In this article, we are going to be covering the new Change.org Instagram petition to remove the suggested posts from users’ feeds.
This is probably not ideal for Instagram and its new approach to content sorting as it tries to compete with TikTok’s blazing popularity. As you may recall, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hinted at upcoming changes in how it sorts content within user feeds earlier this year, with a shift away from your home feed being curated by your social or follow graph, to more of the posts displayed being recommended by AI, ‘even if the content wasn’t posted by a friend or someone you follow.’
Change.org Instagram petition gains more than 120,000 signs
That shift is most visible on Instagram, where more and more of your main feed is now dominated by posts – largely short-form video clips – from accounts you don’t follow, making it more difficult to keep up with the material from individuals you have chosen to follow on the app. TikTok’s method has been a major success in terms of increasing the quantity of entertaining content it can display to users to keep them browsing. However, many Instagram users are dissatisfied with the new experience, with almost 120,000 joining a new Change.org petition requesting that Instagram revert to its previous state.
Tati Bruening, an influencer and photographer, started the petition to return the app back to its roots of photo sharing. And today, one exceptionally powerful voice has joined her voice to those calls. With over 360 million followers on Instagram alone, Kylie Jenner is one of the most prominent voices among younger users. People listen when she speaks, and her support for the petition has already resulted in hundreds more signatures. And, if history is any guide, Instagram should be paying attention to what Jenner says as well. Jenner made the following remark on Snapchat’s update in 2018, which many people disliked:
sooo does anyone else not open Snapchat anymore? Or is it just me… ugh this is so sad.
— Kylie Jenner (@KylieJenner) February 21, 2018
That remark came just before Snap’s stock plummeted.
According to an article by Vox:
“Jenner’s ambivalence regarding the app appeared to have an immediate effect on Snapchat investors. By Thursday at the close of trading, Snapchat’s stock had dropped 6 percent — an estimated loss of between $1.3 billion and $1.6 billion in market value.
As a result, Jenner made headlines for her seeming ability to singlehandedly deal a huge financial blow to a tech industry giant, all with a casual tweet.”
Vox goes on to say that Jenner’s statements were only one of the numerous things that contributed to the dip. However, they were a big factor, even though a similar Change.org petition to return Snapchat to its original style had more than 1.2 million backers at the time. And, in a way, it worked. In response to user feedback, Snapchat rolled back several features and refined its approach. So Jenner’s statements, as well as the petition, did effect change. Will this happen again this time?
We hope that you enjoyed this article on the Change.org Instagram petition. If you did, we are sure that you will also enjoy reading our other articles, such as Instagram Little Miss memes trend: Meaning explained, or what is Instagram Live Producer tool and how to use it.
