Rolling Back The Years
Instagram: More Woodstock Than TikTok
Watching tech companies try to pivot is usually hilarious. Especially when it’s a social media giant. Instagram used to be the cool kid. Facebook was where your dad set up his golf meets. Snap was where you hooked up. And Instagram was where you lived your best life and Finsta’d your messy one. Then along comes TikTok with its lip synching and dance-offs and suddenly you seem tired, about as relevant as that two week old Shein tee.
But you can be TikTok, too. Quick, make a Reel. Add some tunes and some stickers. Send it out to remix. Is anybody fooled? Your trousers are cut a little too tight, and your tie dye is decidedly shop bought. For god’s sake, there’s a Dalgona coffee in your clip. In its latest attempt to follow rather than create conversation, Instagram filled users’ feeds with random Reels, prioritising them over posts from accounts they actually choose to follow. As though they hadn’t learned a thing from Facebook Watch.
The backlash was swift. Users complained in their millions (probably), although the loudest voices seem to have been Kardashian. So Instagram has taken a step back. In an interview with tech newsletter Platformer, Instagram head (what does that mean? He has a head?) Adam Masseri stated: “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.” He also added that the user experience and the data feedback haven’t been good. Ya think?
Taking risks and failing is one thing. Trying to become your rival isn’t a risk, it’s at best a failure and at worst a capitulation. Remember IGTV? That time Instagram forgot that YouTube exists. Instagram succeeded because it did something that no other platform was doing as well. That’s why Facebook bought it. It gave Zuckerberg access to an audience that was never going to join his platform.
Instagram needs to come to the same realisation. If TikTok users jump it will be to something newer, more exciting and likely decentralised. There’s zero chance they’re heading to Instagram. Yes, the platform needs to evolve to remain relevant and profitable. But not by following TikTok’s dance steps.
D/L
It’s always good to get my teeth into something juicy on the podcast and thought experiment my way through a topic, but, tbh, the Weird Science episodes are where I have most fun. On this week’s download, new clues in the saga of the missing Crypto Queen, Ruja Ignatova. Why smell may determine who we form friendships with and the reason you need to stop drinking coffee when you go out to shop. Listen to it here (and maybe even subscribe).
Have a good weekend. Catch you next week.