Instagram leader: we’re gonna keep adding more video

Instagram’s leader wants you to know that the company is going to keep leaning into video. In a short video this morning that seems like it’s aimed at No. 2 Instagram user Kylie Jenner, Instagram head Adam Mosseri lays out bluntly that the app is going to keep shifting away from its photo roots.

“I need to be honest. I do believe that more and more of Instagram is gonna become video over time,” Mosseri said.

The app will continue to support photos, but Mosseri says the move away from them is driven by user behavior. Sharing and viewing of videos is growing, and “we’re gonna have to lean into that shift.”

Mosseri’s comments come a day after Jenner and her sister Kim Kardashian shared an image complaining about all of the app’s changes. “Make Instagram Instagram again,” the post says. “(Stop trying to be tiktok i just want to see cute photos of my friends). Sincerely, everyone.” An associated online petition has more than 100,000 signatures.

Instagram has transformed rapidly in recent months as the company tries to bolster its TikTok competitor, Reels, and get users to spend more time in the app. The main feed has been filled with algorithmic recommendations that mix in with your friends’ posts, and nearly all videos will now direct you over to Reels.

Of course, Instagram doesn’t have to reshape itself around video, but its parent company — Facebook owner Meta — is looking for changes that’ll increase users and retention. The Facebook app’s main feed is now being replaced with something akin to these Instagram changes, where it’ll mix more recommendations in with your friends’ stuff.