Oct 10th, 2017, 09:06 PM

Instagram's Newest Polling Feature

By Cristina Mendoza
Image Credit: blog.instagram.com
Instagram has shaken up the way we interact with our followers.

During the first week of October, Instagram released its newest feature—Instagram polls. This feature allows users to post polls to their Instagram stories (which disappear after 24 hours), and see what their followers voted for. The polling feature has become a different method for social media interaction since other platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, also offer polls for their users.

The world is a small place. 

Competition among social media platforms is at an all-time high as they become more integrated into the lives of their users. Whether it be posting a picture on Instagram, sharing your thoughts in 280 characters or less on Twitter, setting a status on Facebook, or connecting with possible employers and colleagues on LinkedIn, social media has forever changed the way we communicate interpersonally. 

Frankly, it's even difficult to think there was ever a time where it would take days or weeks to get in contact with someone. Safira Newton-Matza, an AUP student explains, “I use social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook in order to keep myself updated on current events, as well as the lives of my friends, peers, and celebrities that I am interested in.” 



Image Credit: Slate/RBauer

With over 16,000 followers on her food Instagram account @thecarboholic, Rachel Brotman explains that she thinks Instagram polls add a deeper layer of connection with her followers all around the world. “I can better tailor my posts to what my followers want by getting direct feedback about what they like, what they don’t like, and what they want more of. The foundation of social media is connecting with other people around the world and I think the Instagram polls will help increase user engagement.” 

It seems that no matter where we are in the world nowadays, we can share and find out information from anywhere just about instantaneously—everything is at our fingertips. Whether it be keeping up with the whereabouts of your favorite celebrities or staying up to date on political and news events around the world, social media has no boundaries.