After irking users, Instagram pauses Tiktok-like features

The photo and video sharing social networking service has been constantly trying to outpace its competitor TikTok in the race of getting more views. The efforts is mainly the result of its parent company Meta to change Instagram and You tube interface so that users are able to watch videos and photos in a fashion similar to that of its rival TikTok.

Some of the changes that received flak from the users include playing up short-form video, displaying it full-screen the way TikTok does, and recommending posts from strangers.

However, Instagram’s plan doesn’t go well with its users, as many of them initiated a campaign against the social networking service for becoming similar to TikTok. Therefore, it has decided to pause features that users have campaigned against, according to a report in the Platformer tech newsletter Thursday.

Along with public many international celebrities have also joined the bandwagon of campaigners to call out against Instagram. Celebrity sisters Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner were some of the most vocal users to have posted messages on social media this week calling for the company to “make Instagram Instagram again” and stop trying to be like TikTok. The slogan sprang from a change.org petition that had received more than 229,000 signatures as of late Thursday.

“Lets go back to our roots with Instagram and remember that the intention behind Instagram was to share photos, for Pete’s sake,” the petition read.

Before deciding to pause the controversial features, Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri replied to the controversy on Twitter, earlier this week. In the video he posted on Twitter, Adam ensured the public that the features are on their trial phase and are being tested with small number of users to keep Instagram up to date .

“I’m glad we took a risk,” Mosseri was quoted as saying Thursday in an interview with Platformer’s Casey Newton.

“But we definitely need to take a big step back and regroup.If we’re not failing every once in a while, we’re not thinking big enough or bold enough,” Mosseri said.

Mosseri argued that the shift to more video would happen even if the service changed nothing, as users increasingly share and seek video snippets.

“If you look at what people share on Instagram, that is shifting more and more to video over time,we are going to have to lean into that shift.”” Mosseri said.

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg backed that position during an earnings call Wednesday, saying people are increasingly watching video online.

Both Meta and Google are among companies facing increased competition from TikTok for people’s attention, and have launched their own versions of short-form video sharing.

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