“I leave you the link in swipe up”. How many times have we heard this phrase pronounced in the stories of celebrities and influencers that invites us to find out more by simply dragging our finger on the screen? Soon, this significant part of Instagram’s vocabulary will be just a memory. As we reported a few days ago, at the end of a test phase, Instagram decided to remove the swipe up starting from August 30th, replacing it with a sticker dedicated to links. An epochal change, which radically modifies a part of the language of the platform. In fact, it is not just the mere replacement of a tool with another more functional one, but a substantial change to the communication on one of the most loved and used social networks.
The inclusion of the sticker for the links will allow creators to direct their followers to addresses external to the platform in a much more natural and creative way, for example leaving the freedom of choice on the optimal point in which to insert the sticker in a photo or in a video, as well as on the style with which to make a link more appealing. And that’s not all. The very nature of the swipe up makes it difficult to interact about a link, moving the field of debate outside of a story and preventing any form of debate. With the insertion of the sticker, as reported by The Verge, those who view a story with a link will instead have the opportunity to comment on it, consequently multiplying the number of interactions between creator and followers, a fundamental aspect for all social networks.
Who can use the sticker for links on Instagram
The message announcing to certain profiles the imminent removal of the swipe up from Instagram
The greater ease that the sticker will guarantee in inserting links in stories inevitably opens up a reflection on the possibility of spreading malicious content on Instagram or in the name of disinformation. Also with a view to keeping users on the platform for as long as possible, Instagram up to now has allowed the insertion of links in the stories only to verified profiles and to those with a large following, certified by the threshold of 10,000 followers. The social network owned by Facebook for the moment intends to keep this line, which has proved effective in containing the spread of harmful content for the entire community.
However, an Instagram spokesperson told The Verge that the possibility of granting the privilege of inserting links to a greater number of users is being considered, and that the removal of the swipe up will provide the top management with the tools to take a decision on the matter. Obviously, the diffusion to a wider audience of the possibility of inserting links in stories would lead to a further revolution of Instagram, hoped for by those who would like to monetize even with a small number of followers and feared by those who instead see this possibility as a possible open door. to fake news and spam.
In any case, the removal of the swipe up in favor of the sticker is a further testimony of the desire on the part of Instagram’s top management to continuously evolve the platform, in order to adapt to the needs and wishes of users. So let’s get ready for ever more incisive and frequent changes, which will inevitably also change the user experience and language of this platform.