Our beloved Instagram is about to change big time. As if putting ads in Instagram Reels wasn’t enough, now Facebook wants to turn the app into a TikTok clone.
In a Twitter interview, the head of Instagram Adam Mosseri has confirmed that Facebook has decided to start testing new "full screen, immersive, entertaining, mobile-first video", and wants to "experiment with a number of things in this space over the coming months".
"We're no longer a photo-sharing app or a square photo-sharing app. Let's be honest, there's some really serious competition right now... TikTok is huge, YouTube is even bigger, and there are lots of other upstarts as well," said Mosseri.
While the change is a bit frustrating for core Instagram users for sure, it’s not surprising, not in the slightest. A recent report by Sensor Tower showed that TikTok topped revenue charts in 2020 and has continued to do so in 1H21 as the highest-grossing non-game app worldwide across both the App Store and Google Play.
People have spent more than $920 million in TikTok during the first half of the year, up 74 percent when compared to the year-ago period. Facebook apparently thinks that Instagram can take a bite from that sweet fruit, too - hence the changes.
Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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