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A hidden menu is encouraging users to “Try a New Account” on Instagram. It appears that Instagram is actively encouraging at least some users to begin segmenting their time on Insta by accounts. What does this say about the future of the platform?

A Hidden Message

We noticed it in the iOS app: If you go to your profile, your account name at the top of the screen now has a dropdown menu icon. This is meant to encourage switching between accounts. But if you aren’t already logged into multiple accounts, then when you tap that area, and you’ll see a message like this appear:

Swipe to the next slide, and you’ll see a similar prompt:

Why it matters

We have said it many times, but we’ll say it again: Users increasingly prefer to interact in “gated,” smaller group settings on social. This is yet another sign that the Facebook universe (FB, IG, WhatsApp) is making efforts to facilitate the desire to segment social media experiences. (You could think of it as Instagram essentially doubling down on the Close Friends feature, too.)

A more cynical take could be that Instagram is encouraging people to setup multiple accounts in order to inflate their user numbers… After all, TikTok was just projected to top 1.2 billion users in 2021.

Yet another take is that this is a reminder to the community that Instagram’s built-in account switching feature lets social media marketers quickly switch between branded and personal accounts. If nothing else, here’s a reminder to those of you who fall into this category. 😊

Related News

This month, we’ve also got you covered on these important social media news items:

Blog

Instagram encouraging users to “Try a New Account”

Twitter gives their ad creator a facelift

Reels and Shops getting prime Instagram app real estate

Introducing “Vanish Mode” in Facebook Messenger and Instagram

TikTok now connects with Shopify

More noteworthy news items from this month:

• Pinterest launches new tools for product optimization (Pinterest news)

• Introducing Snap Connect: Specialized Courses Taught by Snapchat Experts (Snapchat Business)

• 5 new features for better watching on YouTube (YouTube blog

• New Pinterest iOS home screen widget for daily inspiration (Pinterest news)

• Instagram Direct: How to Change Chat Themes (Adweek)

• New ‘Neighborhood Sponsorships’ on Nextdoor (Nextdoor business)

• Twitter's Working on New Warnings for Likes of Tweets Which Include Disputed Claims (SocialMediaToday)

• TikTok announces agreement with Sony Music Entertainment (TikTok blog)

• Introducing Facebook Elevate: Resources for Black and Latinx and Hispanic-Owned Businesses (FB Business Blog)

• Facebook Shares New Insights into Evolving Consumer Behaviors Amid COVID-19 (SocialMediaToday)

• Twitter Labeled Some 300,000 Tweets for Violating Its Civic Integrity Policy (Adweek)

• Facebook Tests New Options to Add Motion Effects to Still Images in Feed (SocialMediaToday)

Here’s how Facebook’s new ‘motion effects’ feature for photo posts works... pic.twitter.com/FHqpOBbhsO

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) October 28, 2020

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