Kylie Jenner can’t save Instagram forever

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge

Adam Mosseri, the executive in charge of Meta, shared some news in May that would change the look of the main feed.

For those in a small test group, the feed they'd been using for a decade would be replaced with an "immersive viewing experience" containing full-screen photos and videos. The short-form video app that Meta sees as its fiercest competition, TikTok, would start to look and feel even more similar to the photo-sharing app, which is owned by Facebook.

Mosseri said to let him know what he thinks in the comments. With the patience of a parent showing their child both sides of an argument, he invitedInstagram users to be honest with him. If you don't like it, that's good.

Tell him they did. Users responded in droves with negative feedback when the test was announced. Some people said they closed the app because they didn't like the full-screen feed. Other people complained that they only saw Reels, Meta's short video format that mimics TikTok videos, and other posts they don't follow. A full-on media crisis was caused this week by a meme circulating among users of the highest level of influence.

Mosseri said the company would phase out the full-screen test and reduce recommended content for everyone. Key user engagement metrics were taken aback by the full-screen redesign. Mosseri admitted that recommendations weren't as good as they needed to be. The changes that caused a lot of backlash weren't just for taste. They were not really good.

Mosseri told Platformer that there should be a high bar when it comes to discovering new things in your field. You should be happy to see it. I don't think that's happening enough

The company's plans to become more like TikTok won't be affected by the temporary pull back on certain updates. As growth slows, Meta is betting on reels as a key area for its business. The CEO of the company is putting more pressure on his employees, and other top executives are worried about the future of the company. Meta is not giving up on her ambition to focus on short-form video on the social network. This is what the future of social media will look like if Meta doesn't change.

The changes have made it difficult for long-time users. According to reports, engagement rates across photo, non-Reel video, and carousel posts are down by more than 40 percent. Users say their feeds are cluttered with irrelevant content from strangers. There is a gulf between what users say they want and what the platform is pushing them towards.

Is it true that the photo-sharing website likes photographers now? A New York-based photographer is frustrated.

For a long time, Kunik used the popular social media site to promote his work. His dream-like photographs brought him more than 76,000 followers on the platform and helped him find new clients.

Kunik says that your social media presence became more important than your website. Everybody is looking for photographers now on social media sites.

Last year, Kunik noticed that his photos weren't getting as much traction as they used to. According to Kunik, his engagement and impressions have fallen between 70% and 80% on his account. Engagement on feed posts has fallen an average of 44 percent since the beginning of the year according to a survey by later.

Kunik's business has been affected by the poor performance of feed posts. A photo post three years ago might have netted 5,000 or 10,000 likes and resulted in five people contacting him to buy prints. Kunik said he might not get any inquiries at all.

Kunik is starting to wear down due to the constant pressure to make and view reels. As his engagement on posts continues to fall, he is considering making a reel. He's worried that becoming a full-on Reels account would diminish the quality of his photography. The recent evolution of the platform is a reminder that it was just a tool and subject to change.

Kunik says that the photographers' priority is capital.

Short-form video is a strategic decision. Facebook lost users for the first time in the company's history earlier this year. This is the first time Meta has ever had a revenue drop. The company's grand vision of Web3 and related investments are years away from paying off. Facebook is going to behave like TikTok as well. It is an attempt to correct existing problems that are too large to ignore.

The engineering of a TikTok copy seems to be alienating long-time users, including influential figures that built their public persona through their use of social media. The portion of recommended content that users see on their feeds will double by the end of the decade, according to the CEO. Mosseri has made it clear that he will continue to steer his followers to more videos and recommendations on the social network.

It was not possible to enable videos. Mosseri told Platformer on Thursday that the video offering could not be compared to the photo offering. I don't believe that would be a good idea.

we don’t wanna make videos Adam lol

— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) July 26, 2022

Christine Pai says the company tries to show users a mix of posts from friends, family, and strangers as well as a balance between photos and videos.

Pai says that feedback from the community is crucial to getting this right.

The changes feel like they're being left behind by the other people. Rishe, who leads a nonprofit dedicated to education and advocacy, says that the jump to video has made it harder for her to reach people. Like Kunik, the engagement on images has nosedived, and she is worried that people who need endometriosis resources won't know what the organization provides because they won't see it.

Engagement was better than her feed posts when she tried Reels. Being forced to make Reels in the hopes of reaching people who already follow her feels at odds with the ethos of her work.

The drive for Reels is not about entertainment according to Rishe.

Her trust in her followers seeing anything she posts has been shattered by the dramatic dip in reach.

I was talking to my husband the other day. I was wondering if I needed to get on TikTok.