Instagram Stories was announced in August as the new feature using which the users can share their everyday moments.
The Snapchat-like feature will help the users to post their photos and short videos that do not last for more than 24 hours. This feature will also allow the users to edit and write or draw on the photos and videos. The recent update by Instagram has brought the Stories feature on Explore with an aim to expand their reach. With the Instagram Stories coming to the Explore tab, it will now be even easier for the users to discover all the new stories that might interest them to watch.
Exploring the Stories
Instagram mentioned in a blog post that there are more than 100 million people around the world who visit the Explore tab every day in Instagram to watch photos and videos of the other users whom they are not following yet. The newly suggested Stories section will highlight the most interesting stories from across the vast global community of Instagram. Following the concepts of the parent company Facebook, the Stories that the users will see on the Explore tab in Instagram will be personalized according to their interests. Till now, only the Stories that were uploaded by the people who are followed by the users were visible in the Home section at the top. But with this latest update of integrating the Stories with the Explore tab, the users will now be able to view all the popular Stories from across the globe.
Competing With Snapchat
With the introduction of Stories, Instagram is trying to directly compete with Snapchat. While Snapchat allows its users to save their posts that are also time-bound, with Instagram Stories, the users cannot do that as of now. However, Instagram does have an advantage over Snapchat with the latest update of adding the Stories to the Explore tab, since discovering stories is still a struggle when it comes to Snapchat.
Upload and Edit For Stories
The users can find a plus icon at the top left corner of the mobile screen and click on it to upload a story. Or the users can just slide from left to the right on the screen using their fingers to open the camera. After recording a video or clicking a picture, editing tools will be provided by Instagram, using which the users can doodle or write on the images or videos. The story will disappear after 24 hours of uploading.
The Instagram Stories allow the users to post numerous and endless highlights of their everyday activities and at the same time, they do not have to worry about over cluttering their account. The Stories feature has been introduced by Instagram as a part of the company’s attempt to keep its users engaged and to increase the usability of the app by getting the people to share more photos and videos.
The latest update of Instagram Stories being incorporated into the Explore tab is out and is already being rolled out on the global platform to all the Android, iOS, and Windows users.