Adam Mosseri says Instagram will roll back some recent changes after a week of mounting criticism, including temporarily reducing the number of recommendations

Say goodbye to the full-screen feed, and at least some of those recommendations — for now. Adam Mosseri explains why

Platformer 2022-07-29 Casey Newton

Context & Ripple Effects

Instagram had already framed the full-screen redesign as an unfinished test that was not yet good after user backlash. The reversal matters because it interrupts a video-first direction Mosseri had outlined when he said Instagram was no longer solely a photo-sharing app and identified TikTok and YouTube as competitors.

First-order effects

Instagram will restore the prior feed presentation rather than continue the full-screen test, while temporarily showing fewer recommended posts.
Users regain a feed less dominated by recommendations; creators relying on recommendation-driven discovery face a short-term reduction in that distribution channel.

Second-order effects

Instagram’s push toward video must proceed through narrower product and ranking experiments rather than a broad interface replacement, giving TikTok and YouTube less reason to answer an immediate feed-format shift.
The rollback makes user acceptance a constraint on how quickly Instagram can shift viewing time from followed accounts toward algorithmically selected content.

Third-order effects

If Instagram continues to pair recommendation expansion with reversions after backlash, feed design will evolve toward more adjustable ranking systems rather than a single universal algorithmic experience, as later algorithm-reset testing suggests.
The deeper competitive contest is likely to center on whether platforms can increase discovery and video consumption without weakening users’ sense that they control whom they see.

The trend: Social platforms are moving from follower-led feeds toward recommendation-led video discovery, while adding rollback and control mechanisms to manage user resistance.

