Instagram Chief Pledges to Reverse Changes After Everyone and the Kardashians Complained
Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images
Instagram’s Head Adam Mosseri is caving to pressure from users who are frustrated with some of the app’s recent feature changes, amid mounting backlash that Instagram is becoming too much like rival video-sharing app Tik-Tok.
Recently, Instagram has come under fire for testing updates that users claim hinders their experience on the app. Even celebrities, including beauty mogul Kylie Jenner and her half-sister Kim Kardashian, complained and called for changes to be made.
On Monday, Jenner shared an image to her 361 million followers reading “Make Instagram Instagram again. (stop trying to be TikTok I just want to see cute photos of my friends.) Sincerely, everyone.” Kardashian reposted the Instagram story with a comment, “Pretty Please.”
Mosseri responded to broad criticism by announcing the rollback of test features on Thursday in an interview with Platformer. “I’m glad we took a risk — if we’re not failing every once in a while, we’re not thinking big enough or bold enough,” said the Instagram chief.
Instagram will walk back changes, including a test version that opened to full-screen photos and videos, phasing them out over the next few weeks. Mosseri also said that Instagram will reduce the number of recommended posts within the app, restructuring the algorithms currently used.
In a video posted on the platform earlier this week, Mosseri said that Instagram will “continue to support photos, they’re part of our heritage.”
The Instagram chief additionally defended specific changes to the app. “I need to be honest: I do believe that more and more of Instagram is going to become video over time.” Mosseri made it clear that this rollback is temporary as they attempt to fix features for the consumer.
Similar to other social media platforms, Instagram has been increasingly catering to video aspects of the app in order to compete with TikTok. In 2020, Instagram launched a feature called Reels, short-form video content similar to their fast-growing rival.
Instagram, which is owned by Meta, has followed the company trend of mimicking competitors’ features. Meta’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has been vocal about TikTok’s growing threat to Facebook and Instagram.
