Instagram launched a new test for a limited number of users, which aims to remove the Recent tab in hashtag search results and only let you see more recent posts with the most likes or Reels related to a particular hashtag.
For a small group, we’re testing more recent and timely content in ‘Top’ and ‘Reels’ tabs in hashtags, and removing the ‘Recent’ tab. We want to see if this helps people connect with more interesting and relevant content on hashtags, while also keeping them across what’s current. pic.twitter.com/nLb6BiFRws
— Instagram Comms (@InstagramComms) April 19, 2022
The users involved in the test will now see just two tabs: the Top tab with most popular content and the Reels tab with TikTok-like videos.
It will be interesting to see how this change affects the kinds of content users see on the social media platform if and once the test is released more widely. People use hashtags as a key way to find content on Instagram, so some users might not welcome the change if they rely on hashtags for searching for new posts rather than the most popular ones or Reels.
Bradley Rhodes
This change also comes just as Instagram is rolling out other new features like the one that lets creators support social causes directly through hashtags.