Achieving Instagram Growth In The Age Of AI And Algorithmic Bias
In 2021, Instagram will be the most popular social media platform. Recent statistics show that the platform now boasts over 1 billion monthly active users. With this many eyes on their content, influencers can reap great rewards through sponsored posts if they have a large enough following with this many eyes on their content.
Over the last few years, it has become clear that Instagram has an algorithmic bias towards certain accounts. Marginalized groups such as LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC have repeatedly been vocal about seeing their reach shrink significantly under the current system.
The question for today then becomes: How do we effectively grow our Instagram account in the age of algorithmic bias? Instagram expert and AI growth specialist Faisal Shafique help us answer this question utilizing his experience growing his @fact account to about 8M followers while also helping major, edgy brands like Fashion Nova to over 20M.Faisal has been actively involved in Instagram since 2012 when as a medical student in college, he identified Instagram as a powerful platform of the future. Faisal took the unconventional route to start @fact as a medical student and steadily began learning the ropes.
Companies like Instagram use algorithms to dictate what your feed should look like- which means that you're only seeing posts from people or brands that they want or brands that pay them. In this article, we try to understand a little about how this algorithm works.
The New Instagram Algorithm
One of the main misconceptions that creators have is the assumption that there is only one Instagram algorithm. According to Instagram themselves, “we use a variety of algorithms, classifiers, and processes, each with its purpose.”
Faisal explains that Instagram’s algorithm can calculate a “score of interest,” which calculates how likely someone is to interact with a post.
There are four key factors that Instagram leverages to calculate a score of interest.
- General information about a post, whether the post is a photo or video when the post was made, how many likes etc.
- The information about the poster; Are you following the poster? How often do you engage with them?
- Your Instagram activity: What type of content do you typically engage with often?
- Your interaction history with the poster: do you typically like or comment on the poster’s posts?
Shafique explains further; “The Instagram algorithm will give your post more visibility if; your posts are set up to make people spend more time on it. If it is likely to be liked, commented on or saved, and if it contains CTA’s that enable people to take actions like tapping on your profile.”
Instagram is constantly identifying what its users are interested in and adapting its feed to reflect that. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, admits as much, “We add and remove signals and predictions over time, working to get better at surfacing what you’re interested in,”
This constant evolution is responsible for the difficulty in breaking into the scene and remaining constantly relevant. It is also partly responsible for the algorithmic bias that has become a major complaint about Instagram. How can users understand the algorithm and keep in touch with it? And how fair is the algorithm to certain kinds of content and people groups?
Instagram Algorithmic Bias and Shadow Banning
The Instagram algorithm is one of the most talked-about topics in tech right now. The company has been under scrutiny for being biased against influencers and artists whose content doesn't align with specific values (usually, posts that are sexual or political) or whose views align with or promote LGBTQIA per BIPOC philosophies.
The term shadowbanning has become popularized as a term that explains one way Instagram purportedly propagates this bias. Shadowbanning is an unexplained throttling of an account so that its reach is limited, its posts are taking down, or its followers cannot find them.
Instagram has since denied that shadowbanning is a real thing, but a deep look at their operations reveals that though the term “shadowbanning” may not be an Instagram-approved term, the practice is somewhat real. Instagram does not necessarily have people picking out posts and banning them, but their algorithms are trained on datasets many suspect to be biased and unenlightened.
For instance, Instagram polices sexuality with very little nuance, finding it difficult to differentiate adult entertainment from sex-ed, sex-health, or sex-commentary. Ads for women’s pleasure companies and HIV/AIDS prevention are not allowed, while the platform allows ads for erectile dysfunction and condoms.
Faisal explains that; “working with fashion brands like Fashion Nova whose contents are edgy, risque, and unique. You have to essentially learn how to game the gram and to adapt your content consistently.”
How To Win Against The Algorithm
“To achieve Instagram domination you need access to relevant data. The past informs your future success.” According to Shafique, “It is very important to use analytics to see what content works and doesn’t work and how your community is engaging with your posts over time. Sometimes, this is the only way you can learn about subtle algorithmic changes.”
Creativity and the ability to make visually striking content are certainly at the top of the algorithm’s requirements. Other major traits include; consistency, publishing more video content, crafting captivating headlines and going live more often, and never ignoring Instagram stories.
For Stories, the algorithm works differently; creators stand a greater chance of having their stories viewed if they post consistently. The more views creators gain, the higher their ranking. Stories are meant to be binge-watched, so the chances are that if creators post regularly, they will get viewed. Stories are also shown to users based on location, which explains why location-based hashtags are now frequently used.
Many creators want to also appear frequently on the explore page. The Instagram algorithm works similarly with feeds and explore, but according to Instagram themselves, “the most important actions we predict in Explore include likes, saves, and shares.”
However, to come up in the Explore page, you need a creative use of hashtags and keywords since those are the two indices people now search with. Creators and influencers often need to rely on expert help to ensure that they do not become shadowbanned by using banned hashtags or banned keywords.
Over 50 plus-sized content creators recently signed up to participate in the ‘Don’t Delete My Body’ project, calling on Instagram to ‘stop censoring fat bodies.’
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