I’m getting sick of all the shifts on Instagram – are you?

Has Instagram’s updated newsfeed turned you off, too?

SO many of my clients and followers have told me they’re not happy with the new format – particularly as there’s now a bigger emphasis on including Reels in the feed, in a full-screen style, with the navigation bar, description and Instagram logo overlaying the video itself.

(In case you didn’t know, all videos under 15 minutes long will now become Reels, too – whether you want them to or not.)

This update has been in the works for a while. Testing started back in March, when Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a Story introducing the changes. So, I’m not surprised things have gone in this direction.

But it’s all a little too TikTok for my liking.

And I’m not the only one who thinks so.

Check out the comments on a recent post from Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, who tried to explain the reasoning behind Instagram’s feed decisions: https://www.instagram.com/p/CgeQ5DqgSyv/

To give you a quick summary of Mosseri’s stance on the topic, he reckons that:

• Instagram has no choice but to follow the trends and give users more of what they’re liking and sharing.
• Instagram doesn’t want to remove support for images, because it’s part of their heritage – but the platform does need to “lean into the shift” based on what its users consume, which means making video content more prominent in our feeds.
• There IS still room for improvement, so the team at Instagram are likely to make tweaks to the new format over time.

Yes, Reels appear to be getting the most engagement on Instagram. I can see that Instagram IS following the data. In fact, Meta says that 20% of all time spent on the platform is now spent viewing Reels.

But is this because users actually prefer video content?

Or because people know that the algorithm currently favours short-form videos over images – so they’re producing this kind of content so they actually get seen?

Anyone who’s using Instagram strategically will know that its algorithm favours new features, so we need to take advantage of them if we want to retain any sort of visibility.

However, based on the conversations I’m having online (and the feedback I’m seeing across lots of different accounts), users are getting sick of Instagram’s mission to morph into TikTok and are missing the days when photos reigned supreme.

It’s like they’re almost being forced to go down the video route, even if they had no desire to beforehand.

They’re genuinely falling out of love with Instagram, because they feel like the features that once made it cool and different are gradually being phased out.

What do you think? Are you enjoying Instagram’s new focus on Reels, or do you think it’s coming across as a desperate move from a site that’s struggling to compete? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

And remember, if you’re struggling to come to terms with the changing features on Instagram or any other major social media hub, my team and I are always here to help.

We can offer you tonnes of Do It Yourself support – including free tips and resources in the Social Brain app – or we can do all the hard work for you.