What does Story mean?
A story is a post that disappears after 24 hours.
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Platform term. Also written stories.
Where it comes from
Invented by Snapchat in 2013 and copied by Instagram in 2016, then by nearly every other platform. The Instagram version is widely credited with halting Snapchat’s growth.
How it is actually used
The impermanence changes what gets posted: stories carry rough, frequent, low-stakes content that would not earn a permanent slot. They sit above the feed, so they are seen first, and they support interactive stickers — polls, questions, sliders — that generate replies far more cheaply than feed posts. Highlights let selected stories persist on the profile indefinitely.
Examples
- "put the poll in a story"
- "story only, not going on the grid"
- "saved it to a highlight"
Can a brand use it? Safe for brands
Safe and the lowest-risk place to be informal, since the content expires. Remember that expiry is not deletion — screenshots outlive the 24 hours, so a story is still a public statement.
Related terms
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a story on social media?
A post that is visible for 24 hours and then disappears from the profile.
Which platform invented stories?
Snapchat, in 2013. Instagram launched its own version in 2016 and most other platforms followed.
What are highlights?
Selected stories saved permanently to a profile, so they remain visible after the 24 hours expire.
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