Instagram is a visual sharing app available on mobile devices. Founded in 2010, the platform has experienced exponential growth and was acquired in 2012 by Facebook Inc. While it is popular among users of different age groups, it has received negative attention for its perpetuation of perfection that has been linked to negative self-perceptions among teenagers.
Instagram's Search Functions
To search on app:
The user must tap the magnifying glass icon on the bottom left corner. Once on the search page, the user will see pictures and Instagram reels suggested by the algorithm. Users will also see various search terms inspired by the algorithm. To search for anything, the use must type in the search bar at the top of the page.
Once there, the user will see past searches, as well as trending suggested searches. Users can search with or without hashtags. If the user searches the term "baking" for example, 5 types of results will appear.
Search icon can be found in between the hompage and Reels icon. It is located on the bottom left corner.
Recent searches and suggestions appear.
Search term "baking" yields suggestions before searched.
"Places" result for search term "baking".
"Tags" result for search term "baking".
"Audio" results for search term "baking".
"Accounts" result for search term "baking".
"Top" results for search term "baking".
Posts on the "Search and Explore" page are selected based on:
-Instagram accounts you follow
-Photos and videos you like.
-Who you are connected to
To search on desktop:
The search bar is located at the top of the screen, right underneath the URL box. To search, a user must type into search bar. Similar to the Instagram app, top suggestions will appear from the scroll down menu before you even search a term.
Once the user searches their selected term, popular posts related to the search term (or popular posts with #yoursearchterm) will appear. Above these images, popular suggested search terms related to the orginal term will appear. This is to give the user an option have have more niche results.
The term "Baking recipes" was suggested with my orginal source.
Instagram offers a guide titled "How do I search on Instagram"? on their Help Center page. Other related articles are found below it, such as:
How do I share from Instagram to other social networks?
Using stickers on Instagram.
What can I do if I see a post I don't like in Instagram Search and Explore?
There is also an embedded link titled "How content is chosen for Search and Explore".
Is the Instagram algorithm harming small businesses?
According to a March 2022 New York Times article, it is. Since its inception in 2010, small businesses have used Instagram to promote their products, connect with potential customers, and grow a following. One woman's homegrown spice business averaged 2,000 to 3,000 likes per post in 2017 (Hughes, 2022). This has changed with Meta taking over the app. Meta prioritizes Reels (videos) over images in the algorithm. Similar to Tik Toks, the most popular Reels are creative and take time and effort to create. That means that people who relied on their audiences to see their image posts are financially harmed. The same businesswoman who was getting thousands of likes only 5 years ago, is now averaging 100 -200 likes per post. Not only are posts not being seen, small businesses are losing money by having to hire creative professionals to film and edit reels. The ones who can't afford to hire someone have to learn how to successfully make video content themselves, which can be a learning curve for many people.
Besides the introduction of Reels, Instagram's advertising algorithm has also harmed small businesses. A study conducted in 2020 saw that paying for 3 product ads to reach a target audience worked significantly (Pogorevich, 2020). An 109- person subscriber increase was found, along with double the usual engagement of posts about the product. Businesses who can't afford ads are significantly left out of the algorithm. Competitors with similar products thus reach potential customers much quicker than ad-less businesses. This type of reach can be pivotal in running a successful business through the app.
Businesses who have a successful following and engagement to audiences can fall victim to the algorithm, too. Specifically, when the Instagram app (and therefore Instagram algorithm) is down. Small businesses who have put years of effort and money into growing a following tend to rely heavily on Instagram to attract customers to their sites (Bruner, 2021). Only a few hour outage of the app means that paid advertisements won't be seen, posts won't be interacted with, and customers (in many cases) will be out of contact with the businesses. This can be catastrophic for product launches, special events, and every day commerce. While the Instagram algorithm harms businesses who cannot afford advertisements and new features, it helps those who can. When the Instagram app is down however, all small businesses who rely on Instagram on harmed in a way that didn't exist before the advent of social media.
Takeaways
Instagram's platform provides different ways of searching, each of which will yield slightly different results.
Instagram's re-design to prioritize sponsored content favors certain types of creators that can afford to incentivize their content, which results in content from small businesses and individuals being pushed down and therefore overlook.