Photos To Get More Focus In 2023 Says Instagram Chief

Are you struggling to create videos for that insta reach? Tired of trying to keeping the video under 1min? Well, we have good news for you! 

If you are an influencer who have been using the Gram since long, you must have noticed the pictures are not getting the reach as needed as before. With constant algorithm changes and competitor pressure, instagram introduced the reels feature, withing no time the reels began to blow up and now these are the only ones being watched frequently in the Gram. With this the credibility of photos come under scrutiny. Influencer and struggling instagramers began to create more and more video content for more reach and engagement. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri recently said they had gone too hard pushing the videos and reels and will make more steps to bring the focus on photos again in 2023. Though this a sweet news to the ears, how far its implemented is something of a question given the audience preference still will be for short videos with transitions and graphic elements. 

It was always felt that Instagram has lost the very purpose for which it was created- pictures. The rise of instagram coincided with the launch of phone cameras, which encouraged people to snap pictures and post them as memories and The Gram became the one platform where pictures are shared and engaged.  

With the launch of Stories, things began to change. To keep up with the young users, for more interactive visual content & to blunt the growth of SnapChat whom Meta considered as a strong competitor Stories were the key focus. Long story short, the strategy worked and Instagram was able to slow the growth of snapchat, while skyrocketing its own usage. Subsequently instagram began to experiment with other features and the gradual shift and focus to videos happened. 

The step by Instagram to create a healthy balance between the photos and video promotion may to some extent prevent the extinction of photos and hopefully authentic photos comes back.