This will allow users to post 16:9 images to the main feed so they look exactly like the full-screen videos shown on the main feed. “Stories” and the “Reels”.
“You can have tall videos, but you can’t have tall photos on Instagram (…) So we thought maybe we should make sure we treat both equally”
Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram
The changes in Instagram and their reactions
Notably Instagram has been undergoing a series of changes in recent months that have generated various reactions among platform users.
They have even had to back down on some of those proposals because the reviews about them were not positive at all.
For example, the idea of displaying more videos in the style TikTok It didn’t turn out to be as well received as it was thought, so Adam Mosseri stated:
“For the new feed designs, people are getting frustrated and the usage data is not great (..) So there I think we need to take a big step back, regroup and figure out how we want to move forward”
Now, with the intention of making static images shine again on the platform, Mosseri is proposing to support the use of taller images. Which confirms its commitment to prioritize full-screen content.
Mosseri revealed this new test during an AMA session and announced that the change will begin to take place in Instagram in “a week or two.”
Although it is not yet very clear which users will be selected to be part of the test.
So we will have to wait to see if finally this change of strategy in Instagram more closely aligns with user preferences.