By Elton Gomes
Instagram, on Wednesday, said that it was testing a redesign of profiles, wherein it was attempting a re-arrangement of features, icons, buttons, and the way users navigate between tabs on its platform.
“We’re testing ways you can better express yourself and easily connect with the people – so over the next several weeks, you may see features re-arranged or changed at the top of your profiles,” the company wrote in a blog post.
Instagram has, however, assured users that it won’t introduce any changes to the photos and videos shared on their profile grids.
The Facebook-owned app further said in its blog, “We’ve been working on these changes and will test them in phases and different combinations with our community over the next several weeks.”
What changes have been introduced?
The new changes could mean that your profile picture moves to the right corner, thus pushing your username to the top of the page. Your user name could appear in a larger font, while your followers and following are given less importance. The number of posts created might no longer be present.
You will be able to see your mutual followers when you tap on a user’s following tab. The grid, posts, and tagged photos icons are now written out, and IGTV might be getting its own tab. A Shop tab now appears for business accounts, in addition to buttons such as “Directions,” “Call,” and “Start Order.”
What does this mean for users?
According to Instagram, the new design will make profiles cleaner. Instagram seems to have empahsised on a user’s profile photo and bio — this could be an attempt to refocus the app on the individual, than on his/her number of followers.
Instagram’s other features introduced recently
The company has been repeatedly revamping its features over last several months. In October, the company said it had begun using machine learning technology to proactively detect bullying in photos and captions.
An Instagram spokesperson said the technology could detect bullying and harassment, including attacks on a person’s appearance or character, and threats to someone’s well-being or health. Such posts would be sent to Instagram’s Community Operations team for a human review.
Instagram’s anti-bullying algorithm can identify bullying tactics. Some of these include comparing, ranking and rating images and captions, such as a split-screen image wherein a person is compared to someone else in a negative way.
In a bid to enhance authenticity, the Facebook-owned photo sharing app also announced the latest step to purge inauthentic likes, follows, and comments from accounts that used third-party apps to boost their popularity.
Instagram said that it had developed a machine learning tool that would help to identify accounts that used automated apps to generate likes and follows from fake users.
Instagram even has a dashboard that shows you how much time you’ve spent on the app. Called “Your Activity”, the dashboard is accessible in the top right menu, and helps you see how much time you’ve spent on the app on an average, along with how much you’re using it daily.
Elton Gomes is a staff writer at Qrius
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