With numerous social media platforms popping up and those that exist already constantly updating with new feature offerings, there’s a relentless pressure to deliver.
This can absolutely work out positively for us, as social media platforms are always striving to be better, all vying for that spot as our “most-used” app. Not only do these platforms need to make money to survive, but they also have to be user-friendly, align with current social values and have desirable and (semi-addictive) features.
With the rise of TikTok and the steady popularity of YouTube, Instagram head Adam Mosseri has announced that Instagram will begin showing users full-screen videos in their feed.
“Let’s be honest: There’s some really serious competition right now. TikTok is huge, YouTube is even bigger and there’s lots of other upstarts as well. And so people are looking to Instagram to be entertained. There’s stiff competition, and there’s more to do,” Mosseri said in a video. “We have to embrace that. And that means change.”
The videos won’t just be content of the people you follow, it will also include recommended content from various accounts that ‘you may like’ but haven’t come across independently. This feature will be a test that’s rolled out this week, allowing users to select topics that they’d like to see more or less of, Mosseri said.
In the last few years, Instagram has added popular video-focused elements on the app, such as IGTV, which allows for users to upload 15-minute videos and save live videos in their feed, as well as TikTok alike Reels, which have been super popular during and past covid lockdowns.
In May, Instagram introduced ads and monetisation tools for influencers and content creators using IGTV and later this month, it’ll be testing share ad revenue with publishers of IGTV.
These video updates on Instagram come as the beloved social media platform has been developing and evolving with inclusive improvements, most notably a dedicated section in bios for pronouns, a feature implemented about a month ago. They’ve also played around with hiding vs showing like counts, and have settled on giving users their own individual options.
It’s pretty fabulous to see social media platforms such as Instagram constantly evolving to suit its users. It really feels as though this is a platform that is working and improving for us, and we love to see it.
Read more stories from The Latch and subscribe to our email newsletter.