Ever since Kylie Jenner announced that she was “over Instagram,” the app’s relevance was brought into question. Although the reality star is still an active user, her statement brought what many users were thinking to the forefront.
The question is, what has the role of Instagram been in 2022?
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri recently posted a video discussing the topic and providing some key insights into what Instagram wants to focus on in the following year.
“At the beginning of the year I said that our priorities were going to be working on video, on messaging, on transparency and control, on helping creators make a living. And we made a lot of progress on a lot of those, and we also had some false starts on those as well,” Mosseri says at the start of the video.
Instagram in 2023 📝
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) December 28, 2022
We’re going to focus on three things:
- Inspire people to be creative
- Help people discover things they love
- Spark connections between people
Thank you all for making Instagram what it is today. See you in the New Year! ✌🏼 pic.twitter.com/1UjqUM2Axw
While Instagram has rolled out feature after feature this year, some of which improved content creator opportunities, public perception leaned towards Instagram’s loss of identity.
As TikTok’s popularity surged, Instagram began testing updates such as full-screen formats, a clear likeliness to the format TikTok has popularized. These strategies had users wondering if Instagram was still ahead of the curve.
Mosseri continues by reminding audiences of the two billion users milestone that Instagram achieved this year. This is a clear indication that the app had a better year than most people thought.
According to Mosseri, Instagram’s key elements of focus are:
Inspiring Creativity on Instagram
Reflecting on the days when Instagram became famous for its creative options, “those amazing photo filters and crazy frames,” Mosseri says that Instagram will be putting inspiration and creativity in the spotlight. With the increasing number of innovative photography and video apps on the market, it’s intriguing to think about what Instagram has in store for the next year!
Discovering New Things
Mosseri highlights the platform’s goal to continue connecting users to the creators, videos and posts they may be interested in, which will then allow them to discover new things that they would love.
Sparking Connections
Lastly, Mosseri states that sparking connections between people over what they find and instigating interactions will be a key point of focus in 2023. “This is how I think we can differentiate from the competition and not just be a lean back experience, but one where you start conversations,” he elaborates.
With over two billion active users worldwide, Instagram remains to be one of the top social platforms in the world.
