Instagram is testing another collaborative option, this time via Stories that you'd create for a friend.

Sounds weird? It kind of is, but it also makes sense as a sharing option.
Some users are now seeing a new option in the Stories creation flow that enables them to share their Story to a friend via the "Friend's Story" option.

If you share a Story in this way, the connection you share it with will be able to review it, then add it to their Story, if they approve.
As explained above, the Story will be sent to your connection as a message, and they can take a look at it. If they want to share it, they will add it to their Stories feed. Your handle will appear on the Story, so they know you actually made it.

It might be a cool way to collaborate with friends, and increase engagement and exposure in the application.

And if brands get access to the same, that could provide a new, simplified avenue for sourcing UGC, by prompting fans to submit their content, in order to potentially be featured on your brand profile.

Instagram confirmed to SMT that they are testing the option with selected users, though there's no time frame for a full launch as yet.

According to IG:

We're constantly looking for ways people want to share and connect with each other on Instagram and are now starting a test for requesting to share to someone's story from a small group of people to start," the Meta company noted in a post this morning.

This marks one more among a line of options through which users may interact collectively in the application. Also part of such collaborative functionalities in the application include experimental "Hype" Story messages, "Add Yours" templates, public Collections, and so forth.

In recent interviews, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has stated that he wants to make sure Instagram doesn't lose its social focus as it moves further into entertainment, so it's fair to say that you will see the app experiment with a wide variety of new options in this year that are meant to encourage engagement and interaction on the platform.

Another feature would be Friend's Stories that could be an interesting interactive option if it does get a full launch.