Instagram is stopping itself from copying TikTok, but only after celebrities complained

Instagram is no stranger to wanting to follow the footsteps of TikTok, but the social media platform is deciding to dial it down now after many complaints about the new layout. The complaints even came from influencers and celebrities, including the Kardashians.

“We recognise that changes to the app can be an adjustment, and while we believe that Instagram needs to evolve as the world changes, we want to take the time to make sure we get this right,” said a spokesperson from Meta.

Previously, on 26 July, Instagram Head Adam Mosseri addressed the changes Instagram users might have noticed. He explained what changes the platform added, including a “full-screened feed”, a bigger shift in video content, and “recommendations”—which are posts that aren’t even from who you follow. He defended them, saying that they are “part of Instagram’s constant evolution”, but he acknowledged that they were “not good yet”.

However, many users have complained that those changes made the app is “trying so hard to compete with TikTok”. Celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, avid posters on the platform, even urging the app to stop copying its rival. To their Instagram followers, Jenner and Kardashian posted a message on Instagram Stories that read, “Make Instagram Instagram Again”.

“I’m glad we took a risk—if we’re not failing every once in a while, we’re not thinking big enough or bold enough… But we definitely need to take a big step back and regroup… we’ve learned a lot, then we come back with some sort of new idea or iteration. So we’re going to work through that,” said Mosseri on Thursday.

In early June, we reported that Instagram introduced a feature that lets you pin posts or Reels to the top of your profile. The feature had already been a thing for both Twitter and TikTok.

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