Here’s How Your Seemingly Random 2021 IG Playback Was Chosen
Mystery solved.
Ever since Instagram unveiled its very first year-in-review feature, Playback, on Dec. 9, fans have been scratching their heads trying to figure out how it works. Users seem to think there was no rhyme or reason behind the IG Story posts singled out, due to the seemingly random assortment of Stories chosen. So, how does Instagram choose 2021 Playback Stories? Here’s what you need to know.
If you didn’t know, Instagram rolled out its brand new year-end feature, Playback on Dec. 9, and it’s meant to encapsulate the big and small moments in your life from the past year. If you haven’t already, you can access your Playback from a prompt on the homepage of the Instagram app, or by tapping the Playback sticker in your followers’ Stories. In order to use Playback, you need to have posted a certain number of Stories in 2021, and have your Stories Archive turned on as well.
The Stories retrospective is meant to highlight all your most exciting memories from 2021, but some IG users felt like the posts chosen didn’t make much sense together.
If you were left scratching your head after seeing your 2021 Playback on Instagram, Instagram has some answers.
“To curate your Playback recommendations, we chose a mix of stories you've posted that we think may be meaningful,” a Meta spokesperson tells Elite Daily. According to the spokesperson, some standouts that were chosen for Playback included Stories in which you tagged friends or used creative tools like music or GIFSs. This is the part where everybody goes “ohhhh.”
Despite the rather random collection of Story posts, there was a reason behind it all. Still not satisfied? Don’t worry, you can customize your 2021 Playback by adding or deleting posts. And when it comes to prepping for 2022, make sure you show the Stories you want to see at the end of the year some love with tags and creative tools.
