Instagram has quietly ended a feature that many used without even realizing it: The ability to follow hashtags. This decision, recently confirmed, surprised some users, even though it was done quietly. From now on, followed hashtags will no longer appear in the feed or in stories, as they did before.
A change without an official announcement
The removal of this feature was not accompanied by a press release or major announcement. Many users noticed the change when they saw that posts related to the hashtags they followed were missing. Instagram confirmed this decision to certain specialized media, explaining that it wants to simplify the experience and focus on other ways of discovering content.
Why did Instagram remove this feature?
According to the platform, hashtag following no longer met expectations. The content offered through this method was often too broad, irrelevant, or repetitive. By removing this feature, Instagram aims to focus its efforts on more effective tools, such as the Explore tab or Reels, to help users discover personalized content.
Consequences for content creators
For creators, this removal is a real turning point. Many used hashtags as a way to amplify their reach to a targeted audience. From now on, visibility strategies will need to be reconsidered, relying more on recommendation algorithms, collaborations, or popular formats like Reels.
What to do now?
It is still possible to search by hashtag to manually view associated posts. However, the automatic feed from a followed hashtag is no longer available. To better understand Instagram’s current direction, it is useful to follow official announcements via their institutional site.
A shift towards a more algorithm-driven platform
This removal is part of a broader trend: Instagram is increasingly relying on AI-driven recommendations rather than users’ manual choices. This evolution aims to make the experience smoother, but it also raises questions about how much control each person has over what they see.
It remains to be seen whether this choice will truly allow better content discovery or if it will further distance users from the platform’s traditional habits.
