Instagram takes a nostalgic turn with its newly released feature that allows users to personalize their profiles further by adding a favorite song, reminiscent of the old Myspace days. In partnership with artist Sabrina Carpenter, who showcased a snippet of her track “Taste” on her profile, Instagram introduces a musical expression to the platform that has a personal touch.
If you’re eager to spruce up your profile with a tune, the process is straightforward. Head over to the “edit profile” option, then delve into Instagram’s vast music library to pick a song. Similar to selecting music for your Reels or Stories, choose up to a 30 seconds snippet of your chosen melody. The key difference from the Myspace approach is that visitors of your profile will need to manually hit the play button to listen to the song, as it won’t play automatically.
You’re not stuck with your initial choice either. You can update or completely remove the song whenever you wish by revisiting “edit profile” or by engaging with the song directly on your profile page.
This introduction of profile music isn’t Instagram’s first foray into integrating tunes into the user experience. The feature builds upon previous updates like adding music to Stories in 2018, and the more recent addition of background tracks for Notes and photo slide shows.
The timing is interesting, as there’s a growing trend of users looking back fondly on the early days of social networking. This gives rise to platforms like Noplace, a text-focused social application catering to the Gen-Z demographic with lively, customizable profiles. With competition from a range of new applications – BeReal, Daylyy, Palmsy, Lapse, Whee, to name a few – Instagram’s latest feature could be seen as a move to remain relevant and appealing to its user base, which might be seeking a change or a dash of nostalgia.
For those who reminisce about the time when a Myspace profile wasn’t complete without a theme song, this Instagram feature brings back a piece of that personal flair to modern social media. Whether to showcase their current mood, support their favorite artist, or simply add another layer of personality to their online presence, Instagram users now have one more tool at their disposal to express themselves through music.
