Instagram Is No Longer Just A Photo-Sharing App

According to Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, the Facebook-owned platform is no longer just a photo-sharing app.

Mosseri posted a video on his Instagram and Twitter accounts where he explained how Instagram is looking to lean into entertainment and video after witnessing the success of TikTok and YouTube.

In the video, Adam Mosseri talks about some upcoming changes and experiments that the app will be conducting. Two main examples are a test to include recommendations for topics you are not following and making videos more immersive thanks to a new full-screen experience.

Changes are coming to video on Instagram 📺
At Instagram we’re always trying to build new features that help you get the most out of your experience. Right now we’re focused on four key areas: Creators, Video, Shopping and Messaging. pic.twitter.com/ezFp4hfDpf
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) June 30, 2021

Instagram is already testing several experiments with algorithmic additions but recommending content and topics that users have shown no previous interest in would be a dramatic evolution for the platform.

Concerning video, Instagram has made it clear through Reels, IGTV, and Stories that users appreciate a full-screen experience when it comes to video. And now Mosseri says the company wants to “embrace video more broadly.”

Instagram is confirming that it has taken a new direction and that it can no longer be referred to as the “square photo-sharing app with filters” it once was. Instead, the company wants to become a video-centric entertainment app. Does this remind you of something?

Of course, Instagram will always be more than that, as the app continues to focus on areas where it outperforms its mains competitors: Messaging and shopping.

Illustration: WeRSM