Instagram is rolling out “Notes” in more regions

A new feature is coming to Instagram designed to create more conversations and more meaningful conversations on the app. The Notes feature was initially launched in selected regions in December 2022 but is now available to users in Europe and Japan.

Like Stories, Notes are short posts that are displayed at the top of your Instagram inbox for 24 hours. Like Stories, people can see and respond and you can see who has looked at it, but unlike Stories it’s primarily text-based. This is all done in an attempt to prompt conversations on the platform.

This shift can be seen across Meta, with Mark Zuckerberg saying in September of last year: “Most people use feeds to discover content and use messaging for deeper connections.”

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has also noted that the main feed is rarely the point for users anymore, saying during the Instagram protests in July of last year: “Friends post a lot more to stories and send a lot more DMs than they post to Feed. If you want to make sure you never miss a feed post from a friend, add them to your favourites and they’ll show up at the top.”

Does it indicate Instagram listening to protesters, looking to improve engagement, or copy BeReal? Many things can be true at once.