New Instagram Features Enhancing Social Engagement

Instagram has implemented a range of new features designed to reinvigorate social interaction on the platform. These updates include the long-awaited Repost button, an interactive location-sharing map, and a dedicated Friends tab within Reels. The rollout began globally on 6 August 2025, aiming to facilitate better content discovery, strengthen friendships, and enhance visibility for creators and brands.

Reception of the Changes

However, the response has not been universally positive. The modifications, most notably the repost feature, have sparked criticism on social media. Many users have claimed that Instagram appears to be imitating other platforms such as X (previously Twitter), TikTok, and Snapchat.

One user noted on X that Instagram seems to be borrowing ideas, mentioning, “First it was Stories from Snapchat, then Reels from TikTok, and now reposts from Twitter.”

What Does the New Repost Feature Offer?

The Repost button enables users to directly share public posts and Reels with their followers without resorting to screenshots or external apps. When content is reposted, it appears in a new Reposts tab on the user’s profile, presented like a standard post, complete with the option for a personal caption and credit to the original creator.

These reposts can also be displayed in followers’ feeds and may be featured in Instagram’s recommendation algorithms, significantly extending reach beyond the initial audience.

Instagram asserts that this update is part of a wider initiative to enhance social sharing among users. Internal documents unveiled during Meta’s 2025 antitrust trial revealed that a mere 7% of Instagram interactions involve content from friends, a stark contrast to TikTok and X, which thrive on reshares.

Benefits for Brands and Creators

For brands, the repost feature introduces an economical distribution channel that maintains original branding, links, and captions. This function makes it simpler for fans, employees, or collaborators to share a brand’s message with their own followers, fostering viral campaigns without relying solely on paid advertisements.

For creators, this feature presents a new opportunity for organic growth. Reposts from larger accounts could expose a micro-influencer or niche content creator to previously untapped audiences. Instagram plans to introduce Repost analytics within the Insights dashboard later this quarter to assist creators in monitoring reach and performance.

Nevertheless, some influencers have expressed reservations about potential reputation risks and visual clutter. Reposted content may disrupt the carefully curated look that many lifestyle influencers rely on, rendering their feeds more chaotic.

Instagram Map: Share Your World

The new Instagram Map feature integrates geolocation tools that allow users to:

• Share current locations with selected friends.
• Discover posts, Stories, and Reels linked to specific locales.
• Explore local content like concerts, events, and popular hangouts.

This feature is opt-in, offering detailed privacy settings and parental controls for supervised teen accounts. Users can access it through the top of the Direct Messages inbox, with an ongoing rollout in the US.

Friends Tab: Content from Your Inner Circle

The Friends tab in Reels provides users with a space to view what their friends are engaging with, including content they have liked, commented on, reposted, or created. This addition is intended to enhance conversations and shared experiences among close contacts.

Users have the ability to manage their visibility in this tab or mute activities from specific individuals, allowing for a degree of privacy in their interactions.

Addressing Copycat Criticism

Despite the practicality of these new features, many online users have highlighted their similarities to tools available on competing platforms:

• Reposts resemble X’s retweet and TikTok’s repost function.
• Instagram Stories were previously critiqued as a copy of Snapchat.
• Reels emerged as a response to TikTok’s dominance in short-form videos.

On TikTok, reposts appear in users’ For You feeds but not on profiles. Instagram’s method is more persistent, displaying reposts on a user’s public profile.

Some view these features as evolutionary, while others argue they reflect a lack of originality. Critics believe Instagram is compromising its unique identity by adopting features from competitors instead of creating new experiences.

The Wider Context

Instagram claims these updates aim to promote better sharing and more meaningful interactions on the platform. By facilitating content amplification, enabling users to discover nearby activities, and allowing insight into friends’ interests, the platform seeks to move away from passive scrolling towards genuine social engagement.

However, as Instagram aligns more closely in functionality with TikTok, X, and Snapchat, the challenge remains to provide these tools while preserving its distinct voice and retaining longstanding users.