Make Instagram, Instagram Again

The once photo-sharing platform for cute photos of your friends has opened up a floor of opportunities for brands and creators with great monetary power. 

Meta reported that “since its introduction on Facebook and Instagram, Reels has grown to become a treasure trove of entertaining, imaginative and educational video content from around the world. Reels is the ideal place for brands to get discovered on the global stage, to express themselves with more creativity and fun, and can play a powerful role in crafting compelling narratives that drive excitement, engagement and awareness.”

The Petition

Earlier this week, there was a general negative consensus around the latest update that any video shorter than 15 minutes will be posted as an Instagram Reel. Photographer, Tati Bruening started a petition to bring back the ‘old Instagram’, with petitioners demanding a chronological feed and no recycled TikToks. They would like an algorithm that favours photos and support for creators who will be forced to revise their existing content strategy. 

Among the 195,136 signatures, Kyle Jenner displayed her support for the appeal to return to a more authentic social media platform and means of connecting with others digitally.

This commitment to driving promotion toward short-form videos left users questioning if they will ever be able to capture moments through photos in the same way again. 

The platform has clear, definitive strategies to compete with TikTok’s success - but is this mimicking deferring loyal users?

The Response

Adam Mosseri responded, but with a range of additional features to support the posting and sharing of photos, including Remix improvements and a Dual Camera option.

Reels and Influencer Marketing

For creators who are looking to engage with their audiences and grow their social platform, here are three key data insights on how the Reels update may enhance influencer strategies:

• Public accounts with 10K+ followers who posted at least five reels over a 60-day period gained 250% more followers than those in the same category who did not post reels. (Read more here) 
• Influencers and brands have been able to shape success through establishing a unique, fun, creative online presence, with video included. 
• 61% of Gen Z TikTok users plan to explore Instagram Reels in replacement of TikTok (Read more here)

Will this disregard lead to the downfall of consumer engagement or will it enhance the influencer market?