What a difference a month makes!
Last month we shared the HUGE changes that Meta had announced for Instagram - essentially remodelling the app along the lines of Tik Tok.
Well, It certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons.
Now, Instagram have announced that they are are stopping that rollout - perhaps permanently until they can assess an alternative.
The pause follows a huge backlash from users.
Celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Chrissy Teigen hit out at Instagram over the proposed changes.
As we described among the new features was an increase in video content being displayed to users and algorithm-driven ‘recommendations’... All of which were criticised for blocking posts from friends and followed accounts.
According to Metro, a spokesperson for Meta (the parent company of Instagram which also runs Facebook) said the company wanted to ‘take the time’ to get the changes right.
‘Based on our findings and community feedback, we’re pausing the full-screen test on Instagram so we can explore other options, and we’re temporarily decreasing the number of recommendations you see in your feed so we can improve the quality of your experience,’ a Meta spokesperson said.
‘We recognize that changes to the app can be an adjustment, and while we believe that Instagram needs to evolve as the world changes, we want to take the time to make sure we get this right.’
Is the 2022 Instagram update dead?
So, what will be the outcome? A complete reversal? A reformated version of the Insta-tiktok fusion?
It seems likely that Tik Tok's continued growth will mean Instagram's desire to recreate its best features will remain.
But like all successful brands, they need to be sure that their existing audience are not so put-out by the changes that they leave the platform.
It'll be interesting to see what happens next!