Instagram’s algorithm is facing some radical changes. On April 30, the platform vowed to prioritize original content, further the reach of smaller accounts, and clamp down on reposted material.
We’ve all come across aggregators — accounts that straight up repost memes and Reels — without credit. It’s all part of the circle of life. That is, if the circle of life was completely plagiarized.
As the Verge’s Mia Sato puts it, these kinds of accounts post content that is “wholesale ripped off with no acknowledgment.” Meanwhile, “engagement is siphoned off from the person who created the content in the first place.” Not fun.
What’s changing with Instagram aggregators?
In a new announcement dated April 30, Instagram says that this algorithm update will primarily target repeat offenders. Namely, Instagram will remove accounts that aggregate without meaningful additions more than ten times in 30 days from the platform’s ‘recommended’ algorithm.
“It takes a lot of time and effort to create original content. So those who create it should get credit and distribution even when it is reposted by other accounts,” the platform said in the blog post.
So, if two accounts post the same Reel, the original poster’s (OP) version will be the one that’s amplified via Instagram’s recommended algorithm.
The second way Instagram is amplifying the OP is by adding a label to reposts. These labels will link viewers to the original creator.
According to Instagram, however, it looks like both the OP and the aggregator account will be able to remove this label. This is fair enough for the OP. But surely, it will render the label function useless for aggregator accounts.
“We think these changes will help Instagram be a place where all creators have an equal chance of breaking through,” Instagram added.
