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Today is a victory for Instagram users, influencers, and Kim Kardashian, as Instagram is set to walk back its controversial changes to make the app 'more like TikTok'.
Instagram was set to introduce TikTok-style full screen videos and photos and increase the number of recommended posts in its newsfeed.
This would have pushed down users' friends' posts in favour of algorithmically targeted ads and content from pages they don't follow.
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However, after an unlikely intervention from Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, as well as a horde of angry users, Instagram has dropped plans for the changes.
The app will roll back a test version which made it more like TikTok, as well as reduce the number of recommended posts in the feed.
Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner both shared a post telling Instagram to 'stop trying to be TikTok' and that people 'just want to see cute photos' of their friends.
A petition to prevent the changes and bring back chronological timelines meanwhile attracted hundreds of thousands of signatures.
Instagram boss Adam Mosseri has now said in an interview: "I'm glad we took a risk—if we're not failing every once in a while, we're not thinking big enough or bold enough.
"But we definitely need to take a big step back and regroup. [When] we've learned a lot, then we come back with some sort of new idea or iteration. So we're going to work with that."
Kardashians tell Instagram 'stop trying to be TikTok' but app boss blames users
Previously, Mosseri justified the changes by saying the users were engaged with friends more over DMs and Stories than in the newsfeed.
He said on Twitter: One thing I hear a lot is people asking to see more friend content in Feed. I'd love for there to be more friend content in feed, but all the growth in photos and videos from friends has been in stories and DMs.
"We will continue to show photos and videos from friends towards the top of Feed whenever we can, but the best way to keep up with friends seems to be with the other parts of Instagram.
However, this ignored the fact that many users are going to Stories and DMs because the feed doesn't give them their friends' content.
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- TikTok
- Kim Kardashian
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