It seems Instagram frequently rolls out a new feature that has users wondering about its purpose.

The social media platform’s newest experiment is now Instagram Notes.

Instagram Notes made its debut on Tuesday but only for a small group of users. The feature appears at the very top of the platform’s direct messaging inbox in a new section of the screen dedicated to “Notes.” Users with access to the feature can tap a “+” button to leave what is akin to a sticky note for their followers or “Close Friends” to read for 24 hours before it disappears.

Darshil Patel, a full stack engineer who is currently beta testing the new feature, told The Charlotte Observer that Instagram Notes could actually prove to be useful in some ways.

“Notes can be a good way to highlight status updates or ask questions to friends, and because it appears in your inbox, the notes will get more visibility than stories or DMs,” Patel said.

How are Notes any different from Instagram Stories or DMs?

But with the capability to do anything you can do with a Note already achievable via “Stories,” what exactly is the purpose of Notes? How are the 60-character limited Notes any better than posting to your Story?

According to Patel, the feature allows users to place announcements, updates, and questions in a section of the platform that welcomes content deemed important enough to post but not necessarily worthy of a Story post or direct message.

“I see Instagram Notes as a middle-ground between Instagram Stories and DMs,” Patel said. “I’m already seeing friends using it to notify others that they are visiting a different city or asking for recommendations.”

Users won’t get a notification when friends leave the 24-hour Notes and will have the capability to respond to Notes they see in their inbox through direct messages. Responses will not be public.

The new and improved Instagram

In addition to Notes, Instagram also released a host of new safety tools like enhanced age verification tools and teen-focused content limits, TechCrunch reported. The new features follow last month’s addition of pinned posts and upgraded sensitive content controls.

“We’re always working on ways to help you better connect on Instagram,” a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch. “We’re now testing Notes so people can quickly share thoughts with their friends, with a small group of people to start.”

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, owns Instagram.

Notes will likely follow the lead of Instagram Reels

Despite concern from some Instagram users, Patel is optimistic that the feature will eventually become the norm as it did when “Reels” debuted in 2020.

Reels were not well received after Instagram introduced the capability to publish short videos. Now, in an attempt to compete with TikTok, the platform has integrated Reels into every user’s main feed, seemingly without much pushback, according to Social Media Today.

“In recent times, whenever Instagram has launched a new feature, it has always gotten mixed reviews at first, but people have usually grown to like it over time,” Patel said. “I’m expecting the same for Instagram Notes. People will grow to like it.”

 - TNS