The now 10-year-old hashtag that has been made mainstream by Twitter makes for an effortless way to keep tabs on the topics that matter the most to you on social media. For that reason, Twitter remains the most reliable social media platform for following up on a developing story.
Facebook has hashtag as well, but for some reason, it does seem as convenient for following up on stories as Twitter. That is not to say; you cannot follow up stories on Facebook. It is just that for most people, Twitter has made keeping tabs on top trending stories so much easier.
Instagram might soon jump on that bandwagon, of following up top trending stories using hashtags. Despite the many features, Instagram has been adding lately (most borrowed from Snapchat), it beats logic why they haven’t thought about enabling users to follow trending stories using hashtags.
Well, going forward, you just might start following trending stories. This news was first unearthed by The Next Web who were alerted by a Twitter user Pippa Akram (@Social_Pip).
Ok this is new. What does this do @SimonSocialMM @BizPaul @NatalieTFG any ideas? I’ve followed 2 but can’t find what that means!! pic.twitter.com/LlCBk4Wmfv
— Pippa Akram (@Social_Pip) November 9, 2017
As you can see from the screenshot tweeted out by the user, Instagram is currently testing this feature for a small group of users in selected regions. It is a pilot phase, and should the results be impressive, Instagram might roll it out to everyone.
Until such a time, you will have to make do with just following people and brands. It has so far worked fine for all of us, so what damage can a little more waiting do? Though if (or when) the feature arrives on Instagram, it looks like it will work in very much the same way Twitter top trending hashtags works. It will certainly change how we use Instagram and could become the go-to-place for users looking to stay abreast of the top trending stories.