Instagram is removing recent updates following criticism from users, after the social network that was initially characterized by prioritizing photos increasingly resembled its rival TikTok.
Criticism grew louder after the change to full-screen format and because the platform now showed much more recommended content from accounts that are not followed by the user.
In response, a spokesperson for Meta, Instagram's parent company, said in a statement that, based on its findings and community feedback, the full-screen test will be paused in order to explore other options, and recommendations in the feed will be reduced "in order to improve the quality of your experience."
"We recognize that changes to the app can be an adjustment, and while we believe Instagram needs to evolve as the world changes, we want to take the time to make sure we get this right," the statement said.
Last Thursday, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, reported in an interview with technology news outlet Platformer, that the social network will retract some recent product changes after a week of mounting criticism.
The company also said a test version of the app that opened photos and videos in full screen will be phased out over the next two weeks, and it will also reduce the number of recommended posts on the app as it works to improve its algorithms.
“I’m glad we took a risk. If we don’t fail from time to time, it’s because we’re not thinking big or bold enough,” Mosseri told the outlet. “But we definitely need to take a big step back and regroup. “When we’ve learned a lot, we come back with some kind of new idea or iteration. So we’re going to work on that.”
Among those complaining about the changes were reality stars, entrepreneurs and influencers Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, two of the platform's most popular users, who publicly criticized the "TikTokification" of Instagram.
Through posts, both urged to “Make Instagram Instagram again.”
This was of no small concern to Instagram executives, who criticized Snapchat's redesign in 2018, causing its shares to plummet.
Just last July 26, Mosseri noted in a video via his Twitter account that a number of different changes were being experimented with in the app, and that if users were experiencing a new full-screen version of Feed, it was just a test.
“It’s a test for a small percentage of people. And the idea is that a full-screen experience could be a more fun and interesting experience, but I also want to be clear that it’s not the end yet and we’re going to have to get it to a good place if we’re going to ship it to the rest of the Instagram community.”
He made it clear that photo sharing would continue to be supported. However, “I need to be honest, I think more and more of Instagram will move to video over time. We see this even if we don’t change anything, we see this even if you just look at the chronological footers, if you look at what people are sharing on Instagram, that shift will be more to video over time.”
However, things have not worked out well for users and Instagram has had no choice but to "back off."
With information from CCN and Platformer.
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