Do Instagram Stories Disappear?

It seems like we just learned about Apple's new batch of socially evolved emoji, and now we're already onto a new major announcement in the wonderful world of technology: Instagram just released an update with a new, Snapchat-esque feature named Instagram Stories. Indeed, the similarities to Snapchat are so close that it's caused many people to wonder, do Instagram stories disappear, too? After all, Instagram Stories are kept separate from your permanent photo grid and can be decorated with text and emoji galore — both very Snapchat-like qualities. As such, the short answer to the question of whether Instagram stories disappear is probably unsurprising: They do.

According to a post on Instagram's official blog published on Tuesday, Instagram Stories disappear 24 hours after you post them, giving the masses a day to check out your weird and fleeting overshare posts previously reserved for less permanent forms of communication. To access the feature, navigate to the Stories camera by swiping right from your home screen or by clicking the round Stories button on the top left hand side of the screen. Photos and videos used in stories can be both saved to your camera roll and posted individually to your profile grid, so although the stories themselves vanish, bits of them can be preserved if you want them to be.

One extremely important note to all you stealthy Insta-browsers out there — the good people in the 'gram fam are going to tell you every user who has viewed each of your stories, so there's no hiding if you've watched someone's story. Additionally, if you wish to respond to someone's story, you have to use the Direct Message feature, as there are no public likes or comments for stories. To check out the most recent Story from an account you don't follow, just click the profile image on their page. Stories are currently only accessible from your mobile device.

In the age of social media, there's an increasingly popular premium being placed on temporary sharing. It definitely makes it easier to do things like run for public office or find a job after college; in 24 short hours it'll be like you never posted a thing. Still, though, it's always possible that someone may screenshot something meant to be ephemeral, so post wisely.

Happy sharing, ladies and gents.

Images: Instagram; Giphy