Instagram wants users to start fresh. Why?

Instagram knows your feed is cluttered — and they want to “help.”

The platform has started prompting users with a notification encouraging them to create a new account to “keep up with a smaller group of friends,” per The Wall Street Journal.

The move reflects new trends in online engagement

Namely, that users are shifting from a mindset of “get as many likes as possible” to private messaging with smaller groups.

Notably, the platform already offers options to help users maintain a tighter feed, including:

• Setting accounts to private
• Sharing posts with “Close Friends” only

Users can also cleanse their feed by going on an unfollowing spree — but risk awkward conversations if the “unfollowed” take it personally.

Another reason for the move…

… is better ad targeting. By pushing a user to start over and only follow accounts they identify with, Instagram can target users with more relevant ads — which, in turn, will drive more engagement.

Another benefit? If users create new accounts without deleting their existing ones, it will boost the app’s daily active user count.

So while a cleaner feed may lead to a better user experience, it will likely lead to bigger profits for Instagram too.