If your Instagram Stories have been soundtracked by Creed’s“Higher”lately, you’re not losing it. Instagram confirmed this week that the 1999 rock anthem was recommended to way more users than intended on Stories, and the company is calling it a mistake. One user summed it up perfectly on X:“I’m not following Creed, I’m not listening to Creed. Like what millennial was in charge of this decision?”
The glitch had users in stitches for weeks, popping up back in August and September. People shared screenshots of completely random posts, Caesar salads, cat photos, morning coffee, all paired with the soaring chorus of“Higher.”Instagram says the recommendation system weighs signals like past song usage and photo content, which explains why your lunch suddenly became a stadium moment. But here’s the fun twist: Soulja Boy’s“Turn My Swag On”getting recommended everywhere is not a bug. Instagram says that one reflects genuine popularity.
So the algorithm isn’t broken. It just has opinions, and those opinions apparently include 90s rock and 2000s ringtone-era hip-hop. Instagram says its engineering team is working on a fix for the Creed situation. Until then, enjoy the chaos.
Have you seen Creed’s“Higher”on your Stories? What’s the weirdest song an app has ever suggested to you?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