Discussion

@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
Some news: Instagram is temporarily walking back some its changes amid mounting criticism. The full-screen feed beta is going away, and the number of recommendations is going down —> https://www.platformer.news/ ...
@pierce David Pierce on x
Really great Instagram scoop from @CaseyNewton, including a fascinating thought from @mosseri on how “friends and family” really use the platform https://www.platformer.news/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@mosseri Adam Mosseri on x
One thing I hear a lot is people asking to see more friend content in Feed. I'd love for there to be more friend content in feed, but all the growth in photos and videos from friends has been in stories and in DMs.
@platformer @platformer on x
Early edition for all followers today: - 🚨 Instagram walks back its changes - Say goodbye to the full-screen feed, and at least some of those recommendations — for now. Adam Mosseri explains why - Good tweet about red flags https://www.platformer.news/ ...
@chillmage @chillmage on x
speaking very personally, Instagram's value was based on these core things for me: 1. felt far more personal than Facebook after FB started to resemble an unhinged psychological experiment 2. offered a very glossy look at life for self and others 3. wasn't cluttered with ads
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
@tomwarren kylie gets what kylie wants
@ericajoy Erica Joy on x
one of the most costly mistakes google made was borne of a fear of facebook. now we see facebook/meta making the same mistakes out of fear of tiktok. rough. https://twitter.com/...
@illumitatiana @illumitatiana on x
!!! https://twitter.com/...
@pierce David Pierce on x
Also the whole “we can't control how people use the app” is a load of crap and everybody knows it — how you build the app has EVERYTHING to do with how people use it https://twitter.com/...
@mistydemeo Misty on x
I can't get over what a bad response this is. People are *begging* for the app to stop burying their friends' photos, and the response is “no, don't expect to see more of your friends' posts”. https://twitter.com/...
@lordravenscraft Eric Ravenscraft on x
with respect, this is one of the most hilariously naive things i've seen a tech exec say of *course* you can tell people how to use the app. that's what UX design is bury the Stories feature in a sub-menu somewhere, see how much people “prefer” video then https://twitter.com/...
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
@gutjahr I've written a good bit in @platformer over the past few weeks — my basic take is that they're trying to manage two pivots at once and it's going to be incredibly difficult. but also they have 2.9B daily users and lots of cash. so I'm just kind of watching and waiting
@rob_sheridan Rob Sheridan on x
I've been yelling about Instagram all week and I didn't even know they were about to launch a version that opens up full-screen for reels, my god. BULLYING WORKS. Be your own fuckin app Instagram, or we'll keep flushing your dweeb head in the toilet https://twitter.com/...
@steven_aquino Steven Aquino on x
Not a subtweet, I swear... If you're thinking about writing a think piece on how awful Instagram is now and people should leave, best to remember that quitting services is a matter of privilege not everyone can afford. See also: Facebook, Amazon, Twitter.
@brianoliu Brian Oliu on x
I've spent less time on Instagram since this update mostly because I'll scroll for a bit & get caught in a fitness influencer video sludge loop & exit out to try to reset things. I feel like most folks aren't mindlessly scrolling because of it. And the data shows that! https://tw…
@culturecrave @culturecrave on x
@platformer “I'm glad we took a risk — if we're not failing every once in a while, we're not thinking big enough or bold enough ... But we definitely need to take a big step back and regroup” https://www.platformer.news/ ...
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
@CaseyNewton the Kardashians strike again
@chillmage @chillmage on x
nonetheless, I imagine it's a good move to reverse course here and lean into what core users want. TikTok stuff goes everywhere - including Twitter. good content that people want to see will always spread across platforms...
@issielapowsky Issie Lapowsky on x
Less than 24 hours ago Zuck said on earnings that AI recommendations in people's Instagram and Facebook feeds will double by next year 🧐 https://twitter.com/...
@urbanjodi Jodi Allemeier on x
“I'd love for there to be more investment in public transport but all the growth has been in cars so we need to build more lanes” - same mentality 👇 https://twitter.com/...
@esaagar Saagar Enjeti on x
YES! Thank you @KylieJenner https://twitter.com/...
@brianmanzullo Brian Manzullo on x
Real talk: A lot of folks will attribute this to all the outrage across social media, but this wouldn't be happening if it wasn't reflected in the user behavior data, too. https://twitter.com/...
@chillmage @chillmage on x
... but it's very interesting to see that trying to capture audience by mimicking features and formats is not a slam dunk even when you're starting from a position with unbelievable scale. really reinforces the idea that actual people drive culture on platforms
@gutjahr Richard Gutjahr on x
@pierce ... Congrats on this scoop, @CaseyNewton! Having read your interview with @mosseri I am baffled. Meta seems to have completely lost its way. Would be interested in your 2ct about the state of Meta. Would you consider a personal analysis as a follow up? (who needs vacation…
@tnwhiskeywoman @tnwhiskeywoman on x
@mosseri Stories is the easiest way to see stuff in *chronological order*, which is what we want. I can't understand why you don't get that. Posts are shared to stories bc that's the best way to see them since... what? THEY NO LONGER SHOW UP ON OUR FEEDS.
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
@shannonpareil the end of 2023 is still a decent ways away ... i can imagine them fine-tuning the recommendations and ramping them up again before then
@tiffanydesigned @tiffanydesigned on x
@tnwhiskeywoman @mosseri Took the words right out my mouth. As a UX designer I find this whole thread to be incredibly flippant to a population that's been vocal about its needs for a long time.
@studioanisa Anisa Sanusi on x
The word “growth” here gave me the ick. They're not even hiding the fact that it's not about the best UX for their users, it's about exponential growth even if it's not possible. Chasing tiktok won't make IG better - you're two different apps, act like it. https://twitter.com/...
@aria_gerson Aria Gerson on x
