Dive Brief:
- As multiple social media platforms adapt to shifting user habits, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, recently announced that the app is pivoting away from being primarily a photo-sharing app.
- Instead, the platform will enhance its features in four key areas: creators, video, shopping and messaging, Mosseri said a week ago in a video.
- During the video, Mosseri noted that the COVID-19 pandemic "accelerated the shift of commerce from offline to online by a number of years, and we're trying to lean into that trend" through its shopping features.
Dive Insight:
In his video announcement, Mosseri cited the success of competitors like TikTok, YouTube and smaller platforms as part of the reason for focusing more on video. In the coming months, the social network will be experimenting with recommendations — starting with sharing content to consumers, even from accounts they're not following, based on the topics they're interested in, he said.
"People are looking to Instagram to be entertained, there's stiff competition and there's more to do. Then we have to embrace that. And that means change," Mosseri said in the video.
Instagram has taken its cues from other platforms like TikTok and Clubhouse, the audio social media app. Clubhouse, founded in early 2020, features live audio chat rooms and recently launched a direct payment tool for collecting tips from users. Similarly, Instagram launched its rooms feature in March to let up to four users chat live with one another simultaneously. Last month, Instagram also unveiled features to help creators monetize their audience.
Meanwhile, TikTok teamed up with Shopify last Fall to introduce e-commerce tools on the app. Instagram debuted its Shopping in Reels feature in December to let sellers and influencers tag their products for sale within their Reels. The company also expanded its Reels feature globally last month.
