Instagram’s testing out a new way to comment on specific images within a carousel post, with some users able to link their reply to a photo or video, based on its assigned number in the display.
As you can see in this example, posted by Brent Colmer (and shared by Lindsey Gamble), the new option enables users to @mention the number of an image within a carousel to append their comment to that specific image or video.
So, for example, if you wanted to comment on the second image in the display, you would write “@2” then enter your comment.
That comment is then displayed along with a thumbnail of the specific image:
It could be another way to drive more focused engagement, and encourage more interaction around each element, while also clearing up confusion when commenting on carousel posts.
Carousel posts have become a key focus for IG as it looks to encourage more personal sharing in the app. Last October, it began testing collaborative carousel posts, which enables other users to contribute to carousel feed updates, while more recently, it also began testing expanded carousels, with up to 20 images available within a single update.
With both options, having a simple way to specifically comment on each frame within a carousel could be of value, and could enable more engagement and interaction within the main IG feed.
Instagram’s testing the new carousel tagging option with a limited number of users at this stage.
