Instagram faces backlash for TikTok-like features, to pause certain features users complained about- Technology News, Firstpost

Mehul Reuben DasJul 29, 2022 13:12:52 IST

There was a point in time when Instagram was “the” social media platform to be on. However, thanks in order to stand out and remain at the top, somewhere, the social media platform lost its way.

Instagram built itself based on posts that were either digitally created images or photographs. Over the years, it added features like Instant Messaging, from WhatsApp, and statuses from SnapChat. Although these features were well received, one feature that was not well received was its idea to get into Shorts, or Short Videos a form of content that was popularised by TikTok.

Seeing TikTok’s meteoric rise, the Meta-backed platform started a similar feature called Instagram Shorts. Now, although there wasn’t exactly a problem with how the feature was integrated to the platform, what became a problem, was how Instagram pushed shorts.

Off late, a user’s feed would just be filled with either short or video content from people they did not follow, or by advertisements. The situation had gotten so out of hand, that most creators and small businesses who had built their careers and businesses on the platform started complaining that their reach had tanked. Even regular consumers started complaining that all they could see on their feeds was video content from people whom they did not follow.

The final nail in the coffin was when Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, two of the most followed people on the platform put out a post saying that Instagram needs to be Instagram.

With over 361 million and 326 million followers respectively, Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian are two of the most followed personalities on the platform. Both of them came out against Instagram becoming more like TikTok.

Amid all of this, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri doubled down on recent changes to the app and that video content, especially shorts and reels was the future for the platform. This stance comes despite the backlash from scores of users, including some of the most prominent ones.

A new report suggests that Instagram will finally be heeding what its users have been complaining about.

Instagram will pause features that users have campaigned against and complained make the social network too much like TikTok

“I’m glad we took a risk,” Mosseri was quoted as saying Thursday in a recent interview. “But we definitely need to take a big step back and regroup. If we’re not failing every once in a while, we’re not thinking big enough or bold enough,” he added.

Mosseri argued that the shift to more video would happen even if the service changed nothing, as users increasingly share and seek video snippets. “If you look at what people share on Instagram, that is shifting more and more to video over time,” Mosseri said.

What this means for end users is still a little vague. Instagram certainly won’t be giving up on video content and definitely not giving up on vertical shorts. 

What it might do, is tweak its algorithms in such a way that users still get to see posts from the people they chose to follow, but most of their feed will still be dominated by short videos. Video Posts from creators who upload regularly will still be pushed by the algorithm.