Instagram was behaving pretty questionably throughout 2022.

The switchover from prioritising still image posts to Reels in an attempt to commit identity theft on TikTok was painful and, at times, desperate coming from an app that is used by over 50% of the UK population.

When Kylie Jenner calls you out in a plea to “make Instagram Instagram again” (July, 2022) and starts a change.org petition to bring back chronological timelines, most would choose to cut their short-form content losses and revert to their still-image selfies. But Instagram persisted with Reels and here we are. It’s Instagram’s world, we are all just living in it.

However, recent changes to the app may suggest that Instagram is feeling generous this year, introducing two new updates that are actually… very good?

Update One: In app scheduling (FINALLY!)

We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of this Instagram update and all social media enthusiasts around the world.

Finally, we can create posts and reels with captions, we can also add our desired sound and schedule it in app to share with the world at a carefully planned, allotted time.

This is an especially helpful addition considering that many social media scheduling tools have not yet adjusted to the complexities of Reels, more specifically, not offering the option to add a trending sound, text or your own cover photo (the horror).

If you haven’t yet discovered this feature, this handy video from @elle.social on Instagram shows you exactly how to do it.

Update Two: Quiet mode. Shhhhh!

With a new year under way – just us that keeps writing 2022 in our notes and has to scribble it out? — many of us* are pledging to spend less time on social media and more time in the present moment.

*Not your friendly, neighbourhood, Liquid social team. If anything, we’re spending more time than ever on social media. The things we do for you all…

For those that do want a little down time though, Instagram’s new update suggests they are willing to help. The new ‘quiet mode’ update hopes to reduce excessive use of Instagram to improve overall mental health.

When you switch it on, ‘quiet mode’ will mute your notifications and send auto-replies to anyone who slides into your DMs. Users with this feature turned on will have an ‘in quiet mode’ status underneath their Instagram profile name with a crescent moon icon beside it. It can be turned on and off in the apps settings and you can even set a time period for it to switch on automatically.

What do you think of these new Instagram updates? In the Liquid social media team, we’ve already started incorporating Instagram’s in-app scheduling for Reels and I suspect that we will see a few crescent moons knocking about on the app come the weekend.

If you’re looking for a social media agency in Birmingham that is always on top of the latest in social media trends and updates, get in touch today!