Instagram wants to compete with real-time social networks like Twitter and will attempt to do so by rolling out major improvements to its search system and an all-new Explore tool.
While it’s always been good at what it does, the photo-sharing app has never made it easy for users to join worldwide conversations or sort content by categories in the same way Twitter does via hashtags and its search engine. But Instagram 7.0 should help change all that. Firstly, the new Explore tool now surfaces trends as they emerge in real-time, allowing you to plug into high-profile events and trending topics. So select #electricpicnic, for example, and see various shots relating to the music festival all appear together.
Elsewhere, updates to the app’s search include the ability to narrow results to people, tags and places. When searching for a place, users will get a selection of top pictures, as well as a list of the most recent posts from that location.
“With more than 70 million photos and videos posted to Instagram every day, wherever something is happening, chances are you can see it here,” Instagram wrote in a statement. “Whether it’s behind the scenes at the NBA Finals, on the runway with the latest fashion trend, at a favorite club with a local band, people are capturing moments large and small on Instagram. But, until now, there’s never been an easy way to find these moments.”
Selfie image via Shutterstock
