All through 2021, we noticed Instagram copy just about every thing that TikTok has to supply, and in keeping with Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, you’ll be able to count on much more of the identical in 2022, because the platform seems to be to concentrate on its key areas of development – and particularly, consolidating its video codecs to maximise engagement.
Within the above video put up, during which Mosseri sums up the previous 12 months, he additionally says that Instagram shall be targeted on two key themes in 2022 – ‘Video and Management’
On the video entrance, Mosseri says that – you guessed it – Reels will stay the important thing focus:
“We’re going to double-down on our concentrate on video and consolidate all of our video codecs round Reels”
The rise and rise of TikTok has consequently elevated the stress on Instagram, which was as soon as the main platform for younger individuals to attach, and since then, IG has been scrambling to catch up, in any method that it may possibly, which has result in combined outcomes from a perceptual and utilization standpoint.
However from an general utilization standpoint, these efforts have labored. Again in June, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg famous that Reels had turn into the largest contributor to engagement development on Instagram, and with the broader client shift in the direction of short-form video, it is sensible for Instagram to additionally transfer with the occasions, and align with what individuals need to see.
So what’s going to that appear like in observe?
We’re already seeing it, with Reels clips now being built-in into your major Instagram feed, whereas Instagram additionally merged its video codecs again in October, and has since been robotically defaulting shorter movies into Reels clips because it seems to be to increase Reels attain and publicity.
Finally – and I’ve been saying this for a few years now – I believe Instagram will open to a full-screen Reels/Tales feed, transferring away from the normal residence stream of static posts, which is able to put considerably extra concentrate on the format, and make it the first connection possibility, once more transferring extra into line with TikTok.
Is {that a} good factor? Will it assist Instagram gradual TikTok’s momentum?
Loads comes right down to your private perspective, however for Instagram, and guardian firm Meta, the numbers will inform the last word story. Even if you happen to suppose their replication efforts are a bit low cost and cheesy, if engagement rises in consequence…
Mosseri additionally notes that Instagram shall be seeking to make messaging an even bigger focus within the app, which is now ‘the first method that folks join on-line’, whereas it should even be wanting so as to add extra monetization instruments for creators within the app.
And the ultimate ingredient of focus is transparency, and offering extra perception into ‘how Instagram works’.
That may possible come within the type of Instagram’s coming chronological feed toggle, which is able to give customers the capability to simply swap to a reverse chronological put up feed – although it received’t be a saveable possibility (i.e. you’ll have to manually swap to the chronological feed each time you open the app).
It’ll be attention-grabbing to see what different transparency components Instagram seems to be to implement, in an effort to provide customers extra management over their expertise, and general, it’ll be attention-grabbing to see whether or not Instagram’s continued push into TikTok-like territory shall be its saving grace or its dying knell.
I imply, Instagram is much from failure on this respect. The app has greater than a billion customers (reportedly, Instagram now has greater than 2 billion customers, however that quantity has not been formally confirmed), and it’s nonetheless a key connection possibility for a lot of, whereas its eCommerce push can be sparking new behaviors and developments within the app.
There are many methods for Instagram to stay related and powerful – however whether or not changing into extra like TikTok will assist it preserve reference to youthful audiences is unclear.
Possibly, by way of enhanced alternatives for creators, it may possibly lure extra huge names to its app, and away from TikTok, which shall be a key pathway to ongoing development, or possibly, by way of Meta’s coming AR wearables, Instagram will tackle a brand new type of relevance within the coming AR shift.
There’s rather a lot to come back, and you may count on a number of change at IG in consequence.
Additionally, extra TikTok – you’ll see increasingly more TikTok-like components, as has turn into the norm for the app.
Bonus: Instagram has additionally printed its high hashtags of 2021:
Useful development notes to your reference.
