How Often Does Instagram Story Order Change

If you are a regular on Instagram, and you like checking who viewed your stories, you must have wondered why Instagram ranks people the way it does. Why does a certain name always appear first or in the top 10? But that’s not the only thing that people find confusing.

Since Instagram features many sponsored ads, people want to know how Instagram knows which ones you want to see. How can it tell which products are relevant to you?

This article will answer all of these questions and more.

How Does Instagram Rank People Who Viewed Your Story?

There‘s a great deal of speculation on this topic since Instagram didn’t reveal the secret of their ranking algorithm.

Some people think that Instagram orders your Instagram Story viewers based on how often they visit your profile. Others think that it has to do with how frequently they like your pictures or forward them to other users.

Although it would be nice to figure out who’s stalking your Instagram profile this way, the answer is more complex than that.

Instagram’s Ranking Algorithm

Instagrams’s ranking algorithm works behind the scenes and it collects data from all the devices that you use to open this app. This algorithm is the work of Instagram’s developers and its goal is to improve your user experience.

Simply put, Instagram’s ranking algorithm collects data while you are using your app. But what does it collect exactly and does it violate your privacy?

The information that is being collected from you on a daily basis includes the following:

1. What profiles you visit
2. Who you chat with
3. The people that you tag in posts
4. The people that you search for the most
5. The posts that you like
6. Hashtags, etc.

All of this information is accumulated and used to figure out who you are interacting with the most. Interaction is the main parameter that determines Instagram rankings.

In other words, if you mostly chat with one of your friends on Instagram, chances are they will always appear first. This holds until you interact with someone else more often.

The algorithm uses the same information to determine whose posts appear first on your Instagram Feed.

None of the collected information is harmful and Instagram is only using it to provide a better service to users. But how do sponsored advertisements fit into this?

When it comes to ads, the algorithm is slightly upgraded.

How Does Instagram Know Which Ads to Show?

In this case, the algorithm uses more than the previously mentioned factors. Many people find the accuracy of its ad placements unnerving.

The algorithm’s goal is more than to just list the people that you interact with the most often. It also aims to figure out your character and build your profile as a consumer. By doing this, Instagram will know exactly which adverts you will most likely be interested in seeing, which improves the chances of you clicking on them.

The additional information that this algorithm collects includes the following:

1. What you search for the most
2. Which Instagram pages you visit the most
3. Your browser history
4. Your messages, etc.

You might find some of this unusual or distressing.

Instagram’s privacy policy has changed shortly after Facebook bought them. Since Facebook has admitted that they were keeping call, text, and search logs, naturally it is expected that Instagram does the same.

As we can see from their changed privacy policy, Instagram can acquire your browsing history (on Google Chrome or other browsers) by setting data trackers online, or using cookies. Since the app has access to these trackers, they will know what you have searched for on Google.

This information is the key in figuring out what you are currently in need of. For example, don’t be surprised if a guitar shop ad pops up on your feed after you spend the day reading about guitars. Remember that Facebook owns Instagram, so whatever you search for on Facebook will also be seen by Instagram.

On top of this, some experts claim that Instagram can filter your messages for keywords. So if you have been chatting with someone about guitars, that may also contribute to the guitar ads that you see.

Does This Affect Your Privacy?

Instagram hasn’t admitted that they use all of the previously mentioned tactics, but message filtering is a well-known practice experts warn about. Similar tactics are used on other websites and popular platforms.

The question is, should you be worried about this?

Since all of this data collecting is done by an algorithm and not by someone manually, you may feel that your information is in safe hands. At the end of the day, it all comes down to you how much you’re willing to trust their methods.