Instagram glossary: All the words you need to know

The dynamic world of social networks is constantly evolving, and Instagram stands out as one of the most influential platforms. To navigate this application with ease, it's essential to master its specific vocabulary. Our article will guide you through the key expressions and terms that drive this platform. From "hashtag" to "story", via "boomerang" and "regram", among others, discover these must-know words that will help you decode and maximize your experience on Instagram.

Image illustration of the Instagram logo
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What does "phantom subscribers" mean?

These are accounts that follow you but don't participate in your content. This term therefore characterizes your less active followers, who don't even see some of your content, or see it but ignore it.

What do "Subscribers" or "Followers" mean?

This refers to users who subscribe to your account in order to regularly see your publications, whose number is displayed right at the top of your profile page. A notification is sent directly to each of these users. your latest Instagram subscriptions.

What does "Algorithm" mean?

This is Instagram's system for determining the order and visibility of content in a user's feed. The algorithm governs the evolution of the social network, operating on both the creator and viewer sides. It is thanks to this system that the content of a publication is adapted to a target user.

What does "close friend" mean?

This is a restricted list of subscribers with whom you share private, exclusive stories. Followers belonging to this list have the privilege of accessing your content that certain categories of people can't see. This feature is less recommended if you have an Instagram Business account.

What does "Sponsored ads" mean?

Sponsored ads are content paid for by advertisers to promote their products or services. If you want to increase the reach of your posts for profit, you can put money into them. The cost depends on the length of the ad and the size of the audience you're targeting.

What does "Archives" mean?

Be aware that your stories and messages are saved after they expire and go into the archives. The content may not have expired yet, but you're the one who wants to remove it from your feed. You may not delete them, but you can send them to the Insta archives.

What does "organic" mean?

The biography is a brief description in your profile that introduces you, whether you're on a personal or business account. The only difference is that on an Insta business account, it's a good idea to detail your professional profile and include a short call-to-action.

What does "Boomerang" mean?

It's a short-loop video format created from a series of photos that goes back and forth. Creating a Boomerang video from Instagram stories is also possible.

What does "Caption" mean?

This is the text accompanying your photo or video to give it context. Some also call it a "caption".

What does "Carrousel" mean?

A carousel is a type of post comprising several images or videos (up to 10 contents) that users can scroll through.

What does "Commentary" mean?

By reacting to your posts, Insta users can leave messages on a dedicated space called "comments". This encourages interaction with your audience. This section can be deactivated if required.

What does "Creator Account" mean?

This is a type of Instagram account designed for influencers, artists, public figures and content creators, enabling them to benefit from many more features in addition to those available on a classic account.

What does "Professional Account" mean?

A professional Instagram account is perfect for businesses, thanks to additional tools and detailed statistics. It's an account designed more for selling and promoting a brand.

What does "Creator studio" mean?

It's a platform for planning and managing Instagram content from a computer, having been created by Facebook.

What does "crosspostage or crossposter" mean?

This refers to sharing the same content on different social platforms or even on several accounts. With crossposting on Instagram, you'll have access to the same content on two different Insta profiles, on which check-ins, likes and comments will be shared.

What does "DM" mean?

It's short for Direct message, which stands for the private Instagram messages exchanged between users. To access it, Insta messaging is located on the top right-hand side of the application's home page.

What does "double tap" or "double click" mean?

Double-clicking (on your phone) or doble-tapping (on your computer) rhymes with the action of liking a post by clicking on it twice. By doing this, you no longer have to click on the heart-shaped button to put a "like" on an Insta post.

What does "Commitment" mean?

User interaction and involvement with your content is what we call "engagement". This is marked by all the likes, comments, shares as well as check-ins. The more engagement a piece of content generates, the more Instagram's algorithm puts it in the newsfeed, which leads to high visibility.

What does "registration" mean?

It's the screenshot or recording of an Insta story or post on the device you're connecting to. As you can see, saving content is one of the signs of engagement on the platform.

What does "Explore" mean?

Explorer is simply the discovery tab where users discover relevant content. Depending on each user's preference and, above all, habit, the Explorer suggests posts, be they real, stories, photos or videos. Know that if your content is visible on the Explorer, you benefit from enormous visibility.

What does "Feed" mean?

