Instagram Introduces “Flipside” Feature for Limited Audience
Instagram has announced a new feature called “Flipside” which provides users with an alternative to creating false accounts, commonly known as Finst accounts. Flipside allows users to create a secondary photo gallery that is only accessible to a select group of friends.
This feature may sound familiar as Instagram already has ways to publish posts for a limited audience. In November, the platform introduced the ability to share posts with “close friends” and this function has been available for Stories since 2018. Recently, Instagram also tested lists for Stories, enabling users to create multiple lists for sharing with smaller groups. While these options simplify the creation of Finst accounts, Flipside offers another way to achieve a similar outcome.
With Flipside, users can create a separate list of friends, different from their “close friends” list, and add them to their Flipside. They can then choose whether to publish a post in their main feed or in Flipside, which is accessible from their profile but only visible to the selected list of friends. Users can identify whether someone has access to Flipside if they see a key icon in their gallery, according to screenshots published in Threads.
Instagram’s Head, Adam Mosseri, acknowledges that this feature may seem a bit excessive. In a post on Threads, he states that while the idea of creating a clearly defined space that is more private seems appealing, it also adds to the existing options of Finst accounts and the “close friends” function for achieving a smaller audience.
Regarding the testing of Flipside, Mosseri added, “we are not even sure whether we will start it,” which may explain the company’s relative silence on the matter. Flipside was initially seen as an internal prototype in December, according to TechCrunch. However, reports of its appearance in Threads have surfaced recently, indicating that it is now being tested with real users.
Initial reactions to this update have been mixed. While some users are enthusiastic about the new feature, others question the need for another profile on social media platforms. There is also some confusion among users.
It is worth noting that although Finst accounts have faced criticism in the past, Meta’s recent focus on creating “more private” spaces on Instagram may not solely be driven by convenience. Over the past couple of years