Instagram is shifting its focus back to photos in 2023 after admitting it “focused too much on videos” in 2022.
We've been following this soap opera for a while now.
Instagram was entirely focused on combating TikTok's growth and pivoted to videos, which angered some of its longtime users.
The company even said that Instagram would “stop being an old-fashioned photo-sharing app” and tested a horrible feed that looked very similar to its Chinese competitor.
And now… he just went back.
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri has acknowledged that the app focused paraguay whatsapp data too much on videos in 2022 and will shift its focus back to photos in 2023.
Honestly, I don’t know if I’m happy to hear this or if I’m just annoyed. As a user, I’m quite happy, because I enjoy using Instagram as a photo-sharing app as well: a place where I can share my daily life and follow my friends, favorite celebrities, creators, and brands.
However, as a marketer, I have to say that the news is a bit tiresome. Don’t get me wrong, reels are great, and it’s pretty unlikely these days to think of a social media strategy without including videos. But isn’t it a bit exhausting trying to keep up with the algorithms of a social network that seems unsure of which direction it wants to go?
And that also made me curious. Why did Instagram go back on its decision? After all, what can we expect from the app in 2023?
Here are my ideas.
Photos, videos… and photos again. What happened to Instagram?
If you're an Instagram user, you know that the app has been trying to contain TikTok's growth and keep its users on the platform for some time now.
To achieve this, they introduced several features such as reels, 60-second stories, cash bonuses for top creators, and even a new TikTok-style layout for the app, along with a new algorithm that prioritized videos over other content.
The problem is that these changes not only didn’t stop TikTok’s growth in any way, but they also didn’t please a large portion of users. In other words, it simply wasn’t working for anyone.
And Adam Mosseri has noticed this. In a recent Q&A with users, he acknowledged: “I think we were too focused on video in 2022 and we took that classification too far and basically showed too many videos and not enough photos.”
Mosseri said Instagram has since worked to restore a more balanced approach, and internal metrics indicate it is working.
“Things like how many times someone likes photos versus videos and how many times someone comments on photos versus videos are roughly equal, which is a good sign that things are balanced. As there are more videos on Instagram, it will be because that’s what’s driving more engagement overall. But photos will always be an important part of what we do.”
What now? What to expect from Instagram in 2023?
On the bright side, Instagram CEO’s acknowledgement that the app’s value lies in its variety of content types in one place is positive news. It will be interesting to see how Instagram’s content evolves this year, with a greater emphasis on content that’s relevant to your brand and audience, rather than relying on trending songs for Reels.
However, I have to admit that it still feels like Instagram has lost its way. It remains to be seen whether this change is a step towards more authentic experiences.
Instagram has been focusing too much on trends and competing with other apps instead of finding its own niche. In fact, it’s quite funny that Instagram is refocusing on photos after BeReal gained popularity in 2022, while its competitor, Candid Stories, failed to make a significant impact.
If I may give you a piece of advice, and if you haven’t already done so: don’t rely too much on Instagram for your marketing strategy. After all, it’s a very risky game to do so with an app that hasn’t yet decided what it wants to be.