Instagram is testing a new “repost” feature that allows users to share content they like in their feeds.
Eagle-eyed social media consultant Matt Navarra first spotted the feature last week and shared images with his followers on Twitter.
A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Instagram, then confirmed in a statement that it was “exploring” the idea of resharing posts on the platform.
Reposting is not a novel concept, as the functionality is available on Twitter with retweets, and on Facebook where users can reshare posts.
Meta said the new feature would allow users to post content that “resonates with them”.
It added that signal-boosting content in this way would also enable the original creators to be credited for their work.
Instagram has been particularly proactive with new features and big updates already this year, although they haven’t always gone to plan.
The image-sharing site had to row back on a major video update in the summer after it was roundly criticised by users.
Reposts are unlikely to trigger such a strong reaction and should be a useful addition to Instagram’s feature set.
However, as with most tests, there is no guarantee that it will get an official release in the future.
The Meta spokesperson said the test wasn’t even publicly available yet.
They added: “We plan to test this soon with a small number of people.”
Instagram already allows users to share posts via Stories and direct messages.
But if the new feature were officially released, this would be the first time that public posts could be shared by other accounts within Feeds.
