Instagram is making it easier for you to share photos and videos with a select group of followers. A new feature introduced by the Facebook platform is letting you share so-called "stories" to a smaller circle of friends.

Largely modelled on a popular function from Snapchat, Instagram's stories feature is where countless users share photo and video updates to followers for a set time only.

Using the following instructions, you can now create a list of "close friends" to share a story with.

Tap the profile button in the bottom right

Tap the menu button in the top right

Tap "Close Friends"

Then start adding or searching for people from the list that appears.

Now, whenever you post a story, you'll see an option at the bottom left to share it with just your close friends.

"Instagram Stories has become the place to express yourself and share everyday moments, but our community has grown and sometimes what you want to share isn’t for everyone," the platform said, announcing the feature.

This privacy feature is the latest milestone in a trend that sees users on various platforms grow more sensitive when posting and increasingly looking to share posts in smaller groups.

Expecting the amount of social media use to drop as a result, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced a slowdown in revenue growth for the near future.

While the advertising on the news feed has currently been the main money maker for Facebook and Instagram, the social media giant is currently testing ads within stories and similar formats.

Copyright: The Star Online/ Asia News Network