Featured Image Credit: Adam Mosseri/Instagram. Chris Rout / Alamy Stock Photo
Topics: Instagram, Technology, News
Stewart Perrie
Topics: Instagram, Technology, News
Instagram's boss has released a statement reacting to the viral campaign to return the app to the way it was.
The social media site has been criticised by users all around the world for featuring more short-form video content from strangers rather than posts from actual friends.
People have also complained about the increase in ads as well as how the app looks on mobile.
Many have suggested Instagram is simply trying to copy TikTok's winning format.
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Well, if you were hoping the company's boss was going to accept the criticism and change it back, you would be sorely mistaken.
Adam Mosseri said: "I need to be honest. I do believe more and more of Instagram is going to become videos."
He added: "A more full-screen experience, not only for videos but for photos, might be a more fun, engaging experience."
I mean, that's literally what people go to TikTok for, not Instagram.
The likes of Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian have been sharing a viral image that begs Instagram to go back to its former ways.
"Make Instagram Instagram again," the message says. "Stop trying to be like TikTok, I just want to see cute photos of my friends, sincerely everyone."
But Mosseri admitted they are still fine-tuning all the nitty-gritty details and hopefully people will eventually enjoy their format.
"I also wanna be clear," he said.
"It's not yet good, and we're gonna have to get it to a good place if we're gonna ship it to the rest of the Instagram community."
He insisted that Instagram will continue to be based around friends sharing photos, but they just want to appeal to changing user habits.
"You know, I love photos. I know a lot of you out there love photos too," he said.
"That said, I need to be honest. I do believe that more and more of Instagram is gonna become video over time.
"We see this, even if we change nothing, we see this. Even if you just look at chronological feed, if you look at what people share on Instagram, that's shifting more and more to videos over time.
"If you look at what people like and consume and view on Instagram, that's also shifting more and more to video over time, even when we stop changing anything. So we're gonna have to lean into that shift while continuing to support photos."
So buckle up everyone because it looks like the new format is here to stay.