Instagram Introduces 'Picks' Feature to Enhance User Connections Through Shared Interests

Instagram, a Meta-owned social media network, is developing a new feature called "Picks" that will help users discover shared interests with their friends and followers. Screenshots of the upcoming functionality were shared by reverse engineer Alessandro Pauzzi, showing how the feature will allow users to select their favourite books, games, movies, music, and TV shows.

How Picks Works

The feature works by checking your selections and comparing them with your followers to see which friends have similar interests. For example, adding a particular movie or genre to your Picks would highlight friends who enjoy the same content.

Accessing Picks

The screenshots indicate that Picks will appear in the inbox Notes and can be accessed by tapping a new icon at the top of the inbox section. While Instagram hasn’t shared a full rollout plan, the company confirmed to TechCrunch that Picks is currently an "internal prototype".

Connecting Friends Over Shared Interests

Meta sees Picks as a way to encourage more personal connections between users and their friends. Instagram head Adam Mosseri explained, "To help people connect with friends over the things they discover on Instagram, we're going to double down on messaging, make consuming content more interactive and social, and explore new ways to connect with friends."

Other Features Supporting Friend Interactions

Instagram already has several features aimed at helping users connect, such as Instagram Map, which allows users to share their location similar to Snapchat Map. The Friends tab in the Reels section shows reels friends recently interacted with and offers recommendations from Blends, further enhancing social interactions on the platform.