Instagram's group mention feature: A quick guide for stories

Instagram, the popular social media platform owned by Meta, is reportedly testing a new group mention feature that aims to simplify the process of tagging multiple users in a single story mention. This feature could potentially enhance the user experience by reducing clutter in stories.

Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, shared in a recent post on his broadcast channel, "We're testing a way to tag a group of people in a story using a single mention. Once you create a group mention, it can be reused by anyone in the group to automatically tag everyone in any new stories." 

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This feature is particularly advantageous for users sharing stories during group activities or events, making it easier to include everyone without the need to individually tag each person.

By streamlining the process of mentioning a group of users in stories, the platform is aiming to create a cleaner and more visually appealing viewing experience for followers. 

In a separate move to enhance user privacy and control, Instagram has also introduced a new feature that safeguards users from unwanted direct message (DM) requests. Users who wish to send DM requests to individuals who do not follow them will face two new limitations. Firstly, they will only be able to send one message to non-followers, preventing excessive requests. 

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Secondly, DM invites are now restricted to text-based communication initially. Users can send multimedia content such as photos, videos, or audio messages only after the recipient accepts the invitation to chat. This feature aims to protect users from unsolicited and potentially harmful messages.

Meta has been actively introducing updates to Instagram to enhance user engagement and privacy. Notably, last month, the introduction of real-time avatar calls provided users with an alternative to showing their real faces during video calls. This new option is designed to bridge the gap between having the camera off or on during virtual conversations, giving users greater control over their online interactions.