No longer do you have to worry over whether you’re spamming you stream with too many images. Introduced today, Instagram Stories lets you share moments of your day, grouped together as a slideshow. Interestingly, at a time when SnapChat is adding features to make content a little more permanent, Instagram Stories seems to be going the other way. Photos and videos get removed after 24 hours and don’t appear on your profile grid or in your feed. Instead, you’ll see stories from people you follow across a bar at the top of your feed.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/177180549
I never really got the whole SnapChat thing, so I’m not entirely sure I get the point of Stories, either. Temporary content just doesn’t seem worth it. It’s a bit like that regret you get from having too much to drink the night before. You wake up the next morning and don’t remember half of what happened. It’s just a waste. But, maybe it’s just me.
Your story follows the privacy settings of your account. So, if your account is private, it is only visible to your followers. Instagram say that you will be able to individually prevent a person from seeing your story, too. You can stop them from seeing it even if they’re your follower.
I am curious who’s going to use this feature the most. Will it be kids blocking their parents from seeing their antics? Or will parents be preventing their offspring from seeing what they get up to? One feature that’s potentially interesting for abusing your friends is the ability to draw on your photos. https://player.vimeo.com/video/177181395 As a photographer, I can actually see this one being potentially useful. You could use it to label behind the scenes shots, assuming you can write small and legibly enough. Instagram Stories and the other new features will be getting rolled out globally over the next few weeks to both iOS and Android. I can’t say Stories is a feature that I’m eagerly anticipating. I’m sure, though, that it’ll be a very cool feature for those at whom it’s targeted, though. Call me an old grump if you like, but I just don’t get the point. I certainly don’t get the point of making your cat fire lasers out of its eyes. Or, owning a cat. If somebody could explain the appeal of temporarily broadcasting parts of your life, please do let me know in the comments.
