Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri defended the app’s shift to video content Tuesday following criticism from Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian about the new format.
“It’s not yet good,” Mosseri said in a video posted on Twitter Tuesday, “and we’re going to have to get it to a good place if we’re going to ship it to the rest of Instagram.”
The Head of Instagram also addressed “concerns” from users who are unhappy with the new video-first design, likely referencing resistance from Jenner and Kardashian, who both posted Instagram Stories saying, “Make Instagram Instagram Again” Monday.
“There’s a lot going on on Instagram right now. We’re experimenting with a number of different changes to the app,” said Mosseri, noting that the alteration, which introduces a full-screen feed, is a “test to a few percentage” of users.
“The idea is that a more full-screen experience, not only for videos but for photos, might be a more fun and engaging experience,” Mosseri explained.
As far as the general shift from photo to video, Mosseri clarified that the app will “continue to support photos,” noting that they are a part of Instagram’s “heritage.” However, he admits that “more and more of Instagram is gonna become video over time,” justifying the shift as a natural evolution.
“If you look at what people share on Instagram, that’s shifting more and more to videos over time,” Mosseri said, “If you look at what people like and consume and view on Instagram, that’s also shifting more and more to video over time.”
Instagram’s progression to video content comes on the heels of Facebook’s redesign, which mimics TikTok’s pattern of algorithmically chosen videos.
Last week, Facebook, which like Instagram is owned by Meta, announced that its new format will split the app’s home into two sections: “Home” — the default screen — which will share recommended content, including videos, based on the company’s discovery engine and “Feeds,” which will showcase posts from friends, Pages and groups in chronological order.
“We’re also gonna need to evolve, because the world is changing quickly and we’re gonna have to change along with it,” Mosseri concluded.