this is really it, there's nothing wrong with video — I use tiktok too — but you can't just say “we're gonna prioritize all video” if it's not high quality, most ig reels are just reposted from tiktok, there's not anything inspiring users to really make good unique content there …
@shitlicious @shitlicious on x
@mosseri Why do u give us “recommendations” while u already gave us EXPLORE tab? Leave the Feed tab alone, to see the contents of the people we follow. No need to click “following” button EVERYTIME we wanna see their contents! That's why we FOLLOW people, so we don't miss their c…
@hypervisible @hypervisible on x
The logical end of the algorithm that “knows what you really want” is the algorithm telling you what you are supposed to want. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@chaykak Kyle Chayka on x
“Which then begs the question, what's the future of feed? And in a world where more of the friend content has gone from feed into stories and DMs, I think that feed is going to become more public in nature.” Adam Mosseri talks to @CaseyNewton https://www.theverge.com/...
@laurenjauregui @laurenjauregui on x
As a creator, the new algorithms are actually harmful for engagement & I'm forced to do what the algorithm looks for (which is confusing & changes) instead of what's organic to me. We adapt because you force us to because you wanna make more money off ads, stop playing. https://t…
@ellencscott Ellen C Scott on x
I am no tech/social media expert but isn't this a chicken/egg thing? People going to stories and DMs because their main feeds are just promoted bits? That's the case for me - I never look at my Instagram feed because it's completely overrun with random content https://twitter.com…
@mcely Meg Ely on x
This is a BS answer. These apps are designed to push users a certain way and Mosseri knows it. https://twitter.com/...
@pantibliss Dr Panti Bliss-Cabrera on x
It's mad that Facebook's (and thus Insta's) business model is: - make something people like - want loads more money - turn it into something advertisers like but everybody else hates - kill business - put feet up thinking “we do business good!” https://twitter.com/...
@mrinaldesai @mrinaldesai on x
I am recommending a new name for Instagram - flip flop. I see a strong competitive brand in that name https://twitter.com/...
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
I also asked about an idea I've seen many people share — that people are only watching more video because it's all Instagram will give them. Here's what Mosseri said: https://twitter.com/...
@willoremus Will Oremus on x
Kylie gets results https://twitter.com/...
@parismartineau Paris Martineau on x
“temporarily” = “just long enough for the influencers to stop yelling at us” https://twitter.com/...
@lisatozzi Lisa Tozzi on x
I have a list of other things I would like Kylie and Kim to complain about. https://www.platformer.news/ ...
@kerrymflynn Kerry Flynn on x
Victory! ... at least temporarily https://twitter.com/...
@walldo Dark Brandon Wall on x
Instagram rollback: “A test version of the app that opened to full-screen photos and videos will be phased out over the next one to two weeks, and Instagram will also reduce the number of recommended posts in the app as it works to improve its algorithms” https://www.platformer.n…
@lucas_shaw Lucas Shaw on x
The Kardashians have more power over Facebook than Congress. https://twitter.com/...
@rebexxxxa Rebecca Jennings on x
celebrities complaining works!!!! https://twitter.com/...
@chelseacirruzzo Chelsea Cirruzzo on x
next let's bully twitter into fully deleting the app <3 https://twitter.com/...
@cebsilver @cebsilver on x
haha Insta has no idea what it's fucking doing it's like, they never talked to actual users and just announced shit https://twitter.com/...
@nbashaw Nathan Baschez on x
Holy shit, seriously?? Damn I guess my blog poast was right https://every.to/... https://twitter.com/...
@brianstelter Brian Stelter on x
“For the new feed designs, people are frustrated and the usage data isn't great,” @mosseri says. “So there I think that we need to take a big step back, regroup, and figure out how we want to move forward.” https://www.platformer.news/ ...
@oliverdarcy Oliver Darcy on x
“Instagram will walk back some recent changes to the product following a week of mounting criticism,” @CaseyNewton reports. https://www.platformer.news/ ...
@oduneweniyi @oduneweniyi on x
Thank you @chrissyteigen https://twitter.com/...
@stevekovach Steve Kovach on x
!!! https://www.platformer.news/ ...
@patwhite70 @patwhite70 on x
https://www.platformer.news/ ...
@parismartineau Paris Martineau on x
in an apparent attempt to copy the popular app BeReal, Instagram is rolling out its own feature (called 'Dual') to take disappearing photos using the front and back cameras simultaneously left is IG stories, right is BeReal https://twitter.com/...
@taylorlorenz Taylor Lorenz on x
There is not an app or a feature Meta won't clone https://twitter.com/...
@parismartineau Paris Martineau on x
interesting context from a former instagram product designer. (for comparison, bereal launched in 2019) if true, i think it is a little embarrassing that it took a company the size of Meta 3 years to ship such a simple feature a sign of day 2 at Meta? https://twitter.com/...
@parismartineau Paris Martineau on x
apparently Instagram hyped Dual up to the press as a video-centric feature for showing your reaction during IG reels. but idk, it seems more reminiscent of BeReal to me than anything else it doesnt default to video unless you hold the take picture button https://www.adweek.com/..…
@davidmackau David Mack on x
when was the last time instagram did anything genuinely original https://twitter.com/...
@brookssolveig @brookssolveig on x
@GK3 @parismartineau I also prototyped this feature for Facebook Stories several years ago.
@parismartineau Paris Martineau on x
*clears throat* BeReels
@gk3 George Kedenburg III on x
@parismartineau not really embarrassing, just an unfortunate complication of scale the reason it took so long is because the android camera API was terrible and leads didn't want to ship something that only worked on high-end iOS devices — so it sat on the shelf until device supp…
@captain2phones Michael Fisher on x
Good lord, is there nothing that Instagram *won't* steal in its neverending identity crisis? https://twitter.com/...
@snazzyq Quinn Nelson on x
Hahahahaha I hate Facebook https://twitter.com/...
@gk3 George Kedenburg III on x
@parismartineau this feature is actually ~3 years old, maybe convenient timing that it just finally shipped to 100% but it definitely existed before bereal
@scottmonty Scott Monty on x
Shameless IP theft is Meta's superpower. https://twitter.com/...

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