Instagram CEO Defends Shift to Video Content, Says Photo Support Will Continue

[MacRumors]

Instagram parent company Meta has been pushing the social media app further into video content in order to compete with TikTok, but many Instagram users have been unhappy with the continued focus on video.

Celebrities have spoken out against the change, and a petition to "Make Instagram Instagram Again" has garnered more than 1.7 million likes, leading Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri to share a video on Twitter explaining Instagram's plans.

Mosseri confirmed that "more and more of Instagram is going to become video over time," which he claims will happen "even if we change nothing." He said that what people share on Instagram is already shifting to videos over time, and Instagram will "have to lean into that shift while continuing to support photos."

Instagram is experimenting with a "number of different changes to the app," according to Mosseri. The full-screen version of the feed that some users are seeing is a test to a "few percentage of people." Mosseri says that Instagram is aiming to determine whether a full-screen experience for photos and videos might be "a more fun and engaging experience." If the feature ships to the rest of Instagram, it will be improved first.

Instagram users have also been unhappy with recommendations, which are posts that Instagram inserts into a feed based on other accounts followed. Mosseri says recommendations can be snoozed for up to a month, but Instagram is going to try to get better at recommendations because it is "one of the most effective and important ways to help creators reach more people."

Mosseri said Instagram will ultimately continue to support photos, but that the app "needs to evolve because the world is changing quickly" and Instagram has to "change along with it."

Article Link: Instagram CEO Defends Shift to Video Content, Says Photo Support Will Continue

 

[JCCL]

I hate reels more like anything. I don’t know how people can watch random dumb stuff one after another And another. Originally I installed Instagram because I wanted to see pics from friends & family and some public figures that interested me, but more and more it is pushing random reels I don't care about, and the content I originally wanted to see is getting harder and harder to find. This app is getting so close to being removed from my Phone.

 

[macsplusmacs]

if I ever start taking photos again this is the only service I will use to post to the world:

Glass — Photography Community

Photography is better shared. Glass is a paid, global community platform for photographers. With no ads or manipulative algorithms, Glass is your home for photography.

glass.photo

 

[Mr. Dee]

Yet they can't release a dedicated iPad app...a 1 trillion dollar company!

 

[GMShadow]

I hate reels more like anything. I don’t know how people can watch random dumb stuff one after another And another.

They're just trying to avoid losing people to TikTok.

And, understandably, celebs and 'influencers' want to stick to photos - those can be edited to suit. Live video? Not so much, not cheaply and consistently.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Instagram video content is a joke already. Half of the time it's filled with random commercial ads. This is pure greed.

Sorry, Instagram. You cannot compete with TikTok. Stop trying to be them. Stick to the original business plan.

 

[alexandr]

I'm "lucky" enough to have the full screen version(I'm assuming that's what it is), which also has a forced black background in the feed, which I absolutely hate. I've researched this, but found no way to beat it.

 

[RemedyRabbit]

My feed contains less and less photos from the users I follow and more and more videos from accounts that I'm not remotely interested in 🤷‍♂️

Such a shame that every successful app becomes increasingly worse over time as they're squeezed dry of every last little drop of profit.

 

[toph2toast]

Not that Instragram cares but not a fan of the new update. A lot more video content has been pushed to the top of my timeline, which I don't like. Not to mention I feel like 1/2 of whats on my screen is suggested/recommended content, and now content that I follow.

 

[alpi123]

I hate reels more like anything. I don’t know how people can watch random dumb stuff one after another And another. Originally I installed Instagram because I wanted to see pics from friends & family and some public figures that interested me, but more and more it is pushing random reels I don't care about, and the content I originally wanted to see is getting harder and harder to find. This app is getting so close to being removed from my Phone.

Nothing is worse than YouTube Shorts.

 

[parkds]

Why can’t a photo sharing platform just be enough. I know they don’t want to be caught flat footed, but Instagram is always chasing the “hot” new kid on the block; Snapchat, Clubhouse, now TikTok. Instagram needs to be true to it’s identity, which it’s users expect, and innovate, don’t follow.

