In a week when the nation’s favourite television show was sold to a rival channel and the much-loved hosts decided it was time to stand down (for those who might’ve been living under a rock this week, we’re talking about the Great British Bake Off), it seems slightly odd to be talking about embracing change. However, we’re about to do just that.

There have been a few changes on some of our favourite social platforms of late and we’re really enjoying the additional tools we have at our fingertips.

Our main new love is Instagram’s Stories feature. It’s has had about six weeks to bed now in and unlike Pokémon GO, its use appears to be gaining strength. While its initial announcement caused some ripples with claims of it being a carbon copy rip-off of rival platform Snapchat’s feature with the very same name, that hasn’t stopped it from being embraced by many of Instagram’s 500 million users.

Delivering in-the-moment updates that only exist on the platform for 24 hours and that don’t have the gloss and sheen of many users’ permanent posts has allowed for more behind-the-scenes action to be shared. In short, you feel like you’re getting to know the people behind the posts a little more.

This new feature gives brands an additional way to tell their stories and to engage consumers on another level. Being able to share ‘backstage’ or ‘the making of’ footage that they wouldn’t have previously had a large, accessible outlet to do so on, means that consumers feel closer to the brand and that in turn helps to build brand loyalty.

One of our favourite Stories to follow is from Conde Nast Traveller. When we’re in a grey and rainy London we can follow their writers in real time as they travel all over the globe. Whetting our appetites for the full features which will later appear in the glossy magazine and online this extra insight adds another layer to the experience of engaging with one of our favourite brands.

Instagram has been one of our favourite social media platforms for a while now, not just for the beautiful images and videos its users share but because it’s one of the ‘nicer’ places to spend time online. There’s far less of the ‘trolling’ that can be found on other platforms and the community feel within the niche hubs is incredibly supportive.

If this is the beginning of more additions to the Instagram offering then we can’t wait to see what comes along next. We love you, Instagram!