We all know that Instagram is desperately trying to become the new TikTok. Scroll through your newsfeed for 30 seconds, and you’ll be hit with Reel after Reel from random people you don’t even follow. Instagram serves you with content they think you want to see, and then occasionally, you’re treated to a picture of one of your real-life friends that they posted six days ago. The app has changed significantly over the last decade, but those changes haven’t always been positive. There’s a growing number of users begging for the old Instagram back. But who would have thought that the Kardashians could be the ones to save us from the TikTokification of Instagram?
On top of the changes we’ve already seen with Instagram, they recently unveiled a test version of their app that featured a fullscreen homepage, similar to what you see on TikTok. News of the change prompted tons of viral tweets from users already exhausted by Instagram’s ongoing push toward video. Remember IGTV? It wasn’t until some of Instagram’s most popular users started complaining that the social media giant officially announced they’d be walking back some of their updates.
As the New York Post reported, Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner reposted a meme to their combined 686 million followers, saying, “Make Instagram Instagram Again. Stop trying to be TikTok. I just want to see cute photos of my friends. Sincerely, Everyone.”
When America’s First Family complains, you listen. Years ago, Kylie tweeted about not using Snapchat after a frustrating redesign, and the company quickly lost $1 billion in market value. Kylie is the second most followed person on Instagram, so after catching heat from her and Kim, the company announced that they’re rolling back some of those unpopular changes. Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s head, talked to Platformer about the decision.
“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,” he said. “But we definitely need to take a big step back and regroup. [When] we’ve learned a lot, then we come back with some sort of new idea or iteration. So we’re going to work through that.”
While Instagram is still going to push some recommended posts into your newsfeed, they claim that they will slow down on the volume of suggestions. They’re also going to scrap the full-screen redesign for now, and hopefully, whatever they come up with next meets the Kardashians’ standards.
Adam from Instagram said, “For the new feed designs, people are frustrated, and the usage data isn’t great.” He continued, “I think that we need to take a big step back, regroup, and figure out how we want to move forward.”
TELL US – DO YOU THINK THE KARDASHIAN COMPLAINTS ACTUALLY INFLUENCED INSTAGRAM’S DECISION-MAKING? DO YOU PREFER CLASSIC INSTAGRAM OR THE NEW FOCUS ON VIDEOS?
