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Instagram Temporarily Ends Test Version after User Complaints
By Movieguide® Contributor
Meta will roll back its test version of Instagram after the increased recommended videos and posts frustrated users, including celebrity sisters Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner.
“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,” Instagram chief Adam Mosseri 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.”
As Movieguide® previously reported, Mosseri explained in a recent video, “We’re going to continue to support photos. It’s part of our heritage. That said, I need to be honest: I do believe that more and more of Instagram is going to become video over time. We see this even if we change nothing. We see this even if you just look at chronological feed.”
However, in a Wednesday interview with the Platform Newsletter, Mosseri announced that Instagram would phase out the recently released version of the app that promoted an overabundance of algorithmically recommended videos to users.
“When you discover something in your feed that you didn’t follow before, there should be a high bar — it should just be great,” Mosseri said. “You should be delighted to see it. And I don’t think that’s happening enough right now.”
This rollback comes after the meme “Make Instagram Instagram Again” spread across the platform, promoted most notably by Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner. The frustration also spread to Twitter, where users continued to voice their complaints about the app.
While Instagram will temporarily reduce the number of recommended posts, recommendations will return after the company improves personalization technology.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg explained in a recent call that “about 15% of content in a person’s Facebook feed and a little more than that in their Instagram feed is recommended by our AI or accounts that you don’t follow.”
He expects those percentages “to more than double by the end of next year,” so by the end of 2023, that figure will be around 30%.
The reduced recommendations are temporary, and the company hopes to maintain its dominance over TikTok through Reels and short-form video content after Meta’s second-quarter earnings missed Wall Street expectations, its first ever quarterly revenue decline.
Movieguide® previously reported on Instagram’s response towards user complaints:
Instagram head Adam Mosseri recently responded to the mounting user complaints against the social media platform’s increased emphasis on videos and reels over photos.
“I want to be clear: We’re going to continue to support photos. It’s part of our heritage,” Mosseri explained. “That said, I need to be honest: I do believe that more and more of Instagram is going to become video over time. We see this even if we change nothing. We see this even if you just look at chronological feed.”
These changes have occurred over the last year as Instagram chases TikTok’s dominance. What began as a simple photo-sharing app has evolved into a video and reel-centered experience, leaving many users unhappy.
For many creators, this algorithm update has forced them to revisit their content promotion methods. Instead of posting photos, users must center their content around labor-intensive reels to increase engagement.
Fashion photographer Tati Bruening even created a petition, calling on Instagram to listen to the needs of creators and users.
“It feels wrong to switch the algorithm on creators that have made a living and contributed to the community forcing them to change their entire content direction and lifestyle to serve a new algorithm,” Bruening said.
Through posts saying “Make Instagram Instagram Again,” many users, from Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner to smaller content creators, have also expressed frustration with these updates.
Another complaint focuses on the large number of “recommendation” posts and reels in feeds.
Mosseri contends that this will help smaller creators reach more people and adds, “If you’re seeing things in your feed that are recommendations that you’re not interested in, that means that we’re doing a bad job ranking, and we need to improve.”
However, Dr. Carolina Are believes that regardless of what Mosseri says, it “really does not feel like you have creators, especially small creators, at heart.
“People create reels because it seems to be the only thing that gets engagement—but they require so much work. Because of IG’s lack of transparency, creators are trying to follow your changes on a system that doesn’t seem to be made for them,” she added.
While Instagram will continue to support photos, its user experience will change, and videos will take center stage in the platform’s future.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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