Instagram has been making important changes for some time in order to compete against TikTok. The app owned by Meta, in fact, is practically completely modifying the user feed, prioritizing Reels and leaving aside the classic image or video publications. This, however, is not pleasing to some of the most famous stars of the social network, such as two of the Kardashian sisters: Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jennerwho have shared publications on their profiles lashing out at the company and its intention to resemble the popular video app.
“Make Instagram Instagram again”, could be read on the screenshot that Kylie Jenner, with more than 360 million followers on Instagram, shared through her stories. The post also mentions the intention of the app to resemble TikTok and the demand of the users because this is not the case: “(Stop trying to be TikTok, I just want to see pretty pictures of my friends). Sincerely, everyone”, can be read in the image.
The original Post already has more than 1,500,000 ‘Likes’‘ at the time of writing this article, and was also shared by Kim Kardashian, who currently has 326 million followers on the aforementioned social network. Users have also opened a petition on Change.org which accumulates approximately 130,000 signatures.
Instagram and its intention to copy to TikTok
Instagram, we reiterate, has been trying to modify its entire application to resemble TikTok for some time. This is not something the company has been hiding. Adam Mosseri, head of the platform, revealed a few months ago that his goal was to transform the entire app to prioritize short videos in vertical format, leaving aside the classic publications that have characterized the social network so much. The Instagram recommendation algorithm, in fact, shows more and more Reels in front of the publications, and in some cases, even, it is difficult to know if the user is browsing Instagram, or TikTok.
Also, more and more TikTok-like features are being included by Instagram in their app. The platform now shows recommendations for creating Reels and is testing a new design in the feed, where vertical videos occupy practically the entire width of the screen. The publications, of course, are still there, but in a —very— background. For example, the button to post photos on the profile changed its location some time ago, becoming at the top of the screen and leaving the central icon at the bottom for the Reels section.
Interestingly, both Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner occasionally post Reels on their Instagram account – most of the time, though, to promote their products. But, Can both celebrities (Kylie, especially, who has more followers) make Instagram go backwards?
Kylie Jenner lost Snapchat over $1 billion for a tweet
It would not be the first time that the influence of Kylie Jenner, the second most followed person on Instagram, just below Cristiano Ronaldo, has shaken a social network. In 2018, Snapchat lost $1.3 billion after its shares fell 6.1% because of a tweet published by the 24-year-old model and businesswoman. Kylie, in particular, assured that she was no longer using the app due to its terrible redesign.
It is still early to know the impact that the publications that both sisters have shared on Instagram could cause. Let’s remember that they have done it through their stories, which are ephemeral, so after 24 hours everyone could have forgotten the fact that both Kylie and Kim Kardashian disagree with the changes that the company is making. The original publication, as well as the petition in Change.orghowever, they could help Instagram make some changes.
At the moment, no Instagram spokesperson has not commented on the matter. Neither does Adam Mosseri, CEO of the platform, who usually posts videos on his profiles claiming that he listens to users and that they are working on functions that they request, such as the ability to see a chronological feed. After all, the publications of the most famous sisters of the network can serve to promote the original publication and, therefore, the signatures on Change.orgcausing the complaints to reach Mosseri himself.