A quick, but relevant, update – after it removed the ‘Recent’ tab from hashtag searches in the lead-up to the US Election, Instagram has now re-added the option for US users.
The Recent tab is now available again on hashtag pages in the U.S. We know many of you missed this feature, and we appreciate your patience as we continue working to make hashtags safer for everyone.
— Instagram Comms (@InstagramComms) December 9, 2020
It may not seem like a major change either way, but Instagram removed the ‘Recent’ listing in late October as a means to slow the spread of viral election content.
When you search by hashtag on Instagram, your results are presented in two tabs – ‘Top’ and ‘Recent’.
For the last month and a half, US users have only had the ‘Top’ listing, giving Instagram’s moderators more time to assess trending content, and limit the spread of misinformation.
But now, with the votes cast, and the election result certified, it’s bringing ‘Recent’ back, which provides more capacity to locate relevant content, and could help to improve your chances of discovery when you post.
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