The feed is the stream of photos and videos in which users browse publications. In other words, it's the collection of posts on your account, also known as the "grid".

What does "News Feed" mean?

When you surf the social networking site Instagram and see updates from the accounts you follow, you're on the "news feed", also known as the "home page". Here, publications appear in the order established by the Insta algorithm according to the engagement it generates and the preference of each user. When you're in other sections of the application, simply press the little house icon to return to the News Feed.

What does "Follow" mean?

It's an English term meaning "to follow", which means to subscribe to an account to see its content in your feed. When you subscribe to someone on Insta, you become their follower.

What does "Geolocation" mean?

It's a feature that lets you geotag content to increase its reach. In other words, you can tag a photo or story with a specific location that will appear between your IG name and the post's visual.

What does "Hashtag" mean?

A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a # symbol to group together publications on a subject. Hashtags are very much in vogue on social networks, enabling posts to be easily found in search engines.

What does IGTV stand for?

Long videos on Instagram, i.e. those lasting over a minute, are called IGTV.

What does "Impressions" mean?

This is the number of times your content has been posted and viewed. Even if it's a single insta user who views the post several times, impressions will increase.

What does "Insights" mean?

These are the statistics and information about your performance on Instagram, which are only accessible to professional and creative accounts.

What does "Instagram shopping" mean?

This is an option enabling companies to tag their products in publications for shopping. It is, in fact, a kind of showcase that already exists on the platform, encouraging users to redirect to an external store.

What does "Like" mean?

We like when we like or approve a publication by clicking on the heart or doing the double click or double tap mentioned above. This is a true sign of engagement. The content you like will serve as a reference for the algorithm to propose similar publications on your feed. Likes also enable a creator to evaluate audience feedback on his or her content.

The number of likes is a factor of popularity on this social network. This is one of the reasons why some people choose to hack instagram account and use it to reap the benefits later.

What does "Live" mean?

Live streaming means broadcasting a video live to interact with subscribers.

What does "Post" mean?

This is an individual post on Instagram.

Image illustration of the Instagram logo
Image created for our site

What does "Reach" mean?

Reach is the total number of users who have seen your content, or more precisely the reach of a post. Here it's different from impressions, because if a user has seen the publication once, that's equal to one reach, and even if they view the publication several times afterwards, the reach won't increase. Among the different types of Instagram content, it's the real ones that gain the most reach.

What does "Real" mean?

These are short, creative videos with special effects, somewhat similar to those on TikTok. Even users who aren't among your Insta followers can see your real ones.

What does "Regram" mean?

Regramming involves reposting someone else's content on your own account. This action is easier through other applications than Instagram.

What does "Restrict" mean?

It's the act of limiting interaction with certain users to reduce harassment. With this feature, you can limit the reach of your Instagram content.

What does "Shadowban" mean?

This is a temporary restriction of a user's content by the Insta algorithm. This can happen to you if you share shocking or undesirable content on the platform.

What does "Sourdine" mean?

When you no longer want to see a user's posts and stories on your feed without unsubscribing, simply mute them.

What does "Featured Stories" or "Highlights" mean?

These are stories saved in your profile for extended visibility. They can be found at the top of your profile page. That's right, even if the stories you publish last only 24 hours, you can always take them back and put them in your profile. story à la une Instagram and you can even create a group, i.e. a few old stories grouped together in a single highlight.

What does "Story" or "stories" mean?

These are photos or videos at the top of the home page that disappear 24 hours after publication. All you have to do is scroll down the banner at the top of your News Feed to see the different stories of the people you follow, including those of your most recent subscriptions. Then, if you want to see a particular account's story, just click on its profile photo and you're done.

What does "Swipe up" mean?

Literally, swipe up means Slide up. It's an old manipulation allowing you to access a link in Instagram stories. We just put it here for you to understand in case you see this term somewhere in the Instagram posts you read, among other things.

What does "Swiper" mean?

This is the action of quickly scrolling through posts using your finger. This allows you to avoid sticking to something you're less interested in, or to view the contents of a carousel, for example.

What does "Tag" mean?

Tagging on Insta means tagging an account or a person in a comment or on a post. To do so, simply type "@" on your keyboard, and the names of your Insta contacts will be displayed so you can choose the person you'd like to tag.

There, now you pretty much know the meaning of all the important words when you're surfing the social network Instagram.

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