Instagram Prioritizes Reels and Messaging as User Base Surpasses 3 Billion
MENLO โคPARK, CA – Instagram โis undergoing a notable shift inโ focus, prioritizing short-form video and direct messaging โas its global user base reaches 3โ billion monthly active users. Theโค changes, โannounced โtoday, reflect a decline in traditional photo sharing and a strategic effort to capitalize on features driving growth, according to Meta โขPlatforms, Instagram’s โparent company.
The app isโฃ redesigning โคits home screen navigation to prominently feature Reels, Instagram’s TikTokโข competitor, and private messaging, making both more accessible to users.โ In aโฃ further move to emphasize video content, Instagram โis testing aโ version of โthe app in India โคthat opens directly into Reels, bypassing the traditional photo and video feed. Thisโฃ design wasโ also recentlyโ implemented โฃin a new โขiPad appโค release.
“While Instagram was onceโ known primarily as a placeโฃ for postingโค and scrolling through personal life highlights,that type ofโ sharing โฃhas been declining for years,” said Adam Mosseri,head of Instagram.
To enhance user experience and โขcontent โdiscovery, Instagram is also testing โa feature allowing users to directly influence the content algorithm byโฃ selecting or hiding topics ofโ interest.โฃ
These updates represent a broaderโค strategy to leverage Instagram’s most โpopularโ features, โeven as the platform movesโค away from the photo-centric experience that initially propelled โคit to global โsuccess.โฃ The company is adapting to evolving โคuser behavior, recognizing the increasing popularity of short-form videoโค and โdirect โคcommunication.
