Instagram has addressed one of the most frustrating issues with its well-known social media platform. The “rug pull” feature, which caused posts to vanish unexpectedly, has been officially eliminated. This change, though minor on the surface, is likely to enhance the overall user experience for those who frequent the app.
What Is Rug Pull?
The rug pull feature was implemented by Instagram to present the most current content as soon as users opened the app. While the idea seemed beneficial in theory, allowing users to quickly access the newest posts, it often backfired.
Unfortunately, this feature would sometimes cause engaging content to disappear without a trace. Many users found themselves filled with frustration as they attempted to retrieve interesting posts that had just been pulled out from under them, making it nearly impossible to recover the content they enjoyed.
Rug Pull Increased Engagement
Although it might appear that the rug pull was a mere oversight in programming, Instagram’s head honcho, Adam Mosseri, explained that it was designed specifically to boost user engagement and reduce loading times for content. However, Mosseri recognized the negative impact this feature had on the overall Instagram experience.
“It’s really annoying,” Mosseri remarked in a Reels video shared on his Instagram profile. “So we stopped doing it. Now, we load new content in the background and won’t display it until you scroll. We’ll insert it further down the feed. We did take a slight hit in engagement from this change, but it really improved the user experience overall.”
Instagram isn’t the only platform to employ a rug pull mechanism to enhance engagement. The X app (previously known as Twitter) also uses a similar tactic with its For You feed, where content frequently disappears, only for more recent updates to take their place—and it can definitely spark frustration among users.
Instagram’s decision to eliminate the rug pull feature in favor of prioritizing user satisfaction is a refreshing development, especially given the recent scrutiny the platform has faced. Previously, Instagram came under fire for admitting it boosted video quality for more popular posts.
However, this move away from the rug pull suggests a shift toward valuing user experience over mere engagement numbers. While this is a welcome improvement, it remains to be seen whether other social media platforms will follow suit.
