05/14/2026
I follow Mari Smith for updates and insights into Meta products - here is her take on the new Instants feature from Instagram -
So Instagram has a brand new feature + brand new standalone app: "Instants." 🙄
📸 Instants, a new way to share photos in the moment with your Close Friends or mutual followers.
📸 Instants disappear after they’re opened by someone and can’t be viewed after 24 hours.
📸 You can access Instants through the Instagram app OR its standalone app that opens directly to the Instants camera.
Unlike Instagram, which is about curated and polished content, Instants is designed for quick, real-life snapshots. With Instants, you capture a photo with Instagram’s in-app camera and aren’t allowed to edit the image. The format doesn’t allow uploads from your camera, and, although you can add text to your “instants,” you can’t modify them any further. Meta said in a blog post that the idea behind this format is to share authentic moments as they’re happening. (from TechCrunch).
Eh, friends, the minute I saw this announcement earlier today on media sites, Meta, Instagram, and Adam Mosseri's reel... my mind was just like,
"Whatever!!!"
Hahaa! 😝😂 Sorry, not sorry.
Like, why?
Well, numerous reasons, no doubt.
1. Continue to attract younger demographics.
2. Compete with Snapchat.
3. Get users to share more raw, unedited content.
4. Cater to the decline in users sharing as much to their profile/grid.
5. Fuel the addiction to keep coming back to the app.
6. Increase time on site/app.
7. Keeping eyeballs glued to the screen = sell more ads.
Anything else you'd add?
And if you're already loving Instants, please enlighten us as to why. Lol. 😆
P.S. Post manually written by me, fingers on the keyboard. 👉🏻⌨️
