Instagram, the beloved social networking platform, has long been a go-to for users seeking visual inspiration, community engagement, and a glimpse into the lives of friends, celebrities, and brands alike. However, recent reports suggest that the smooth scrolling experience many have come to cherish may be in jeopardy because of a new feature: ad breaks.
Reports flooding on X (formerly Twitter) indicate that Instagram has started testing a game-changing addition- unskippable ads.
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Unlike the sponsored posts that seamlessly integrate into users’ feeds, these new interruptions demand immediate attention, forcing viewers to halt their scrolling and endure a 3-6 second commercial before they can resume enjoying their feed.
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Users find the unskippable ads on Instagram intrusive and unwelcome, disrupting the smooth and visually pleasing browsing experience they’re used to. Many express annoyance and feeling like their browsing is being taken over.
One user posted, “Oh my god Instagram has added ‘ad breaks’ where they won’t let you scroll past an ad until you wait 3 seconds. I guess they’ll be my ‘get off Instagram’ notifications.” Meanwhile, another user wrote, “Instagram has started ‘ad break’ feature lmao, wouldn’t be surprised if they soon start selling ‘premium Instagram account’ to bypass ad break.”
It’s important to note that this feature has not yet been officially announced by the company. So, it could be possible that this feature is currently in the testing phase.
In my opinion, this feature indeed leads to user dissatisfaction, but it might not have a significant impact on Instagram’s popularity. Many users spend a considerable amount of time on the platform, and while the intrusion of unskippable ads is unwelcome, it probably won’t make people leave Instagram.