Instagram, owned by Meta, has announced a radical change in its hashtag policy, where the number of hashtags allowed will be limited to only five per post.
This step aims to improve content discovery and the performance of posts on the platform, instead of randomly flooding posts with generic hashtags.
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, shared this update via his "Instagram advice" channel, emphasizing the importance of "quality over quantity" when using hashtags, according to a report by "Newsbytes", a technology news site, reviewed by "Arabiya Business".
Since their introduction in 2011, hashtags have been a fundamental feature on Instagram, helping users discover the content they are searching for.
The platform has consistently emphasized that this feature makes posts more visible in topic-based searches, trending lists, and algorithm-driven recommendations.
Until now, users could add up to 30 hashtags per post. With the new update, only five hashtags per post or reel are allowed.
Instagram wants content creators to be more precise in using hashtags and to focus on those that are relevant to the content they are posting.
For example, beauty content creators can use beauty-related hashtags to attract users interested in this type of content.
Instagram explained that general hashtags like "#reels" or "#explore" do not actually help in content visibility and may even negatively impact the performance of the post.
Mosseri has previously noted that hashtags are "ineffective," explaining their limited role in determining reach or visibility on Instagram.
