Snapchat pioneered the format in 2013; Instagram adopted it in 2016 and it became central to how people use the app. Because Stories vanish, they lower the pressure to be polished, which makes them ideal for daily presence, quick updates, and direct audience interaction.
Stories support interactive stickers — polls, questions, quizzes, countdowns, the "Add Yours" prompt, and link stickers — that drive replies and DMs. Highlights let you pin Stories to your profile permanently. For creators, Stories are where the closest, warmest part of the audience engages most directly.