The TikTok-ification of Instagram.

Instagram users want their app back, but the prospect of that seems increasingly bleak.

Users have launched a campaign against the leading social media platform - ‘Make Instagram Instagram Again’. The likes of Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian have joined this movement, who cumulatively have 687 million followers on Instagram.

The backlash comes as a response to the photo and video sharing platforms’ decision to move towards pushing short-form videos over photo posts on users' feeds. The title of the trending petition states: “Stop trying to be TikTok. I just want to see cute photos of my friends. Sincerely, Everyone”

Many users feel that Instagram’s push towards TikTok style “Reels” means that it is trying to become like another version of the video hosting platform, which is currently the fastest growing social media platform that has the most downloads globally. 

As a response to the backlash, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, took to social media to explain why, in his own words, “more and more of Instagram is going to become video”.

In the now globally retweeted video, Mosseri stated: “Now I want to be clear: we’re going to continue to support photos - it’s a part of our heritage, you know, I love photos, I know a lot of you out there love photos too”. However, he emphasized that reels and videos on Instagram receive significantly higher engagement than photos, and we know that the Instagram algorithm pushes the content that makes users spend the most time on the app.

So, what does this mean for brands and content creators who are trying to grow their Instagram channels and push more content?

It’s simple: push short-form video content!

Judging by Mosseri’s response, it seems that video content is here to stay. Instagram is evolving, and whether we like it or not, adapting to the algorithm is integral to making your posts go viral. 

So, whether you have a business page or a personal account, don’t limit yourself to just picture posts, and start pushing out more and more reels if you want the Instagram algorithm to be your friend.