instagram launched Notes in December 2022 as a way for people to share statuses (not so different from facebook) on the platform. Now, the Meta-owned app takes inspiration from its sister site for more features, with the addition of note prompts.
instagram first experimented with note messages earlier this year and the feature allows users to share questions like “What should I eat?” or “Who will be in city x this weekend?” Friends can then respond with advice, tips, and random thoughts on the topic. It looks very facebook circa 2012, as does another new feature, Mentions, where users can tag a friend directly in their Notes. The example instagram gives, “Date @userlater,” would be from the early 2010s by simply adding “Text! :)”. instagram also announced Note Likes, which works similarly to how Likes work everywhere else on instagram: all users. What you need to do is double-tap a note or click on the heart.
Notes have only appeared on instagram in recent years. They mirror stories in many ways, last only 24 hours, and have controls on who can see them (e.g. mutual followers only). Notes are visible in a user's inbox and profiles.
