posting, just like stories.
2. The number of views is limited to one person, similar to ‘View Once’ feature available for direct messages.
Note: It may be considered as a mix between the core functionality of Snapchat and ‘View Once’ function of Instagram.
How instagram instants differ from stories and posts
Many users are wondering why Instagram needs another disappering feature. Here is a quick comparison:
| Feature | Lifespan | View Limit | Where it appears |
| Regular Post | Permanent | Unlimited | Main Feed / Profile |
| Stories | 24 Hours | Unlimited | Top Tray |
| Instant | 24 Hours | Only Once | Dedicated Tray |
Why Is Instagram Launching This?
This is most probably an attempt to rival with such platforms as BeReal and Snapchat, that promote posting of unedited images and ‘instant’ pictures that give no time to put the effort into polishing the perfect picture.
By restricting the number of views per image to one, This will raise the level of “FOMO” (Fear Of Missing Out) because, unlike other features where people can scroll through your posts at any time, Instagram Instants force the follower to watch what their friends have posted at once.
Security: Can You Take Screenshots from Instants?
So far, there has been no information about whether or not users would be able to take screenshots when viewing Instants. However, based on the current data, we may assume that they’ll behave like Snapchat disappearing DMs, and the sender will get notified if someone tries to make a screenshot.
Conclusion
Instagram Instants seem promising for those looking to share some temporary content on their profiles. It may turn out that Instants become as popular as Reels.
Do you think Instants will become another Instagram hit? Would you use Instants instead of stories? Tell us in the comments!