The Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri feels that 2021 was a big year and hopes to hit the ground in the new year with a refreshed take and users of Instagram.
While highlighting the achievements from the past year, he also states that 2021 witnessed around 4 billion getting vaccinated. It also saw Britney getting freed and a sharp focus on the well-being of athletes and brave people like Simon Biles and Naomi Osaka. It was also the year of the Squid Game Phenomenon and Olivio Rodrigo’s break onto the scene.
A lot happened on Instagram as well. New features were introduced along with several updates to better the platform. However, two important themes were video and its focus on Reels. Instagram aims to consolidate all its video formats and build new creative tools.
Mosseri also mentions that it has given a lot of control to people and more ways to shape Instagram into what’s best for them. Things like sensitive content control, the ability to hide like counts, with extending hidden words to DMs.
Further, he goes on to share the key focus areas for Instagram in 2022.
Reels
Mosseri seems confident that 2022 is going to be an even bigger year. “We need to rethink what Instagram is because the world is changing. We are going to double down on our focus on video, we’re no longer just a photo-sharing app,” he adds.
Instagram looks forward to consolidating all its video formats around Reels and growing that product.
Also Read: Instagram’s update enables Image previews on Twitter
Messaging
The platform will be focusing a lot on Messaging. Mosseri shares that it is one of the primary ways in which people connect online at this point.
He says, “Instagram can be the best for people to connect with their friends about their interests. We need to embrace the fact that messaging is that primary form of communication.”
Transparency & Creators
Mosseri also points out that the platform will not only double down on its work on Controls but also continue focusing on creators.
“They are the forefront of the shift in power that we’re seeing across industries, from institutions to individuals. And one of the most important things we can do is to help them make a living on ur platform,” he shares.
Hence, there will be a number of new creator monetization products.
We need, as Mosseri says, to evolve because the world is changing quickly. “As we all emerge from this pandemic or the shift from pandemic to endemic we are thinng about who we are, what we value, and what kind of change we want to affect in the world,” he concludes.
