What is Happening?

As Bob Dylan said, "the times they are a changin"

Adam Mosseri, director of Instagram, has announced that the platform is getting ready to pivot and take a turn towards short videos. A format that is currently seeing faster adoption from younger users.

This will bring the platform in direct competition with short-form video platform TikTok. TikTok is already the biggest threat to Instagram with the latest reports showing that users in the US spend more time on TikTok than both the Facebook app and Instagram.

Instagram also plans to increase its experimentation with video through improved experiences that result in more immersive and entertaining videos on mobile devices

What Does it Mean?

Adam Mosseri has made it clear that Instagram is no longer a photo-sharing app. But it is not to worry. Instagram has always been changing. Not long ago Instagram was just a photo-filter app with a social network attached.

📺 Mosseri cited user research showing that Instagram users use the app for entertainment. However it is likely the Facebook also is aware that users true behaviour has created strong indicators for the new direction of Instagram.