Loyal s of the photo-sharing app, Instagram, have recently been speaking out about the new changes to the platform that have been made, as it becomes more video-centric to compete with what some would say is "the new Instagram" - TikTok.
Many s feel that these changes have gone too far, warping the platform into something else entirely, and losing the appeal to long-time s, so much so that even the Kardashians have spoken out about it. Instagram made its way into the world in October 2010 as a personal social media platform, and over the last decade, it has become one of the top platforms used for businesses. As social media platforms are enmeshed in many people's daily lives, others have emerged, and existing apps, such as Instagram, have had to keep updating to ensure they don't fade into the background.
Hashtags
Although it seems like something that has been used on Instagram since the beginning of time, hashtags only came into usage in January 2011, several months after the app's initial release.
The use of hashtags meant that s could broaden their audiences, allowing other s to search particular themes or topics to allow access to content of a similar nature. This was a large part of Instagram's features, as it allowed connections to be expanded and for s to have the chance to receive more and more interactions with their posts.
Android
When Instagram first launched, it was available only to iPhone s, and already had over 1 million s within the first two months.
A year and a half later in April 2012, the app was made accessible to all smartphones when it was made compatible with Android. This catapulted the app onto the phones of many more, resulting in over 50 million more s. The inclusion of Android s was likely a significant factor in the rise of the app, which eventually took over the likes of Facebook, despite now being owned by the same company.
Photo Tagging
In May 2013, the app launched its photo-tagging ability, putting it on a level with its then-rival, Facebook. s could tag friends and family and review posts with their tags in the "Photos of You" section, which was added to their profile.
This allowed s to expand their virtual social circle, as they could be linked directly to those they were tagged with, with a readily accessible collection of photos that they were tagged in.
Boomerangs
The Boomerang feature on Instagram was introduced in 2015. Boomerangs are in the same realm as a GIF, a short, 3-second video that repeats its content back in reverse before playing again - like a boomerang returning to its thrower.
Boomerangs were almost a precursor to Reels and TikToks, which have a similar function. Their arrival was a significant catalyst to an assortment of trends and an addictive feature unique to the platform, maintaining its relevance in competition with other apps such as Snapchat.
Advertising
Also to arrive in 2015 were in-app ments, which s would see in between posts they were following on their specially curated feed.
The adverts were also tailored to 's interests based on data collected from activity on an (e.g. if a follows s related to beauty, they will likely be seeing ads for products in line with this industry). The launch of 30-second ads on the platform was one of the first steps that expanded the app's use from personal to business.
Instagram Stories
Whilst Snapchat was brought out in 2011, it wasn't till 2016 that Instagram brought out its Instagram Stories feature, likely upon seeing its success with another app.
Instagram Stories allowed s to post photos or short videos, which would be highlighted on their profile and on their followers' feeds, available to view for 24 hours. s could now easily spend an hour scrolling through a plethora of stories that they only had so much time to view, maximizing the addictiveness of the app and increasing engagement.
Instagram Live
Later on, in the same year in November, the app stepped up to produce Instagram Live, a feature that echoed what other platforms were starting to do at the time.
This feature allowed s to stream content in real-time, giving the same taste of impermanence as stories. A harkening back to the days of live television footage, s could save the time and date that someone they were following would be "on air" and celebrities, artists, and small businesses were able to promote themselves directly to their audience, creating further hype and allowing s to feel as though they were being spoken to, one on one.
Carousels
It seems like this feature has been in use on Instagram all along, but it wasn't until February 2017 that the carousel feature was launched, allowing s to post up to 10 photos or videos in one go.
This became a much more efficient way for s to use the app. For most, gone were the days of creating multiple separate posts, writing multiple descriptions, and having to create multiple tags. s could showcase the content of the same event or theme with ease, lessening the feeling that s were spamming the feed with 10 shots of the same thing.
Guides
In May 2020, Instagram launched the Guides feature. This could be found on the 's profile and would be an article-like mini guide for s to add photos, videos, and text to inform their followers of steps to take in relation to their service or product.
This feature, among others, maximized Instagram as a platform used for businesses, enabling them to create useful content that would help market their products.
Reels
As mentioned previously, one of Instagram's current biggest competitors is the ever-growing TikTok app. TikTok hit the sweet spot between YouTube and Snapchat with its three-minute videos that gave s something but made them long for more.
Instagram launched its version of this feature in August 2020, which allowed s to effectively do the same thing and to even repost TikTok videos via Instagram Reels, leveraging the other apps' content.