The photo-sharing social network has announced it is adding view counters to video posts – showing how many people watched the clip
A new view counter for videos has been introduced, telling users exactly how many times their post has been watched . It replaces the previous option to ‘like’ a video – although likes can still be found by tapping on the view counter.
“Over the next few weeks, you’ll start to see how many times people have watched a video on Instagram,” the company confirmed.
“Views are the most widely expected form of feedback on video. Adding view counts is the first of many ways you’ll see video on Instagram get better this year.”
“Whether sitting front row at Fashion Week or spending a day on the beach, nothing brings moments to life like video,” the company says.
We were also told, while the addition of a view counter might not make much difference for the average Instagrammer, it could be a big deal for celebrities and companies .
Many of them post promotional content such as movie trailers, product teasers or interview snippets. Adding a view counter will let them gauge how popular different types of video are.
Of course, how many people viewed a regular non-moving picture remains a mystery, unless they’re kind enough to ‘like’ it.
According to Instagram, the amount of times its 400 million users spend watching video has jumped by 40 per cent over the last six months.
