Within Instagram’s Help Center listings, an article popped up over the weekend that explained a new feature called “Swap,” which enables users to “replace the text on someone else’s reel with your own text.”
As per the article: “Swap, replace text, put my own text on a reel.” The article also included details on how creators can switch off Swap if they choose.
Which is a little strange, given that Instagram just announced new measures to encourage original posts.
Instagram has since blanked the article, so it’s not entirely clear how the feature would work if it gets a full release. But conceptually at least, this would make it easier for Instagram users to add their own take on trending Reels by simply revamping the text overlaid on-screen.
This doesn’t really feel like it’s encouraging original content, which was the main focus of Instagram’s recently announced algorithm update.
Last week, Instagram announced that it’s expanding its efforts to penalize aggregator accounts by reducing the reach of re-posted and duplicate content in posts, carousels and Reels.
Instagram said that from now on, re-uploading somebody else’s work without “adding meaningful creative input to enhance the original” will result in lower distribution in the app.
Making it easy to re-share Reels by uploading new text seems to run counter to this, and it may be confusing as it relates to how Instagram’s re-post penalties will work.
To clarify, Instagram’s aggregator penalties are account-level, not post-level. The platform explained that “accounts that primarily post unoriginal content in photos or carousel posts, in addition to reels, will no longer be shown in places where we recommend content.”
IG added that aggregator accounts “that have become ineligible for recommendations can become eligible again when most of their recently posted photos, carousels and reels are considered original in a 30-day period. This is calculated on a rolling basis.”
So if an account mostly posts original content, but also posts a derivative meme or re-post, they won’t see any impact on their reach.
Maybe this addition was intended for one-off shares that are essentially re-posts and reimaginings of somebody else’s work. But it does seem a little confusing.
Instagram also shared an expanded explainer of what’s okay and what’s not in an info session with creators last week, with these slides captured and shared by creator economy expert Lia Haberman.
Clear as mud, right?
There seems to be some gray area here that will take a little time and testing to clarify, especially given that Instagram is using automation, not human assessment, to determine what’s within the rules and what’s not.
But basically, users can still re-post and re-share other people’s content in the app, so long as they add a unique spin on it, and ideally credit the original creator.
But how Meta will systematically detect violations on this front is anybody’s guess.
