Have you ever been scrolling through Instagram and suddenly hit a roadblock? Well, some unlucky users are experiencing just that as Instagram tests a new feature called "ad breaks."
Imagine this: you're happily browsing cute cat pictures when BAM! Your scrolling finger grinds to a halt. An ad appears on your screen, and you can't simply swipe past it like usual. This ad break forces you to wait for a few seconds before you can continue your journey through the world of Instagram.
Several users on Reddit, a popular online forum, reported this strange occurrence. When they reached out to Instagram for an explanation, a spokesperson named Matthew Tye confirmed that the company is indeed testing ad breaks. According to Tye, this is just one of the ways Instagram is exploring how to make ads more appealing to advertisers.
NEW GARBAGE FEATURE IS BEING TESTED
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Think of it like watching TV commercials. You can't fast-forward through them, and that's kind of the idea behind ad breaks on Instagram. The difference is, commercials usually come between shows, not in the middle of your favorite one. Here on Instagram, these ad breaks pop up right in the middle of your scrolling session, interrupting your flow.
This isn't the first time a social media platform has experimented with unskippable ads. YouTube, the land of videos, has been doing this for a while now. You've probably seen those short ads that play before you can watch your favorite music video. But even YouTube allows you to skip some ads after a few seconds.
With Instagram's ad breaks, there's no escape. You have to stare at the ad (well, at least for a few seconds) before you can get back to your regularly scheduled scrolling. This has left many users feeling frustrated and annoyed. It disrupts their experience and feels a bit intrusive.
Will ad breaks become a permanent feature on Instagram? Only time will tell. The company is still testing it out and will likely consider user feedback before making a decision. In the meantime, some users might have to brace themselves for the occasional interruption in their Instagram adventures.