Topics · Signal
Communication history
Communication history is the record of past exchanges and connections between accounts that can help Instagram understand their relationship when deciding what to show someone.12 People can follow accounts and like, save, repost or comment on posts to provide information Instagram uses for suggestions.12 Instagram’s May 2023 explainer says the frequency of interactions with an account’s Stories helps determine their order, so a creator’s past exchanges with a viewer can matter for where their Stories appear.1
How past exchanges help order Stories
Instagram counts Story likes and direct messages as examples of the exchanges included in Story engagement history.1 It distinguishes this communication from viewing history, which concerns how often someone watches an account’s Stories.1 It also considers closeness: the overall relationship with the author and how likely the people are to be connected.1 These considerations apply to Stories shared by accounts someone follows, after Instagram removes Stories that violate its Community Standards.1
How connection history informs suggested posts
For suggested posts, Instagram’s Help Center says it considers a person’s history of connecting with that account or with similar accounts.2 These suggestions can appear in Feed, the Reels tab and Explore, where Instagram tries to predict what someone will find interesting or engage with.2 Connection history sits alongside information about the post and its account, so a prior connection is not the sole basis for a suggestion.2