Rather than its familiar layout,a small percentage are being shown a full-screen feed of videos and photos largely selected by an algorithm rather than posts from accounts the user has followed. It’s no coincidence they are the same features that have turned TikTok into a powerhouse.
But then users of competing social networks could think they have logged into TikTok too. Snapchat has a TikTok clone called Spotlight. YouTube has a TikTok clone called Shorts. Even Netflix has a feed of comedic moments from its shows called Fast Laughs.
Instagram’s new layout looks a lot like TikTok but you won’t hear a word about the comparison from Meta.Supplied
The TikTokification of social media is gathering pace though you won’t hear a word about it from Instagram.
“We’re moving Instagram to a place where video is a bigger part of the home experience,” Instagram’s studiously earnest head Adam Mosseri said in a video announcing the test earlier this month.
“Where the content is more immersive — it takes up a larger part of the screen. Where a larger part of the feed are recommendations — things we think you might love but haven’t heard of yet.”
TikTok? What TikTok?
If one believes Mosseri,the change is about “trying to advance Instagram forward in a world where more and more people are going to be mobile-first”. Yet Instagram debuted as an iPhone app and has always been focussed far more on its mobile rather than desktop experience,so that explanation is hard to swallow.
The reality is that TikTok has a winning formula to,especially among younger people that advertisers prize,and Instagram wants in. It began the process by launching Reels,its short form video product,in 2020 but the announcement this month goes further.
If Instagram sticks with it,the infinite feed of full-screen videos could be the default view of the app for everyone. The company has not just built a TikTok-themed extension;it is considering a full TikTok renovation.
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