Since its launch in 2010, the Instagram network has enjoyed a meteoric rise, totally reinventing communication on social networks.
Easy to use, the social network offers an incredible showcase not only for celebrities, but also for the world of professionals, and even more so for the tourism industry.
This social network is the most widely used social network just behind Facebook.
In fact, there are 1 billion active users on the platform every month.

The instagrammer community is all in search of the perfect photo, the ideal setting, the greatest number of shares and the most subscribers to their account.
This constant quest enables tourism professionals: tourist offices, hoteliers, restaurateurs, etc. to promote their destinations, products and offers to millions of people around the world.
Exponentially multiplying their potential customers.

To meet users’ needs and expectations, Instagram is constantly renewing itself and bringing more and more innovations.
In 2019, we’ve seen many changes that have improved the user experience, such as the end of likes on Instagram, the launch of features like lives, filters applied to stories and many more… Since the Covid-19 crisis, the social network hasn’t stopped developing and bringing new features to its users.
In this article, we’ve selected the latest and most impactful Instagram news that you won’t want to miss in recent months.

The development of new stickers

With stickers on Instagram growing all the time, we took a look at the subject.

First of all, what are Instagram stickers?
Instagram stickers are tools for personalizing your stories.
There are a multitude of them, and it’s possible to add your location, music, a GIF, a poll, questions, a countdown, a quiz… And during this period of confinement, we’ve seen the emergence of new “Let’s stay home” or “Thank you” stickers, notably to support healthcare professionals.
Stories containing these stickers are then added directly to a permanent Instagram story.

It is now also possible to make a donation via a “DONATE” sticker, inviting your community to donate an amount of their choice to associations involved in the fight against COVID-19, or other associations such as restos du cœur or WWF for example.
In addition, Instagram is supporting restaurant owners during this period by creating a new sticker in partnership with deliveroo and ubereats “order your meal”.
As a result, they can add this sticker to their restaurant’s Instagram account stories to enable their community to order easily and quickly.

And to rival the rise of TikTok, the social network that lets you share short videos, Instagram has developed a “Challenge” sticker.
The aim is to challenge friends by mentioning them.

Finally, we’re also expecting the launch of stickers to promote and encourage barrier gestures.
These will include hand-washing reminders and reminders about social distancing.

Messenger now available on desktop

Have you been waiting for it?
Nine years after the launch of Facebook messaging, a new Messenger application is available for Windows and MacOS.
While the experience remains fundamentally the same, there are a number of benefits to be gained, including improved quality of video conferencing on your computer.
Currently, the rate of use of Messenger for audio or video calls has increased by 100% according to tool manager Stan Chudnovsky, so it was vital to launch the application as early as April 2020.

Live performances

Among Instagram’s new trends for 2019 is, of course, Live.
It’s possible via stories to share live videos with your community.
A feature more recently developed on Facebook.
On Instagram, use is very accessible, simply click on “Live on Instagram” when you’re on the stories feature.

Users will be able to see that you’re live, as the mention will then appear on your Instagram profile photo.
These lives can now be recorded in IGTV, so that your community can watch them in replay.
This format is very popular, as it allows you to feel close to the person and/or the brand. It’s also possible for the audience to send comments, react to the live event or ask questions.
The aim is to share an exceptional moment with your community and humanize your brand.
It’s a tool with great potential for companies.

Story filters

With the rise of ephemeral content, Instagram also sought to bring novelty to stories by developing Spark AR, a platform for creating augmented reality filters based on face recognition.
In August 2019, the opening of the platform to all users enabled users and brands to create filters specific to their image and values.
This feature also allows you to stand out from the competition and develop your visibility and notoriety on Instagram.
It’s also a fun and easy way to engage your community.

What’s new on IGTV

Since 2018, it’s been possible to make IGTVs, vertical, long-form videos integrated into your Instagram account.

And in 2019, the social network to further develop this feature by improving the experience for creators.
New cropping tools have been introduced, notably for the preview thumbnail or video format.
It is also no longer necessary to download your videos via your computer, as the download threshold on cell phones has been increased from 10 to 15 minutes on average.
On the other hand, if you wish to download a longer-format video, the maximum duration imposed on desktop is 60 minutes.

Last but not least, they have also set up hashtag and profile tagging suggestions to save the creator time and encourage use of the platform.

The end of likes

The end of likes on Instagram: new opportunities or the end of a communication network for professionals?

Announced in 2019, the news had the entire web sphere in an uproar: “The end of Instagram likes is expanding outside the U.S. and should soon hit France.” Although this end of likes is currently a test carried out by the social network that doesn’t impact all users, there’s a good chance that this state of affairs will become permanent and affect all users.

More than just an online photo catalog, Instagram is a genuine marketing tool.
Professionals are increasingly turning to this mode of communication to launch contests, announce promotional operations and more.
All this publicity, fame and communication has just one aim: to get likes.
On Instagram, likes are the Holy Grail, to be obtained at all costs and in ever-increasing proportions.
So why is Instagram trying to do away with what has made it so successful?
Doesn’t like hide a darker side?

If like is so interesting and beneficial for all users, why consider doing away with it?
This is a question that all users of the network ask themselves, but not only.
Various studies and surveys have revealed the drawbacks and excesses of the race for likes.
Brands, professionals and influencers are constantly on the lookout for the publication that will create the buzz and go beyond the boundaries of the web.
For this, all means are good, and many no longer hesitate to retouch their photos or hijack certain images or videos to their advantage.
Similarly, some Instagram users go so far as to disrupt the lives of local residents, in order to reproduce the snapshots of their favorite influencers.
Who hasn’t heard of those streets that are invaded by hundreds of people to take pictures of this or that facade, staircase, etc.?

Instagram is an excellent promotional tool for tourism, but the downside is that it can trigger mass tourism that risks destroying the place in the long run.
Take, for example, the lavender fields in the South of France, or this field of poppies in California, almost entirely destroyed to get the best photo to post on Instagram.
Where the network was supposed to offer greater visibility to an exceptional heritage and contribute to the local economy, it will ultimately be responsible for its disappearance.

It’s not just the natural world that’s affected by the “like” phenomenon, and the relentless war between users to get the most likes.
To get THE photo, instagrammers are ready to put their lives on the line: a photo balanced on a bridge, a photo taken in the middle of the street, are just a few examples of the risks incurred on the network.
Then there’s the psychological risk and the risk of harassment.
Exposing one’s life and intimacy on social networks is not without consequences, and to get a like, we go further and further.
And let’s not forget that the reputation of a place or a person can be the object of a veritable smear campaign via social networks, whether true or not.
As we’ve just seen, the like is a source of many abuses which, in most cases, have a far greater impact than the benefits it brings.
And while on the whole the end of the like seems to bring more benefits than losses, this is absolutely not the case for influencers who derive their income from partnerships with brands and various professionals.
For them, the like is a pricing barometer, and without the like, it’s hard to make a case for remuneration.
That’s why Instagram is stepping up its tests and looking for a way to increase influencer likes.

After this roundup of the latest impactful Instagram news of the last few months, we can’t wait to see the next useful features and changes for tourism professionals that will be rolled out soon.