Instagram are testing a new feature that lets you collaborate with friends, combining your content on one post.

A new feature being tested on Instagram brings the community together over Carousel posts. The collaborative feature allows you to invite friends to contribute to your feed posts before you send it live.

When creating a carousel (posts with multiple photos and videos) invite friends and followers to add their content. As the poster you can then approve of any content to make the final cut and send it live.

The feature was shared by Instagram head Adam Mosseri on Threads. He said he was “excited about all the creative possibilities this opens up”. He then asked users if it’s a feature that they would like to try, to mixed results.

The responses on the post seemed to largely focus on criticism over reach on Instagram. The top comment comes from Jack Arnold, who said: “You’ve only allowed 0.3% of my Instagram following see my posts (sic) for the last two years and even less can view my stories. Why is this Adam?”

Another user commented: “Reach on IG is totally f–king dead, but yeah lemme get excited about adding friends to a post that no one will see…” Some users did express excitement over the feature. However, it seems clear that there are pressing priorities for users.

Instagram collaboration between users seems to be a large focus for the social media app currently.

Recent Instagram updates boosting carousels and collaboration

In 2021, Instagram added Collabs to let creators share one post on multiple accounts. It was a powerful feature for brand managers with multiple pages for the same brand. It meant sharing across multiple profiles could be done with just one post.

In August, Instagram added the ability to add music to carousel posts. Users can select from Instagram’s large library of music, used mostly for Reels. However, carousels that contained videos weren’t able to add music.

In September, Instagram launched Broadcast Channels in the UK. These channels allow the creator to collaborate with up to four people to message in a live chat. Audiences can then read and react to the chat.

What do you think about these collaborative features on Instagram? Would you use them?