‘Make Instagram Instagram Again’ Trend Wins; Meta Rolls Back New Changes That Clone TikTok

Instagram recently launched a few features, urging users to make more Reels. Soon after, there was a severe backlash from users who said the Meta-owned platform was just like the Chinese app TikTok. Now, Instagram is rolling back some of the new features that it had previously announced.

What New Features Did Instagram Announce?

Instagram has been pushing Reels for a while now, urging more creators and influencers to use the tool. The Meta-owned social media site announced that all videos up to 15 minutes would be posted as Instagram Reels. So, if users wished to make a normal video, they didn't have a choice. Instagram also announced a few new algorithm changes on the platform.

Make Instagram Instagram Again

Instagram influencers, users, and other celebrities rose their voices against the Meta platform. "Make Instagram Instagram again" was a trending hashtag and post on many artists' profiles. Prominent celebrities and influencers like Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian spoke out about the recent changes on Instagram.

Users demanded equal status for photos and reels, asking Instagram to let users decide what they want to post and see. Users began complaining that they were seeing more posts of people and accounts they didn't follow or like. While the platform already has a dedicated tab for Instagram Reels, Meta wanted to make it a clone of TikTok to take on the rival.

Instagram Rolls Back New Features

Soon after, the Meta-owned photo-sharing app decided to halt the recent changes it had announced. This includes the full-screen video posts in feeds, which were very similar to TikTok. Soon after the backlash, Instagram decided to take back the new features announced.

"We recognize that changes to the app can be an adjustment, and while we believe that Instagram needs to evolve as the world changes, we want to take the time to make sure we get this right," Meta said in a statement.

Presently, Instagram hasn't outrightly said it would remove these new features completely. But for now, Instagram users seemed to have won the first battle in making Instagram more like the original photo-sharing platform.