Is Instagram Still A Photosharing App?

“INSTAGRAM IS NO LONGER A PHOTO SHARING APP???” (Take a breather, ya’ll 😆 and let’s talk about what this means for people who express themselves through or rely on photography)

Last week, @mosseri via @creators got real transparent about what’s in the works at Instagram and gave us another (one of many) under the hood peeks into the different algorithms on the app. In this, he mentioned that they’re doubling down on video so much that he believes Instagram is “no longer just a photo sharing app.”

Begs the question: have we been listening to social media experts and industry folks that have preached “video is king” (or queen) for the last handful of years? [swipe for my predictions 2019-2021]

This has not just been an Instagram evolution, but a people evolution. People 👏🏼 like 👏🏼 to 👏🏼 consume 👏🏼 video.

Thanks to the popularity of TikTok starting in 2019 and now completely taking over, it’s natural Instagram will follow suit to keep people in their app by leaning into what the people want!

Did we say Instagram wanted to be ~unique~ nope, just like other major company they want to take the road that leads to most growth. And that’s video.

So: what does this mean for PHOTOGRAPHY enthusiasts?

First of all, you don’t work for an algorithm. So keep making and publishing the way you’re excited to (like this entire series I shot on a whim with @christiannblake just be-frickin’-cause).

And if you want to lean into the new way people are consuming information and art, think about:

📸 Creating a video highlighting your favorite photos from a shoot
📸 Showing us the behind-the-scenes of your work
📸 Talking about your creative process, business or how you get “the shot”

& other ways to add a motion element to showcase the moments you’re capturing

People still want to see and celebrate your photography on here, they just may be looking at it through a new lens.

LET’S GET YOUR THOUGHTS BELOW 👇🏼