The latest version of Instagram

A few days ago, Instagram revamped its Home, facilitating access to Reel and Shop.

Connect with the people you care about most in your profile and express yourself.

That was the description of Mark Zuckerberg's platform only a few years ago. Today, looking at the latest version of Instagram, one question we want to ask ourselves is: Does it still work like that?

What are the reasons for the change?

Announcing the news, Adam Mosseri - CEO of the platform, reported that the reasons for the change in the interface came together with the trends that exploded online during the global emergency situation: short, funny videos and an incredible amount of online shopping.

So, these are the main reasons for the change, along with the need for an app to renew itself because, as Mosseri himself explained:

The biggest risk for Instagram is not to change too quickly, but not to change at all and become irrelevant.

What does the new interface look like? 

Placing most of the focus on Reel and Shop meant 'putting' the two icons in the bottom bar, next to Home, Search and Personal Profile. Consequently, the links to the Notifications and Content Creation sections have slipped to the top right, next to Direct.

'Personalise the experience'

Personalise the experience is a phrase Mosseri himself uses in one of his IGTVs. Not surprisingly, the Shop section shows shopping recommendations customised according to the user's tastes and searches and facilitates the action itself thanks to the possibility of purchasing directly on the App.

What was the reaction of the users?

Going back to the initial question of Does it still work like that?, we close with a new question:

Is it possible that Instagram wants to send a message to companies and content creators who use the platform for commercial purposes, prompting them to implement their own purchasing and customer experience strategies? 

If until now Instagram has been included within communication strategies as one of the digital touchpoints dedicated to the publication of mainly visual content, it now proposes a multifunctional use. 

Within it, in fact, content is no longer only diversified between Feeds and Stories, but proposes a content structure that increasingly leads to the conclusion of an action within the platform itself, such as a purchase.

We dare because we care