As 2019 comes to a close, your data has a lot to say about what the best moments were — at least according to your social media.
On Instagram, a collage format called a “#Top9” or “#TopNine” has become a popular — i.e. viral — three-by-three grid design to display what your 2019 highlights were, based on which posts from the year got the highest engagement.
Instagram itself does not generate this “best of” feature, so users must utilize third-party sites, including Top Nine — which will generate a grid based on account data for free, and without a watermark.
“Millions of Instagram users, celebrities, and influencers share their Top Nine collage featuring their best nine Instagram photos of the year using the Top Nine app,” hypes a press release from the company.
For example, Oscar winner Halle Berry shared her, uh, revealing “#TopNine” — and it’s already racked up nearly a half-million “likes” in 24 hours.
How to get your own Top Nine
Insta users with private accounts must download the TopNine.co app. Those with public accounts need only enter their Insta username and email to promptly receive their Top Nine grid. The company also offers a Top Nine video feature, which is free as well but, again, requires downloading the app.
The company specifies that, even if Instagram users have deactivated their likes — a feature Instagram is increasingly rolling out — Top Nine can still determine which posts received the most engagement using a “very complex algorithm,” which is not exclusively based on like counts.
Is your personal data safe?
Other social networking services can be connected to Top Nine accounts, the company notes in its privacy policy, which also details how it processes data — and reassures users Top Nine will not access Instagram passwords.
However, the company also published a warning against using “non-authentic clones,” claiming some of these copycats can compromise users’ Insta accounts.
“Some [users] unknowingly download fakes thinking it’s our app — and it’s easy to think that any of the fake apps will work exactly the same, as long as they solve the problem of generating a collage with the best nine Instagram photos of 2019,” the warning reads.
Top Nine advises the public to make sure they are securely signing into Instagram.com — not some fake “phishing” site.
“To ensure you’re signing in securely, make sure you look at the web browser’s address bar,” the warning reads. “If you can’t see the address bar, then it’s better not to risk it using this app.”
