Instagram Exec Defends Shift To Video Despite Complaints From Creators Like Kylie Jenner

Topline

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said Tuesday “more and more” of the social media platform will become video-focused over time, defending Instagram from widespread complaints about changes that have made it more like competitor TikTok—a move that had angered creators like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, two of the most-followed people on the app.

Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner arrive at the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on February 09, 2020 in … [+] Beverly Hills, California.

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Key Facts

Last week, parent company Meta introduced changes to Instagram’s apps: Videos under 15 minutes will be posted as Reels, the platform’s video format, and Reels are now being promoted and shown to others on Instagram, a concept very similar to TikTok’s For You Page.

As Instagram shifts from its roots as a photo-based app to focus more on video, several big-name creators have spoken out: Kardashian, who has 326 million followers, and Jenner, who has 360 million, shared a post asking to “Make Instagram Instagram Again” instead of a reproduction of TikTok—a stance backed by many other creators.

Mosseri posted a video Tuesday responding to the backlash and predicting “more and more of Instagram is going to become video over time,” as that’s where users are putting more of their attention.

He said the platform “will still support photos” while it “leans in” to focusing on video.

Instagram “is going to try to get better” at recommending content on users’ feeds—a feature popularized by TikTok—to help creators “reach more people” and for followers to discover new accounts, Mosseri said.

Mosseri said the social media platform will test a “full-screen” display for photos and videos for some users, another change that could make Instagram resemble TikTok, but it’s “not yet good” enough to be fully adapted by Instagram.

Crucial Quote

“We’re going to stay in a place where we try to put your friends’ content at the top of your feed and at the front of Stories whenever possible,” Mosseri said.

Chief Critic

Kardashian and Jenner shared a post that said “stop trying to be tiktok i just want to see cute photos of my friends.”

Key Background

Creators like Jenner and Kardashian aren’t only angry they can’t see photos of their friends as easily anymore. Instagram is a hub for influencers, celebrities and content creators to push collaborations, sponsored posts and advertisements for products. A new algorithm that highlights video instead of photos means creators have to change their content to be able to get eyeballs on it—and make money from it. But TikTokers are also getting in on the monetization game: Last year, the social media platform’s highest-paid creators earned $55.5 million, a 500% increase from 2020, as many of them partner with clothing brands and launch movies and TV shows, Forbes reported earlier this year. Instagram launched Reels in 2020, shortly after TikTok experienced an explosion of growth into the mainstream that may have spooked Meta. CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees in February that Meta is facing an “unprecedented level of competition” from TikTok, Bloomberg reported. Zuckerberg said the company would be focusing on Reels as a way to combat this. In April, Meta said it would use artificial intelligence to recommend posts to users, a move similar to TikTok, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Big Number

2 billion. That’s how many monthly active users Instagram reportedly had in December 2021. In September, TikTok said it had over 1 billion.