What does the viewing order mean in Stories?

Anyone who uses Instagram frequently has certainly noticed some trends in the order in which Stories appear, right at the top of your profile. It’s very likely that you’ll see posts from the same people first.

And why does this happen? As you might imagine, it has to do with Instagram’s algorithms. The good part is that, having this information at hand, you can use it to try to “manipulate” your posts and the views of the profiles you like the most.

How does the order of people who viewed your Stories work?

According to Julian Gutman, former product lead at Instagram, the first point that is considered is the machine learning of the algorithm of this social network. The more you interact with a specific account—through likes, comments, profile views, direct messages, and search—the more likely you are to see that account, including in your Stories.

Some people express suspicion that the priority in the order of Stories would be the accounts of those who “stalk” their profile most frequently. But that’s not quite the case! What will determine what appears to you is who you interact with, not the opposite movement.

But the truth is that there is also a factor of randomness and luck that will determine what appears first in your Stories. According to Gutman, if you are online At the exact moment your friend posts a Story, you will have priority in receiving that publication.

What is Instagram’s organization criteria when showing the order of Stories?

Instagram algorithms use criteria to organize the Stories available on your profile. (Source: GettyImages / Reproduction)Fonte:  GettyImages

Next, understand in detail what influences the order in which Stories will appear on your profile – and, consequently, on your friends’ profiles as well. In this way, You can also use this information to perform actions that can modify the display of publications.. Follow!

Likes and comments

Likes, comments and other types of engagement on a person’s post will make Instagram understand that person as a close contact, who you want to see more often.

In other words: if you really like a certain profile and want it to appear more to you, the trick is to always interact with its Stories.

Interactions

In the same way, People who react to your Stories also tend to appear higher on the list of viewers. of your post, differentiating yourself from contacts who only viewed and did not interact.

Viewing order

The first people who appear in your Stories are the ones who did it first. At the top of the queue are those who interacted (those who sent hearts or other interactions, for example).

It is important to say that this information is based not only on details provided by Instagram (which keeps the functioning of its algorithm under lock and key), but on empirical impressions from users.

Profile access

Some users have a habit of checking a contact’s profile to see if there’s anything new. If you do this, Instagram will understand that this profile is of interest to you and should put their Stories at the top of your list.

Viewing history

After the first few views of Stories, you will see the order of users according to a classification that does not necessarily prioritize temporal orderand yes other factors, such as the tendency to always interact with your Stories.

Right at the end of the line of people who viewed it are those you don’t follow back.

New contacts

Instagram’s algorithm may also prioritize people who don’t follow you or who you don’t have close contact with. This happens because the platform may try to present you with new information. If you’ve just followed someone, they may appear as a priority in your Stories.

Facebook also counts

Facebook (now Meta) bought Instagram in 2012, which led to a certain merger between the algorithms of the two accounts. Therefore, if someone accesses your Stories on Facebook (if you have enabled the function to post there as well), their viewing can influence your Instagram. It’s not witchcraft, it’s an algorithm!

Facebook influences the order in which your Stories are displayed. (Source: GettyImages / Reproduction)Fonte:  GettyImages

This is because Instagram’s algorithm also detects your interactions outside the applike the ones you do on Facebook. Thus, it captures this information and then replicates it in its image network.

This means that someone who interacts a lot with you only on Facebook may see your Stories first on Instagram.

View list accesses

Some people have the habit of checking throughout the day to see who has seen their Stories. According to Julian Gutman, this can also be taken into account by Instagram: the algorithm starts trying to show a different order to bring new information to the user.

So, if you tend to check who has viewed your latest Stories over and over again, it’s quite possible that random people will start to appear on your list, without much logic.

Can I change the viewing order and make it chronological on Instagram?

You cannot create a chronological order in the Stories that appear on your profile, since the Instagram algorithm uses the criteria described above as a basis, such as the proximity factor and the number of interactions with the accounts.

However, you can gradually “manipulate” the viewing order of your Stories. To do this, the tip is simple: Increase or decrease interactions with the contacts you want to see more of. This won’t change the visualization right away, but over time you’ll “reshape” how the algorithm works to suit your interests.

You can use some information to “manipulate” the visualization of your Stories. (Source: GettyImages / Reproduction)Fonte:  GettyImages

The other tip is: you can always change some of the features that Instagram makes available to its users.

For example, you can choose not to unfollow a certain person (say, it’s a relative of yours and you feel awkward about doing so), but you can go to their profile and enable the option to mute their Stories, or even their Feed posts. That way, you won’t have to see what they post anymore, but they’ll still be on your list of people you follow.

Finally, we definitively clarify a doubt that many have: Julian Gutman has already stated in an interview that the display order does not take into account the stalkers, that is, those people who dedicate themselves to snooping into your life.

So, don’t try to create distrust in relation to the accounts that always appear first in your Stories!

Did you like this content? Then keep up with all the news from Instagram and other famous apps, such as WhatsApp. See you next time!