Follow us for updates
© 2022 reportr.world
Read the Story →

'Make Instagram Instagram Again': App Pauses Pivot to TikTok Features

Users want photo-centricity back.
by Agence France Presse
Just now
Photo/s: shutterstock
Shares

SAN FRANCISCO -- Instagram will pause features that users have campaigned against and complained make the social network too much like TikTok, according to a report in the Platformer tech newsletter Thursday.

Celebrity sisters Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner were some of the most vocal users to have posted messages on social media this week calling for the company to "make Instagram Instagram again" and stop trying to be like TikTok.

ALSO READ:

LIST: Philippines' Top 10 Apps with Most Users, Downloads

Repost If You're Against... Being Asked to Repost Just to Prove You're Against

The slogan sprang from a change.org petition that had received more than 229,000 signatures as of late Thursday.

"Lets go back to our roots with Instagram and remember that the intention behind Instagram was to share photos, for Pete's sake," the petition read.

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri had responded to the controversy earlier this week with a video on Twitter in which he said the features were a work in progress, and being tested with a small number of users.

Continue reading below ↓

Changes included playing up short-form video, displaying it full-screen the way TikTok does, and recommending posts from strangers.

"I'm glad we took a risk," Mosseri was quoted as saying Thursday in an interview with Platformer's Casey Newton.

"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," Mosseri said.

Continue reading below ↓
Recommended Videos

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.

"We are going to have to lean into that shift."

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg backed that position during an earnings call Wednesday, saying people are increasingly watching video online.

Both Meta and Google are among companies facing increased competition from TikTok for people's attention, and have launched their own versions of short-form video sharing.

Reportr is now on Quento. Download the app or visit the Quento website for more articles and videos from Reportr and your favorite websites.

Latest Headlines
more about:
Read Next
Recent News
Australia, Japan also get high trust rating.
With the reopening of several local destinations, this app has never been more timely.
The latest gov't office offered at Robinsons Malls.
The victims were plunged into a river.
It's an extra headache for Biden ahead of midterm elections.
That was one tense phone call between the two leaders.
The news. So what? Subscribe to the newsletter that explains what the news means for you.
The email address you entered is invalid.
Thank you for signing up to On Three, reportr's weekly newsletter delivered to your mailbox three times a week. Only the latest, most useful and most insightful reads.
By signing up to reportr.world newsletter, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.