Instagram's update misstep
Instagram has announced it will phase out a much-disliked update, paying heed to a chorus of users deeply upset that their feeds are now crowded with random Reels and ads. The initial strategy to prioritise video was potentially a significant business mistake (Kylie Jenner, whose public distaste for a 2018 Snapshot update wiped $1.8 billion off the company’s value, was a vocal detractor of the Instagram update), raising questions about whether social media platforms should be pursuing endless growth to the detriment of the user experience. We’ve already seen next-gen platforms emerge as alternatives to the Instagram model. BeReal, for instance, has gained popularity because it foregrounds interaction with friends and a less curated approach to posting. Significantly, what's clear from people’s reactions to the Instagram update is that the loyalty that legacy social media assumes and relies on has ebbed away. With 55% of 18- to 25-year-olds experiencing social media fatigue, many are now happy to jump ship and experiment with new platforms and online behaviours, like going ‘dark’ with their social accounts. Instagram’s pivot to video was an overt bid to regain some ground from TikTok, but as people increasingly take a pick-and-mix approach to their use of social channels, they don’t want them to all offer the same thing. Embracing and facilitating novel types of engagement on social platforms - new and old - is integral to staying relevant, but platforms that don’t prioritise the user will be left out in the cold.
