Instagram is back making changes that no one asked for and making us all wonder why we still use this app so much. They launched a new homepage layout. And this is quickly becoming one of the most hated Instagram updates to date.
Before I tear this update apart, here’s what it looks like.
It’s immediately clear that this was a move by Instagram to generate some more engagement for their shopping capabilities and their tiktok knocko–I mean Reels. Where there used to be a button to post something to your profile — the prime real estate right in the middle of the bottom bar — now takes you to Reels. And the other most-used tab — the one that lets you see who’s engaged with you — was replaced by the shopping tab.
First, I just need to say one thing before we carry on:
This update literally came out of nowhere and confused so many people, including me. At first, I genuinely couldn’t figure out how to post or check my likes. Realistically, if this update wasn’t made, we would all be happier. But they could at least give a mini-tutorial on how to use the app now like many other apps/websites do when there’s an update.
Instagram is Instagramming again
Overall, this whole ordeal is just proving to me, more than I already believed, that Instagram only care about making money. And they don’t care about how users actually want to experience their app. We said chronological, they gave us a terrible algorithm. We said absolutely nothing about wanting changes on the homepage. They said, “Here! Here’s something new. Figure it out yourself.”
Sometimes I genuinely wonder, do they realize why people use Instagram? We want social interaction, to see content from creators we like, and be exposed to other content we like. They put every roadblock in the way on those fronts. Then they just shove Reels and shopping in our faces. We like tiktok, not reels. And I don’t mind the shopping integration, but it will never be Instagram’s main purpose to me.
I just hope that the next of the Instagram updates will be a little more customer-centric. All hope isn’t lost; IG owner Facebook finally listened to users and gave them the chronological timeline they needed. So maybe that’s a clue that a similar move will be taken with IG? I feel like at some point, apps have to listen to their users and find out what they really want, or else they’re going to leave the second a viable alternative comes on the scene. Instagram has the loyalty because it’s really the only app of its kind, so that’s in their favor. People don’t want to leave, now Instagram just needs to put in a little extra effort to make it easy for them to stay.
Okay, rant over. Enjoy some related memes and tweets.
Hannah Michelle Lambert is the Digital Marketer at Worthix, as well as the host of the monthly CX News Recap segment. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
