You will either love or hate Instagram's newest feature

News.com.au

3 days ago

Instagram has caused a bitter divide with the launch of its newest feature, a graphic font that you either love or hate.
The chalkboard style writing, called Rosalía, was named after the Spanish pop singer and has been recently rolled out globally on the popular app.
Styled on Rosalía's own handwriting, complete with the Con Altura singer's dramatic strokes and inky texture, Instagram said the new feature – which can be used on Reels and Stories – was designed to encourage creativity and risk-taking among its users.
However, it appears to have sent the internet into a meltdown, with those who have adopted the new writing being condemned by those who loathe its appearance.
'What is this absolutely hideous new font you guys are using on Instagram?' asked TikTok user francescabongi in a viral clip that has amassed almost 2 million views.
While another, who goes by the handle @alexispoulos, lost her cool over it, slamming her hand on her phone as she asked: 'What the hell is going on with Instagram and these whack ass fonts?'
Meanwhile Instagram account @themuffreport posted, 'please stop using this font' to its 1 million followers, describing its existence as 'the next pandemic'.
The rage-filled posts spawned thousands of comments, with many agreeing the new feature was 'ugly' and 'weird'.
However, there were plenty of Rosalía font fans who quickly leapt to its defence.
'It's so funny that people get so bothered over a font,' commented one.
'I'm gonna start using it even harder,' remarked another.
While one quizzed: 'Why does it matter what font other people use on their own stories?'
One of the most popular quirks of the latest Instagram feature is its 'secret icons', which include a heart, a smiley face, a devil and a star. These are unlocked when users manually type out select symbols such as
But the defenders were quickly shot down by those who seemingly despise trying something new.
'If you feel compelled to use this font, it's your sign to seek therapy,' snarked one.
'When I see this font I see, 'H E L P',' commented another.
As someone else declared: 'It's serial killer font.'
There was also feedback from some that the new typeface was 'hard to read' and 'inaccessible' for blind and visually impaired people.
'I cannot read that font for the life of me, and my visual disabilities are mostly corrected with glasses. I can't imagine how hard it is to read with other visual disabilities,' noted one woman.
'I find it hard to read, especially when it's small,' agreed another.
Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram, said the Rosalía font is available for a limited-time and was one of several updates coming as part of a wider push to 'make things more fun'.
'We know people value lightweight ways to be creative with features like Close Friends, Stories, Notes and more,' he wrote.
'We're also introducing a way to share what you're listening to on Spotify directly in Notes, to easily connect with friends through music.'