Instagram has announced the addition of a comments section to its Stories feature, a significant update aimed at enhancing user interaction.
Unlike the traditional approach where replies to Stories appear as private messages, this new feature makes comments visible within the Stories themselves.
However, this option is limited to users who are followed by the Story’s creator.
Users retain the flexibility to disable this feature if they prefer, maintaining control over their experience on the platform.
According to Instagram, this tool is designed to boost user engagement and foster more community-centered interactions.
The move comes in response to a growing trend among Instagram users, particularly teenagers, who increasingly favour private DMs and closed groups for communication, steering away from the visibility of advertisers.
“If you look at how teens spend their time on Instagram, they spend more time in DMs than they do in Stories, and they spend more time in Stories than they do in Feed,” Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, explained during a recent podcast.
This shift in user behavior has prompted Instagram to innovate ways to keep users engaged, particularly within the Stories format.
Instagram remains a powerful platform for brands, with nine out of ten users following at least one brand.
The platform has integrated various marketing tools, including sponsored posts, influencer marketing campaigns, and shopping features, to capitalize on this trend. Social media influencers, who play a crucial role in promoting products and brands, are already anticipating the impact of this new feature on their engagement metrics.
Instagram Broadcast Channels, a tool that allows creators to communicate with their followers en masse, has been another method influencers use to engage without relying on direct messages.
With the introduction of comments in Stories, influencers see an opportunity to enhance interaction further.
Influencer Ariana Nathani shared her enthusiasm with Business Insider, noting, “It’s going to make Stories feel more like livestreaming, and I wonder if that’s where things are trending.”
She added that this change is likely to keep viewers engaged in Stories for longer periods, which is particularly appealing to influencers like her who prioritize Stories over in-Feed posts.
Similarly, influencer Anushka Purohit expressed her excitement about the new feature, highlighting its potential to stimulate public conversations.
“I’ve been waiting for a feature like this for so long because I’m always in a dilemma of whether I want to post something on my Story or on my Feed because I want there to be conversations about everything I post,” Purohit remarked.
The introduction of this feature has sparked discussions across various social media platforms, with users on X sharing their thoughts and reactions to the update.
Many are curious about how this change will influence the way they and others interact with Stories moving forward.
