Instagram is backing down. For now. The social network announced this Thursday that in the coming weeks it will eliminate the news feed style it copied from TikTok, an adjustment to increase users' screen time and video consumption. This design provoked a rebellion of hundreds of thousands of people who posted on their accounts a poster that borrowed Donald Trump's most popular phrases: Make Instagram Instagram againIronically, users were asking for the best platform to trigger their anxiety about the luxurious lifestyles their friends seem to be living.
“I’m glad we took risks. If we don’t fail from time to time, it’s because we’re not thinking big or bold enough,” said Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, in a statement. an interview with The Verge, a technology-focused outlet. “But we definitely need to take a step back and regroup. We've learned a lot and will come back with a new idea or an iteration,” the developer admitted. Mosseri also acknowledges that change often generates user revulsion. This time, their displeasure has been made abundantly clear. “People are frustrated with the new design, and the usage data isn't very good,” he added.
The network, owned by Meta (formerly Facebook), had recently released a black background design that opened the feed, the stream of notifications, with Reels, short, vertically formatted videos that are meant to be viewed full screen. These, which could easily be content from a stranger suggested by the algorithm, were followed by an endless reel of images. American photographer and influencer Tati Bruening had complained about these adjustments. influencer had started a resistance campaign to restore priority to photos and videos of friends and acquaintances you follow. Their demand garnered support from more than 165,000 people in 30 countries on Change.org.
The resistance enjoyed almost immediate public support. Important Instagrammers joined the campaign. Among them were Kylie Jenner and her sister, Kim Kardashian. Together, they have more than 380 million followers on the platform, which was acquired by Facebook in 2012 for $1 billion. Mosseri had responded to all the negative feedback with a video in which she explained that these were tests aimed at giving users a big-screen experience on their mobile devices.
Mosseri, however, has told The Verge that the commitment to video within Meta predated the rise of TikTok, which has become the most downloaded social network in the world and a real threat to Mark Zuckerberg's company. In February, The company lost $250 billion in market capitalization on the day which presented 2021 results. These indicated that the technology company would face serious obstacles in 2022 due to the loss of advertising revenue due to privacy settings on iPhones, where users can disable data tracking.
Zuckerberg then explained to employees and shareholders that Meta would focus, in the short term, on its video products as a way to hold its own against TikTok's push.
This Wednesday, during the second-half results presentation, the tech company's CEO announced that the company will be boosting what they call the discovery engine. This refers to the number of posts from other, unfollowed accounts that are recommended by the algorithm. The company has set this target to reach 30% by the end of 2023. Currently, they represent 15% on Facebook and slightly more on Instagram.
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He is one of EL PAÍS's correspondents in the US, where he covers migration, climate change, culture, and politics. He previously served as editor-in-chief of the newspaper's Mexico City office, where he is originally from. He studied Communications at the Universidad Iberoamericana and earned a Master's in Journalism from EL PAÍS. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
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