In 2021, we saw nearly all of TikTok's Instagram replicas and chief Adam Mosseri's Instagram, and you can expect more of the same in 2022, as the platform looks focused on key areas of economic growth — in particular, consolidating its video format to maximize participation.
The rise and rise of TikTok Instagram thus increase the pressure on the pair of young people who were once leading the platform to connect, and since then, funny has been struggling to catch up, which can in any way lead to different results from a perception and usage perspective.
But from an overall use point of view, these efforts are effective. Back in June, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted that Reels had become the biggest contributor to Instagram's user engagement growth and that as a broader consumer shift to short videos, Instagram should evolve with what people want to see.
So what would it look like in practice?
We're already seeing this, with Reels clips now integrated into your Main Instagram feed, while Instagram also merged its video format in October and has since automatically defaulted shorter videos to Reels clips as it looks to expand Reels' reach and exposure.
Eventually, I've been saying for years now, I suspect Instagram will turn on the full-screen volume/story feed, move away from the traditional static posts, and the home stream will focus more on the format and make its main connect option, again more TikTok mobile.
Is that a good thing? Will it help Instagram slow TikTok's momentum?
It depends a lot on your perspective, but for Instagram and parent company Meta, the numbers will tell the ultimate story. Even if you think their replication efforts are a little cheap and cheesy if engagement goes up as a result…
Mosseri also noted that Instagram will focus more on messaging in the app, which is currently "the primary way people connect online," as well as adding more monetization tools to the app for creators.
The final element of focus is transparency, giving people a deeper understanding of "how Instagram works."
Instagram is likely to be the future of time switching, which will give users the ability to easily switch to reverse chronological post feeds — though it won't be a saveable option (i.e., you'll need to manually switch to the time each time you open the app).
It will be interesting to see what other transparency elements Instagram adopts to give users more control over their experience. Overall, it will be interesting to see whether Instagram's continued foray into TikTok-like territory is its saving grace or its death knell.
I mean, Instagram is far from failing at this. With more than 1 billion users (Instagram reportedly now has more than 2 billion, though that number has not been officially confirmed), the app remains a key connection choice for many, while its e-commerce push also inspires new behaviors and trends within the app.
There are plenty of ways Instagram can remain relevant and relevant, but it's unclear whether becoming more like TikTok will help it stay relevant to younger viewers.
Perhaps by providing more opportunities for creators, Instagram can attract more big names to its app and stay away from TikTok(which will be a key path to continued growth), or, with Meta's upcoming AR wearable, Instagram will take on a new form of relevance in the upcoming AR shift.
There's a lot more to come and you can expect a lot of changes at IG.
Also, more and more TikTok — you'll see more and more TikTok-like elements, which has become the standard for the app.
