Instagram is No Longer a Photo Sharing App and I Have Lots of Feelings

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Last week, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram announced that "we're no longer a photo-sharing app." He believes that people come to Instagram to be entertained and has decided to compete directly for Tiktok’s growing audience rather than concentrate on why people gravitated to the app in the first place. He announced they will be focusing on “creators, video, shopping and messaging.”

Ugggghhhh. I have so many feelings about this. I mean, on the one hand, we already knew this. But on the other, to hear it so officially… really sucks. Both as a creator (who loves photos) and just as a regular user who has been here since pretty much the beginning.

My first feeling is loss. I miss the days of peaceful passive scrolling. There was such a simplicity and elegance to a steady stream of square images. Like small windows into other people’s daily lives, without access to the whole thing. Remember when all we wanted was our feed in chronological order? Instead, they gave us countless other updates. I like vertical photos, I use albums all the time and you guys know that I fully embraced stories. IGTV and reels on Instagram are fine too (I like making videos!) but the more videos show up in my feed (it seems like it’s every other piece of content now), the noiser and more urgent it begins to feel and the less I’m compelled to keep scrolling.

Can we talk about when we use Instagram?

I’ve always scrolled through Instagram in stolen moments throughout my day. It’s an easy go-to while waiting for my coffee to brew in the morning, commuting to work, waiting in line at pick-up after school, etc. It was something to do while waiting for something else to happen. Or a way to procrastinate when you were really supposed to be doing something else. During those times, I do not want to be in an immersive entertainment experience. I want to be casually scrolling and not miss my bus stop. I want to have a covert activity to do while Harlow insists I watch High School Musical the Musical the Series with her for the fourth time. I like Tiktok, but when I choose to watch it, it’s at night in bed with my headphones on. It’s what I do instead of turning on a TV show. You cannot watch Tiktok passively. It is a time when you have chosen to be completely checked out. Is that what Instagram wants? Everyone to be more plugged in and unreachable? Because that sounds like a different usage occasion. And definitely a tougher one for parents.

The second feeling is fear. This is my livelihood and it feels in jeopardy. Storytelling through photos is the medium I enjoy most, the medium my audience wants to see from me (I’m pretty sure), and how I am most comfortable documenting my own life. The fear reminds me of when I used to work at an ad agency making traditional media like TV commercials and print ads. The digital department was something completely separate. Slowly though, the creatives started to feel the ad industry shift to digital, but we weren’t allowed to work on those assignments. It felt like if you stuck with what made you successful, it was only a matter of time before you became a dinosaur. I was lucky that I got laid off, because it forced me to a pivot into a form of media that gave me more longevity. But 12 years later, I find myself at the same crossroads. If you watched Mad Men, it’s also similar to when Don had to reluctantly evolve from print ads to television. We think we’ve mastered the thing in front of us and then the ground shifts beneath us. Such is life, I guess.

The third feeling is one of being fucking old. Instagram is leaning into video to make people scroll more, but for me it does the exact opposite. Videos feel like constant interruptions to what I really want to see. But I’m 46, so clearly not Instagram’s desired audience. “Get off my lawn, reels!” As a user, every other post being a video is annoying. As a creator, it’s a lot of pressure. Like it’s stressful enough to renovate your kitchen, try on a bunch of bathing suits, bake a cake, etc. and now I am supposed to have the foresight to shoot video transitions along the way and synch it up with the perfect song or trend? And I’m supposed to do this daily??? I like making videos but I find it impossible to make them well consistently. This is why I always get into a groove with making Tiktoks and then I take an extended break. It’s a little exhausting for us olds. Just let me enjoy my project and take a photo when it’s finished.

The announcement also makes me wonder how non-creators will interact with Instagram in the future. Part of the reason I love Instagram is because it’s a place to keep up with my real life friends too, and I know they aren’t making “5 Easy Looks” reels to Roddy Rich songs. Will they still use Instagram as usual? Will Instagram continue to show me their photos?

Here’s the thing. Instagram used to be a place where you could follow your best friends, a handful of celebrities, a few select interests and some bloggers/influencers all on equal footing. It was a list you curated for yourself and everyone on it (whether you knew them in real life or not) mattered to you. Now Instagram says that they will start showing you more video content from accounts you don’t follow, which I’m sure they are basing on the success of Tiktok’s “for you” feed. That’s where you see the funniest videos, the most talented artists, the best singers, the craziest make-up transformations, the most jaw dropping home tours, etc. The content is endlessly engaging because Tiktok has curated a “best of” feed specifically for your interests. But these are not your friends or people you have chosen to follow, it’s all pretty much viral content from strangers. Most people I know on Tiktok (myself included) watch the “for you” feed exclusively, because we go there to be entertained, not to participate. As an old, I feel like an outsider looking in. That’s fine on Tiktok, but it makes me sad that Instagram might start to feel that way too.

I think what worries me most is that Instagram’s goal of becoming a destination for entertainment will come at the expense of being a place to interact with friends and build community.

Let’s be completely honest about Instagram’s intentions. Their goal is to keep you on the app as long as possible. That has always been their goal. They didn’t like when people were so particular about what they posted, because it meant they only posted once or twice a day. That’s why they copied Snapchat with stories, because they saw more casual posting lead to more usage. Now they are seeing that Tiktok users spend more time on Tiktok than Instagram users spend on Instagram, so they are pushing video in an attempt to make it more addictive. I don’t know anyone who wants to spend more time on social media. So, if Instagram succeeds, it doesn’t mean that their users benefit. It just means they spend more time on Instagram.

If Instagram was really thinking about their users, they would use their algorithm to determine what kind of media people want to see, instead of forcing reels on everyone. Or maybe they could make an option for people to toggle back and forth between a feed of pics and a feed of videos, because truthfully, both of these things are better when viewed separately. And while we’re at it, they could make a chronological feed option too.

Despite Mosseri’s announcement, I will probably continue to post on Instagram how I’ve always posted— pics and stories, interspersed with the occasional IGTV or reel. Pics will always be the bulk of my feed because that’s what I like sharing. I’ve read tons of articles about influencer burnout recently and maybe that’s because all the apps are asking too much of them. Sometimes you have to just pick a lane to keep things sustainable.

All this is to say, I’m really glad I started this newsletter when I did, because if Instagram starts focusing less on community, limiting my reach, and flooding everyone’s feeds with viral content, at least I know I can still talk to you guys here.

Where it’s nice and quiet.

Questions: How do you feel about the changes Instagram is making? Do you think it will make you use the app less or more?