Be honest, how many times have you clicked the centre button on the Instagram home page this month to share a post and been greeted by a feed of Reels (Instagram’s new short-form video function) instead? The Instagram home page has flipped. If you’re still getting used to it, you’ll now find the post button in the top right corner along with your direct messages.
The update has been a bit to get used to for loyal Instagram users, and some outrage has followed. As some users see this change as a lean towards commercial content over fostering the community, Instagram has become famous for. It’s too early to tell whether the change will boost Instagram shop sales and the usage of Reels. Thanks to this new design, we’re certainly guilty of a browse of both areas of the app. After all, Instagram’s reasoning is catering to changing user’s needs as we all have more time to utilise social media functionalities at home, and online shopping booms in the age of social distancing and isolation.
You can read more about the update from Instagram here: Introducing Reels and Shop Tabs – By Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram.