 

[Kylo83]

The world is changing for the worst, every social media app is copying other ones that’s the issue

 

[KaliYoni]

LOL. The only way to "Make Instagram Instagram Again" is to get Mark Z. to change his mind. And let's face it, nobody employed by Meta, especially senior managers, is going to challenge or question a Mark Decision. It's also blindingly obvious Mark doesn't care what its users think beyond their clicks and likes.

So I'd say any Instagram fans who want to have a service and features focused on them, need to find an alternative place to post their photos and discussions.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

This combined with raising the price of the Quest 2 by $100. Man Meta just wants to make all kinds of bad decisions today don't they?

 

[Miha_v]

Not continuing to support photos would be a really stupid decision - forcing users to post videos only would lose you a ton of users. Latest UI / UX changes made Instagram horrible to use; inconsistent behaviour, titles & descriptions are sometimes "floating" over photos / videos and it's just annoying / badly thought through.

 

[UnusedLoginID]

I hate reels more like anything. I don’t know how people can watch random dumb stuff one after another And another. Originally I installed Instagram because I wanted to see pics from friends & family and some public figures that interested me, but more and more it is pushing random reels I don't care about, and the content I originally wanted to see is getting harder and harder to find. This app is getting so close to being removed from my Phone.

Agree. Reminds me of Facebook itself. Used it to connect to my family and friends worldwide but over time it got overwhelmed with ads, suggestions, shares, all kind of crap. I barely used it any more. Meta is shooting itself in the foot by trying to monetize things too much and some other apps will take over… RIP In a few years.

 

[crackout666]

Mosseri says that Instagram is aiming to determine whether a full-screen experience for photos and videos might be "a more fun and engaging experience."

The answer is no.

 

[error]

They pulled me into the fullscreen snap-scroll testing feed for a while and it was absolutely terrible for still photography. Gradients and white text on every photo plus screens filled with the average photo color to create a fullscreen ‘experience’. Eventually they are going to kill still images.

Glass is a nice… but only for photographers. There are no painters, illustrators or other fine artists on Glass. There’s hardly an audience. It’s just a modern version of Flickr.

 

[v0lume4]

If you’re always following everyone else, then you’re always behind.

Meta basically already has a video platform: Facebook.

Trying to homologize all of your platforms erodes the individual strengths of each platform. What happened to doing one thing, but doing it well?

I hope this opens up the door for a killer, spiritual successor to Instagram to swoop in and capture that segment of the market.

 

[mariusignorello]

Oh sure, photos will still be supported but they’ll be deprioritized and reach practically nobody.

 

[cBraunDesign]

Let's just say it. Mosseri is wrong.

Instagram is becoming less and less interesting and becoming something none of us want, so we'll all just stop using it.

 

[arkitect]

I'm an artist and Instagram is a large part of my marketing and exposure... But these latest developments are making it harder than ever.

So now I guess I will have to make videos of my paintings to get any traction.

FFS Instagram! Why muck about with a decent formula?

 

[Mousse]

My feed contains less and less photos from the users I follow and more and more videos from accounts that I'm not remotely interested in 🤷‍♂️

Wut?! You don't like the Tik-Tok knockoff that's mostly advertisment? No way.🙃

Such a shame that every successful app becomes increasingly worse over time as they're squeezed dry of every last little drop of profit.

Makes you wish there was a way to revert all these social media apps back to the old versions.😊 Instagram would be a place to find cool photos and comics again. Twitter would be a place for clever quips again. Facebook would be a place to keep in touch with friends again.

 

[temende]

You cannot compete with TikTok. Stop trying to be them. Stick to the original business plan.

If they don't change then they'll go out of business.

 

[contacos]

They are just trying to catch up which is so desperate especially since most of these videos are just shared from TikTok. The worst are those celebrities sharing videos of young girls dancing to their latest song. So cringe. I don’t want / need to see young girls dancing on my feed