Instagram will remove recent updates after criticism from users, after the social network that in its beginnings was characterized by prioritizing photographs increasingly resembled its rival TikTok.
Criticism grew louder and louder after the format change to full screen 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 to explore other options, and recommendations in the feed will be reduced "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 text stressed.
Last Thursday, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, reported in an interview with the technology news media Platformerthat the social network will retract some recent changes to the product after a week of mounting criticism.
It further assured that a test version of the app that opened full-screen photos and videos will be phased out over the next two weeks, plus 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 chance. If we don't fail from time to time, it's because we didn't think big or bold enough," Mosseri specified to the media 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 most popular users of the platform, who publicly criticized the "TikTokification" of Instagram.
Through posts, both urged to "Make Instagram Instagram again."
The above was of no little concern to Instagram executives after, in 2018, it criticized Snapchat's redesign, causing its stock to fall.
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 make it 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 send it out 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 Instagram will become video over time. We see this, even if we don't change anything, we see this even if you just look at chronological captions, if you look at what people share on Instagram, that shift will be more to videos over time."
However, things have not worked out well for users and Instagram has had no choice but to "back out".
With information from CCN and Platformer.
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