Instagram will soon start showing its users the ‘time they have spent on the platform’ per Code spotted on their Android app. The experimentation titled, Instagram Usage Insights has been confirmed by CEO Kevin Systrom on Twitter.
Although not much is known about the Instagram Usage Insights and its contents, whether it will reveal the total time spent by them on Instagram, and then further dividing it into various categories. Or whether the company intends to raise a gentle red flag for users if they’re spending too much time per day, week or month on the platform, suggesting they maintain a healthy balance for the sake of their mental health.
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After he confirmed the news that his company was indeed testing an Instagram Usage Insights feature, CEO Kevin Systrom tweeted that Instagram intends to be a part of the solution and that he takes the responsibility of being honest about how time spent online affects people and how important it is to understand this phenomenon.
It's true. RT @TechCrunch: Code buried in Instagram’s Android app reveals a “Usage Insights” feature that will show users their “time spent” https://t.co/1Lt3DgIFEj
— Kevin S. (@kevin) May 16, 2018
We're building tools that will help the IG community know more about the time they spend on Instagram – any time should be positive and intentional.
— Kevin S. (@kevin) May 16, 2018
Understanding how time online impacts people is important, and it's the responsibility of all companies to be honest about this. We want to be part of the solution. I take that responsibility seriously.
— Kevin S. (@kevin) May 16, 2018
We're building tools that will help the IG community know more about the time they spend on Instagram – any time should be positive and intentional.
— Kevin S. (@kevin) May 16, 2018
Instagram has been accused of being detrimental to the mental health of its users, being highly addictive and often leading to the younger, more susceptible users to become dependent on online validation from their online peers.
There aren’t a lot of situations when companies work towards the well-being of their customers even when it could hurt them, and if Usage Insights work the way we think it will, this could help Instagram score some brownie points for being ‘nice’. True, in an ideal world, this would be the norm but that isn’t the one we live in.
Kudos to Instagram for developing something that puts their users well being first.