According to reports, Instagram is testing a new method of sharing links in stories via the story sticker. While those with a verified account or more than 10,000 followers can already share links using a swipe-up gesture; Instagram is now testing a new sticker of shareable links that will be open to a bigger audience. Given how its users use the platform, the social media company also stated that posting links in stickers performs better than the typical swipe-up gesture. There is no word on when Instagram will make the update public and available to all of its users.
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Instagram Story Stickers For Sharing Links
“It’s mostly to learn how people might take advantage of links,” Instagram product head Vishal Shah told The Verge. They’ll be looking for specific types of links that people share, as well as misinformation and spamming. Shah also indicated that Stickers are Instagram’s long-term goal, whether they are for everyone or just those with link-sharing privileges.
However, Shah also stated that the link-sharing feature will be confined to Instagram Stories and may not be available for posts in the feed or elsewhere in the app.
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Users would be able to comment on an Instagram Story using links in Stickers, which was not the case with the swipe-up gesture. Instagram is currently testing the feature with a small group of users who have a reasonable number of followers but not enough for the swipe-up gesture.
When asked about the tests, Shah stated that it “bring links into the same kind of overall system, which from a system simplicity perspective, also makes a lot of sense”. Because it is still only a small test, it is possible that individuals will use the Instagram app to browse the Internet more frequently.
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Instagram was recently testing blending suggested posts with main feed from accounts users follow. Users will be able to pick and choose specific topics for suggested posts from a list of interests. Instagram may also allow users to hide suggested posts for up to 30 days from their feed.
