In the ever-evolving landscape of social media, Instagram has begun testing a new feature that promises to bring a more private and selective experience to its users.

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What is Flipside from Instagram?

The Flipside option is an alternative space within your Instagram account, only available to yourself and your chosen friends and followers.

Similar to the earlier Close Friends feature, you are then able to choose Flipside as your audience for new posts, limiting its reach to your intended demographic.

Your Flipside can be viewed in a silo, which is different to how Close Friends feed posts worked, which were mixed within your main grid when you or a Close Friend would view your page.

You can even add a new name, profile picture, and bio to your Flipside view.

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Why has Flipside been developed?

This new feature, reminiscent of the existing Close Friends option, enables users to establish a unique profile with a different image, display name, and bio, distinct from their public persona. It appears to be a direct response to the growing trend of 'Finstas' - private accounts followed by a select few, often used for sharing unfiltered content, personal jokes, and genuine emotions.

Is Instagram's goal to encourage users to manage different aspects of their personality within a single account? And more importantly, will users be as engaged if the platform itself is steering them towards more intimate and personal sharing?

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Co-founder of Pepper and social media expert Beckii Flint sheds light on this latest development, stating

"It feels like another arm of the Close Friends feature, but one that weaves in the natural observed behaviour of Finstas - accounts set up privately and followed by a select few, to share inside jokes, unedited pics, and truer feeling.

I wonder why - it feels like Instagram wants to keep users with one account for everything, rather than folks setting up multiple accounts for different facets of their personality. And I wonder if it will catch on - is part of the novelty of a finsta the idea that it's facilitated by the culture, finding solutions to their communication needs in maverick ways? If Instagram is guiding the horse to water to get more personal, more intimate - will it still drink?"

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This development marks a significant moment in the ongoing conversation about privacy and authenticity in social media. As platforms like Instagram evolve, so do the ways in which we are enabled to choose to share our lives online.

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