Instagram working on search update to show photo, video results like TikTok

With more than 500 million daily active users around the world, Instagram is one of the largest social media platforms in the world. The Facebook-owned photos and videos sharing platform is constantly adding new features to deliver a seamless experience to its users. While recently the application revealed the removal of Swipe Up as a method to navigate to external web sources, reports about improved search-ability have started to pour in. A feature that is currently under development will show videos and photos as search results on Instagram.  

Instagram update to search photos videos will improve results 

In an official blog post by Instagram dated August 25, 2021, Instagram mentions that they are improving search results and making them better for exploration. "For example, your search for “space” will show you space-related photos and videos, too. This is especially helpful when you don’t have an exact username or hashtag in mind when searching for a certain topic." This feature is already present on TikTok.

Up until now, this capability is not present in the Instagram search tool, which is more focused on finding accounts and hashtags that resemble what the user has put in as a keyword. Once implemented, the feature will make Instagram video search better. Instagram also adds that "We’re moving towards a full search results page experience that makes it even easier to go deep on your interests." 

the platform is improving keyword-based search results  

As the example stated by Instagram rightfully mentions, the feature will enable users to execute content-focussed searches. Since the platform has a universe of photos and videos, it makes sense to search directly among those, as finding an account or hashtag might not always be possible. Instagram is also working on keyword-based search results and is testing the same in English, with support for other languages coming soon. 

In the official blog post, Instagram mentions that "We design all of our features to help you find the things you love. We are constantly working on improvements to help you discover entertaining things to share with your friends, and we look forward to showing you more about how Instagram works in upcoming posts."